Doordash warns NJ customers: You better do this, or else!

It almost comes across as a threat. A company seemingly telling you that you better do this if you use their service, or suffer the consequences.

On the one hand, it sounds like intimidation. On the other hand, it can be viewed as fairness for its employees.

No matter how you view it, when a company tells you that you need to do something that you may not agree with, it might compel you to go to the competition. And that's exactly the vibes the latest statement from Doordash gives off.

Doordash recently released a statement essentially telling its customers they need to tip. Otherwise, they risk their deliveries being delayed. That's directed toward all its customers, including those in New Jersey.

Let's back up for a moment and analyze what they're saying. You better leave a tip or expect your order to potentially be delayed... on purpose.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't tips earned? I mean, we don't pre-tip in a restaurant, we base it on the service that's provided.

That's not to say the Doordash drivers shouldn't be tipped. They're basically doing a similar job as their in-store counterparts.

They accept the job when it comes in on the app, they check the order at pick up for accuracy, then deliver it to you. If you receive your order at home within the quoted time frame and everything is the way it should be, no doubt you should leave them a little something extra.

But there lies the problem. We're being told, by the company, to pre-tip for our meals right at the moment we submit the order.

Then, if the Doordash driver doesn't like the tip amount, they might just move on to whoever's leaving the larger tip. In other words, it comes across like a bidding war where whoever bids the highest tip will be rewarded with quick service.

Look, I get what Doordash is trying to do. They're trying to fight against customers who leave zero-dollar tips regardless of how big the order is.

But what comes across as a stern warning almost makes you want to go to the competitor as a result. At least then you won't feel pressured to leave a tip ahead of time or leave one if the service is horrible.

This also looks bad for the tipping culture that's currently sweeping across the country. Almost everywhere you turn it seems you're expected to leave a tip, even if no extra service was provided to you.

When looking at it like that, can you blame the customer for not wanting to tip? It's really not fair that our orders will be prioritized based on a pre-tip when nothing even happened yet.

It's that expectation where leaving a tip is mandatory, not voluntary. Perhaps these delivery service companies should pay better rather than make customers feel threatened to do it for them.

Again, I have absolutely nothing against tipping the drivers themselves. If they reach out to you through the service and are friendly and accurate with your delivery, you should absolutely leave them a little something extra.

It works the same way when it comes to wait staff at a restaurant. But if I'm dining out, I'm not pre-tipping, period. And the same should be true for delivery drivers.

You're going to come across cheap people who will never leave anything, which is a sad reality. And I know it's those people that are part of the problem.

In fact, it's one of the main reasons Doordash is making its biggest push yet to get you to tip in advance. But at the same time, my order shouldn't be bumped down based on someone else's tip.

Especially if I leave a really good tip. If the other person's tip is higher than mine, then they get to go ahead of me even if their order came in second, and that's unfair.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.