Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Ten Reasons Why Postmates is Better Than Lyft or Uber


I have recently started delivering food through Postmates. As a former Lyft driver, I want to share with you why this gig is so much better.

1. Listen to whatever you want in your car
Do you like to listen to podcasts? Do you ever listen to things that others may be offended by (think politics or religion)? If you are a Lyft or Uber driver then you want to make your car a welcoming, affirming place for your paying customers. With Postmates, the only “passengers” you ever have are stuff, usually food. I’ve never once played music that I thought the cheeseburger I was transporting enjoyed, even if I didn’t.

2. Personal safety
While it is true that there is some level of risk when making a delivery at someone’s home, this level of risk is much less than carrying someone in your back seat for several miles. Most people you deal with are most likely law abiding citizens. For those few who aren’t, I’d rather spend as little time with them as possible.

3. Tidiness of your car
With Postmates, you want your car to be sanitary. I don’t advocate driving a filthy car. You are carrying food, after all. However, with Lyft or Uber, your car needs to be spotless inside and out, or you risk getting a low rating on their app. I like to have a few books with me lying on the seat. It’s even possible I may have my child’s booster seat in the back. Those would be “no-nos” with a ride sharing service.

4. No need to carry “freebies” with you to give away
In hopes of getting a 5 star rating with Lyft or Uber many drivers will carry water bottles, hand sanitizer, Kleenex, and even motion sickness bags for their passengers. The only thing you need to carry with Postmates is the order you have picked up.

5. Rating system
Speaking of “5 star ratings” (in the last point), Postmates has simply a thumbs up or thumbs down on your delivery driver. So unless you really mess up, or you’re dealing with an exceptionally cranky customer, you can pretty well count on getting a thumbs up. Contrast that with Lyft (which I have done in the past). There, if your rating drops below 4.6 you risk getting canned by Lyft. So someone could give you 4 stars, having no problems with your service, but they just have the (correct) attitude that “there’s always room for improvement.” They may not realize that they are hurting their driver when they do that.

6. Age of your car
I drive a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria. For Lyft, your car has to be 12 years old or newer. For Uber it has to be 10 years or newer. I drove for Lyft in 2017. So I barely squeezed in under the limit. I’m not sure if they would have kicked me out in 2018 or not. I stopped before that. But with Postmates, they don’t care. If your city isn’t too spread out they even support you doing deliveries on bicycle or foot. My now 14 year old car is just fine.

7. More consistent earnings
I have been surprised at the demand for Postmates on weekdays. I suppose a lot of people like to have food delivered home on weekdays and like to actually go out in the weekend. In my experience, Postmates seems to be busier on the weekdays than the weekend.

8. No left wing commentary
When I drove for Lyft I received an email from them condemning President Trump’s immigration policy and making it clear that Lyft did not agree with it. Regardless of your position on the policy, why interject it into your business? Why risk alienating conservatives? Here in Oklahoma, conservatives are the majority of your customers.

9. People are quirky, objects are not
When I drove for Lyft it was interesting to read comments from passengers. Some would complain that I was too talkative, some would say I did not talk enough. Some wanted silence. Others wanted music, but none told me their preference while in the car. It was always just left in the feedback. I would grow frustrated trying to please whoever was in my car, not knowing what would please them. Postmates eliminates that frustration.

10. The smells!
I love to enjoy the smell of a container of fajitas in my back seat, or a cheeseburger and fries next to me. Contrast that, however, with the unpredictable smell of passengers with Lyft or Uber. I can’t stand the smell of cigarettes. I could always tell when my passenger was a smoker, even though they didn’t smoke in my car. They would reek of cigarettes to the point that I couldn’t wait to drop them off at the their stop. Or you may have a lady who surely used a whole bottle of perfume when she was dressing up to go out. Postmates gets rid of the people smell and leaves you with the soothing aroma of grease. J

If after reading this short article I have convinced you to sign up with Postmates, be sure and use me as a referral. By doing so, you will gain a guaranteed income of $725 for your first 65 deliveries in the Oklahoma City area (your city may differ), and I’ll earn a little bonus of $150. That should perk up your ears, because you’ll have the chance to do the same when you refer your own friends later.

Here’s the link:

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Make $725 for your first 65 deliveries in OKC

Postmates is guaranteeing you will make $725 for your first 65 deliveries in the OKC area. The link should work outside the OKC area, but the dollar amount varies according to region. I did this for the first time on Tuesday night of this week. For 5 hours of work I made about $86. Not bad for some extra cash on my own time schedule. Plus, this was my first time. There are some things I have learned since then that should net me more for the same amount of time spent. Anyway, the guarantee is nice because if you make less than that, then Postmates will pay the difference.

Click Here For More Information

Thursday, January 03, 2019

2018 Year in Review


2018 Year in Review

As I sit down to type out this year in review for 2018 I realize that this once a year blog post is about the only consistent time I update the blog. Also, if you are used to coming to this blog via https://www.mikesoutherland.com, then you may have trouble finding it. I created a website there advertising web site creating services. It’s not really exactly how I want it, so I haven’t advertised much. In last year’s blog entry you will recall my announcing of http://gallerypanels.com This is a site I put together for a local businessman who sells art display panels. That site went live in January of this year. Thus the reason for updating my website. I’d like to offer web development or creation services to other small businesses. Often small businesses only need a basic site. But one huge difference that has come about over the past several years is the growing abundance of smart phones and the number of people using smart phones to access websites. There are many small businesses out there using old technology. Their nice looking website doesn’t look so nice on the tiny display of the smart phone. Often you have to zoom into to see the text and pictures. It doesn’t make for a very good user experience all together. Though I need to update the content on my personal site, if you browse over to either https://mikesoutherland.com or http://gallerypanels.com you’ll see what a mobile ready site looks like. My personal site was fairly easy to put together. The Gallery Panels one wasn’t too tough, though there were several products to add to it. If you’d like an estimate for putting together a site for you, please drop me an email at mike@mikesoutherland.com.

For my “day job” I am still employed at Dolese Bros.

Back in March of this year I was installed as an elder at Northwest Bible Church (https://www.nwbcokc.org). It is such an honor to have the privilege to serve this congregation. My love for this group of people grows stronger each day. My love and respect for the other two elders at NWBC has grown tremendously as I get to meet with them on a weekly basis. During this meeting we discuss church business, and we also take the time to read the scripture and pray for members of the congregation. Our main teaching elder, Alan Conner, was diagnosed with cancer this year, but by God’s grace it appears that he has completely recovered. That was a huge answer to prayer. His diagnoses came the Thursday before I was installed as an elder in March. After much prayer and several sessions of chemo and radiation, they were unable to find remaining cancer in his body. All praise be to God for Alan’s healing. I was blessed with the privilege of representing Northwest Bible Church with Jeremy Malone at the FIRE Conference in Oxnard, CA this past May. (https://www.firefellowship.org) It was at that conference that I realized that I am in the same organization as Gunny Hartman, the longtime friend (and best man at his wedding) of my brother Jason. It was great to see him at the conference and catch up.

In April I gave away my second daughter, Brianna, to Matt Petty. Matt is a great guy, and a good husband for Brianna. He is in the Air Force, but plans to become a CPA. I love it that the Lord is blessing me with sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law whom I get along with very well and I feel are a good match for each of my children. I pray for them, along with my own children, every day. Brianna’s wedding was beautiful. We had it on the beach in Galveston, close to Matt’s parent’s home.

In October, my fourth grandchild was born. Andy Southerland was born to Michael and Heather. I’m gradually becoming accustomed to being a grandpa, though I already have four grandkids.

One little note on my health: In June I grew fed up with being labeled by my doctor as “obese.” To me, “obese” means barely able to move because you are so big, it is practically a disability. Apparently, the medical community has their own standard of measure for obesity, with a BMI of over 30 (I believe). So, in June I began a workout and diet regiment of losing weight. At the end of the year I had lost about 30 pounds, dropping from 199 to 169. I’ve got about 10 pounds more to go to be in “normal” range. I did drop out of the “obese” range, and am now classified as merely “overweight.” I still think they are a little harsh on their labels, and I think that my short height (5’ 7”) doesn’t help the BMI calculation, but whatever, I now have a New Year’s resolution to knock out that remaining 10 lbs. With all the fuss over weight loss and the obsession that it is in our country, I’m coming away with the impression that all it really boils down to is self-discipline. At one point my weight had been approaching 220. All it really took was a determined desire to shed the pounds, and the determination to follow it through. The “secret” (if it can really be called that) is simply to burn more calories than you consume. It’s not easy, because I like to eat lots of calories, and I like to not exert myself. But it is simple. About an hour on the treadmill each morning at a speed of about 4.5 miles/hour and eating around 1600 calories a day is what did it for me. The holidays have stagnated my progress, but I’m ready to get moving again and lose those last 10 pounds. When I get to 159, I can enter “maintenance” mode whereby I can slack off on the walking and/or relax the eating regiment slightly. But I can’t neglect it entirely or I will gain back everything I lost. The benefit to my health has been noticeable. I don’t lose my breath like I used to simply carrying a laundry basket full of clothes from our closet to the washroom. Plus, my heart rate hovers around 60 beats per minute, often lower, when at rest.

I will close for now. I won’t promise any further updates, until this time next year. I’ve found Facebook to be a suitable alternative to blogging. Even then, I’m more of a reader than a poster.