Uber Eats responsibly
Pay a premium only for a purpose.
I don’t know our neighbor Christian.
We live in the same six-unit building, yet I couldn’t identify him if he bumped into me on the street.
But I know he can’t be great with money. For Christian’s sake, I hope I’m wrong.
What I witnessed back in late January, however, was either a really weak moment or a tell-all glimpse into a neighbor’s reckless spending habits.
Regardless, someone needs to talk some sense into Christian.
I had just returned home from a work trip to Portland on Jan. 29. A large, brown paper grocery bag sat on our windowsill, greeting me as I approached our front door.
Initially, I thought the package was for me, perhaps mail or maybe a surprise from someone to welcome me home. Then I leaned in and looked closer at the stapled white receipt.
It was from Uber Eats, and it was reserved for Christian E.
The order was from The Original Maxwell Street, a Chicago icon that has long served savory polish sausage sandwiches, fries and other fast food fixtures.
On this night, Christian chose one boneless, breaded pork chop sandwich, a Maxwell Street hot dog and a double cheeseburger. According to the receipt, he placed his order at 2:37 a.m. on Jan. 28, which would have been early Sunday morning.
I returned Monday at 7 p.m.
My guy ordered a fourth meal for delivery and completely forgot about it. Christian paid his money, probably passed out and allowed what would have been a delicious polish to perish on our windowsill.
When I walked outside the next day, the bag still sat there. It was 10:56 a.m. Christian was nowhere to be found.
I already struggled wrapping my mind around the rapid rise of food delivery. The only thing I can think of that’s worse than an extra set of untrustworthy hands handling my food is having to pay a surcharge for said service.
And who knows what shape the food will be in when it arrives?
Will my order be complete, or will items be missing? Is my food still hot, or has delivery taken so long our order shows up cold? How about the bread on all those sandwiches? What’s preventing it from getting soggy?
There are way too many variables for my taste. I’d rather dine out, order takeout or, best of all, buy groceries and cook.
About two years ago, another neighbor ordered Molly’s Cupcakes. It’s the same company that catered my wedding desserts. Their regular-sized cupcakes start at $3, but they’re worth every penny.
Daniel, my neighbor, left his delivered box of four sitting on the ground outside my front door. When I examined the pink box, it was crawling with ants. I warned Daniel.
“I’ll live,” Daniel told me, like he didn’t just pay $25 for four ant-infested cupcakes.
I understand the value of food delivery services for people who truly are too busy to shop for groceries, cook and clean afterward. But convenience, of course, costs.
Christian’s receipt showed the cost of his meal was $16, which tells you how much value you get for tasty albeit greasy grub at Maxwell Street.
But a small discrepancy in the price of the pork chop shown on the receipt and on Maxwell Street’s website suggests that Uber Eats charges a markup.
On the restaurant’s website, the sandwich is priced at $5.50. But the Uber Eats receipt on my windowsill shows $6.25. The Maxwell Street hot dog ($4.25) and double cheeseburger ($5.50) both showed the same prices on the website and the Uber Eats receipt.
The $1.72 tax on the receipt was waived for some reason. I also didn’t see a delivery fee on the receipt.
Maybe both fees were charged and paid via the app. I don’t know how Uber Eats or any other food delivery service works. I’ve never done them, and I don’t plan to start.
A quick Reddit search revealed I’m not alone in wanting to stay far away.
One person with the username “cooldadlol” (it’s not me, I swear!) wrote one year ago, “Uber has become very selfish. Not only do they charge a very expensive “service fee” and “delivery fee,” they also markup about 10-15% depending on the food.”
We can’t afford to live like Christian. Groceries are expensive enough.
Even when we get to a point where money isn’t an issue, keep being smart. Don’t be lazy. Don’t be wasteful.
Be a good steward of what you have. You can do that simply by being sensible with how you spend.
And if you ever have a hard time holding out on food delivery, Parker, just remember the ants.
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Great news that these services are woefully expensive and not the great joy those of us who live in the — “We do not deliver to your area.” — Areas thought we were missing out on! We were being good stewards of our limited resources and didn’t realize it!!