I'm a numbers guy and the gig economy keeps paying less and less. For food apps, Postmates pays more than Uber. I'm sure some people would disagree.

An often overlooked consideration with these jobs is the cost of operating a vehicle. You can really grind on Postmates but your car is gonna be used A LOT.

I'm at a point where what I value 1 hr of my time is less than what I'm generating with food apps. It's not a specific number because job quality plays a role, too. One thing I really dislike about Postmates is the difficulty finding parking at pick-up AND drop-off. It's a lot of stress.

Today with Instacart, I only did 2 batches but the stores had parking. Drop-off's were like food apps. And the customer genuinely seemed happy to see me. One was an elderly woman and even though she tipped a little low, I felt good helping her.

Can someone explain the scheduling? I signed up months ago but never did a batch because I was so busy with PM. I think my 2 weeks of early access are over. I think what I did was pick-up hours, correct? I kind of just woke up and said let me try Instacart. Will I always be able to pick-up hours or is that mainly for the weekend?

This is one thing I really like about Postmates because you don't have to lock-in a certain schedule. You can work dinner one day and lunch the next.

During my 2 hour shift, I made ~$22 with tips. A little low? Technically you can earn $15-25 for one order on Postmates if you get someone who tips generously.

The app said my speed was average for my zone but I did run into some traffic. I'd imagine this number would get better over time?

Overall, I'm pretty optimistic. I'd like to get my hourly closer to $20/hr. I'd appreciate any tips for new shoppers and if you have a question about Postmates, let me know!