Food App Couriers Rely on Tips—but Customers Are No Longer Feeling Generous + MORE Aug 23rd

Food-app delivery workers are becoming more and more frustrated with the tips they are receiving from customers. On social media, people who work for apps like Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes and DoorDash are posting videos of their daily earnings, revealing they can make as little as $3 per order—that’s base wage and tip. Many gig workers are being paid below minimum wage, so they can’t make a livable income when customers don’t tip, an increasingly common situation. 

According to Brice Sopher, the vice president of Gig Workers United CUPW, a union that supports food delivery workers in the Greater Toronto Area, tips can account for anywhere from 20 to more than 50 per cent of a courier’s pay. Sopher, who is a courier for Uber Eats and DoorDash, says delivery workers rely heavily on tips because the apps pay such a small base wage.

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But with inflation and the rising cost of living, customers are less inclined to tip on top of the app’s service fees and the cost of the food…

Over the past few years, many Canadians have discovered their inner entrepreneur, resulting in thousands of new side hustles and small businesses. One in four side hustles and small businesses were started during the pandemic, according to a survey done in mid-2022 by Angus Reid for Intuit Quickbooks. And, at the end of 2022, two in five Canadians planned to take on a side hustle or increase their work hours, found a survey conducted by Accenture.

If you want to earn extra income, check out the MoneySense articles below for practical tips, tax info and inspiration for launching your own side hustle or small business. 

Starting a side hustle or small business

How to make more money in Canada: 6 side hustle ideasThe basics of starting your own business Can you make money on social media?How to make money selling stuff online How much money can you make driving for Uber?Ways to earn extra money during COVID-19

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Managing side hustle finances

The 6 best bank accounts for side hustles in CanadaIncorporated business owners: Should you pay yourself a salary?How the self-employed can get organizedGetting paid in bitcoin: What you need to know What you should know about cryptocurrency tax in CanadaHow are you taxed when you sell a small business? How to become a digital nomad—and not go broke

Self-employed taxes in Canada

Income Tax Guide for Canadians: Deadlines, tax tips and moreSelf-employed? Here’s how to file taxes for a side hustleHow to do your taxes and beat procrastinationTax traps for the self-employedAudit-proof your side hustleThe tax brackets in Canada, based on annual income and broken down by province, too 

Inspiration for entrepreneurs

MYNC franchise founder Nathalie Smith on turning a passion project into her full-time jobThe piece of advice journalist Renée Sylvestre-Williams wished she had in her 20s and moreErin Bury on quitting a stable job for a risky paycheque, investing in her 20s and moreMallory Greene on building wealth, leveraging debt and spending without guiltShane Murphy: “Real value lies in giving people meaningful work and helping them avoid burnout”

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