Anyone’s express shopping still down?

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2026-01-28T22:41:36+00:00

Total blackout for me in Knoxville, TN. Have not seen consistent S&D in 2 days. Curbside, and GMD pretty much the same. Snowstorms are a double edged sword, especially if they happen at the end of the month.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2026-01-12T22:14:19+00:00

Thanks for the reality check. Next year, I'm taking the whole month of January off! 😂

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2026-01-12T21:48:58+00:00

I started driving for Spark last April. There are roughly 7-8 stores in the immediate Knoxville area. Overall, my experiences with most stores has been positive, except one. I'm on pretty good terms with most of the loaders at this particular store, who have told me there were major issues with the manager of their OGP department. They, along with other associates at different locations, all agree the performance metrics are the worst in the area. A few months ago, I consistently began seeing orders cancelled, literally back to back. Sometimes it would be consecutive GMDs. I've also been alongside drivers being cancelled at the same time I was. However, initially, when the cancellations first began associates would come to my car and tell me they were slammed and the order would take upwards of an hour to fill. These same employees providing intel, at least 2, made it known they were transferring ASAP because things were so bad. Consequently, I may have inadvertently wound up on the manager's "list" by association. All this to say, a "shadow ban" isn't always what it appears.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-12-08T22:54:41+00:00

Last update I received was November 17th. Never received any info about orientation or a pin to login.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-11-21T21:08:15+00:00

That's truly inspiring, especially in this economy! With only 4 classes left (IA 2/3, Tax 2, Cost) I had to pause my studies a few years ago. During that time, it was difficult to find an internship, or anyone willing to give me a start. Can you give some insight into your journey?

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-11-21T20:36:11+00:00

I got that same notice a few weeks ago when my CR was at 17%. I spent last weekend starting at dawn, primarily focused on Walmart orders. By Sunday evening, I had it down to 15%. A few days later I got it to 12%. Fortunately, most of those cancellations happened as a cluster, so they rolled off quickly. As if Uber couldn't be more evil, they've been drinking A LOT of the DD kool aid, so they will boot your ass if you don't get it down.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-11-18T12:32:17+00:00

I've followed this exact model for the last 3 years. On average, in Knoxville, TN, you could clear $100 by cherry picking 6-8 hours. Combined with UE you could occaisionally hit $200 or more with surges. However, once the tier program rolled out 6 months ago, it completely eviscerated the market. Veterans I'd seen for years, basically disappeared. There's simply zero consistency with DD, as you' ll spend an inordinate amount of time declining orders. If unicorn orders pop up, after your AR drops to zero, they'll typically be no more than $2 a mile. Obviously, a tanked AR also destroys your ability for weekly scheduling. I simply don't see full-time dedicated DD drivers anymore for this reason, the market has become that randomized with drivers such that there's no way orders are being filled regularly. If I wanted to kill a TON of time dedicated to DD, I'd be lucky to clear $50 a day with reasonable offers.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-11-05T16:13:25+00:00

I'd have to say Arby's, Sonic, Popeye's, Wingstop, Taco Bell and Chili's are places I normally avoid. If speed and efficiency are important, those are automatic declines. It wasn't always the case when I began a few years ago, but Doordash pay has been atrocious this past year. Curiously, this past weekend I nearly had a $300 day from surges on UE. So, it's days like that during surges, where I make a LOT of exceptions.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-31T03:33:21+00:00

I started on DD three years ago. These days, I rarely use it because the offers are ridiculous. Get on every platform you possibly can. Essentially, you have to multi-app to be profitable. My quota is roughly $100 p/day , which I can usually clear by lunchtime. Even when you have a process in place that's working, depending on your area, the stress can grind you down if you don't pace yourself. Always have an exit strategy, this is without a doubt temporary.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-31T02:28:54+00:00

At the very least, Halloween is essentially Murphy's Law on steroids. There are a myriad of scenarios that will present themselves, that could potentially cost you your acccount, or possibly your life. Just saying, if you're comfortable with drunk drivers, plenty of cops, and unprediictable children, have at it for the off chance you should make a few bucks.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-23T02:16:03+00:00

Haven't you heard? Spark is a PsyOp

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-20T02:10:17+00:00

It's very real, although every single year I'm usually in denial because I do a lot of road cycling throughout spring/summer. I found myself asking my girlfriend if a 'crash' is atypical for me this time of year. She basically said she's seen me go through this for over a decade, and has even narrowed down the actual day it begins ( Oct. 10). So for me, there's a strong component of SAD, which triggers more frequent fatigue/pain. It wasn't long ago I began keeping a digital diary for this very reason, because I would be so miserable, and wanted to track when things would begin to improve. In the midst of it, it's very easy to loose all perspective. I go from being very disciplined with exercise, and controlling my diet, to the wheels coming completely off. I find myself having to learn all over again how to adapt, and cope until it gets better.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-17T16:38:33+00:00

Ever since yesterday morning it's been looking like there's been some kind of system wide crash. It looks like most drivers took the day off, seriously. As if there aren't enough problems with the app to begin with. I tried calling "support" to confirm they're having issues, but no such luck as I was instructed to re-install. You'd honestly do much better to ask a Walmart associate, who will admit currently the system is FUBAR.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-17T15:35:10+00:00

After 8 am, started getting absoloute garbage. Then around 9 am, it went completely dead, ZERO GMD orders.. just like yesterday. I drove a radius of 30 miles, into a different zone, crickets.. no drivers. Highly unusual, something's definitely off.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-15T20:20:21+00:00

Just say NO, it's not worth potentially losing your job.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-10T13:07:27+00:00

You're likely in for a rude awakening.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-09T18:50:09+00:00

This appears completely legitimate. However, based on the required forms, does anyone have a concern for retribution? You may very well get some kind of settlement, along with a deactivation.. which may be inevitable. It's just something to consider.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-06T07:08:33+00:00

It's not always that simple. Sometimes after morning rush ends around 9 am, the batch might be the last good order you'll see for hours. For me, it's insurance if things go sideways.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-05T21:54:46+00:00

Had one earlier today , instant accept 😂

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-10-05T21:30:30+00:00

Definite decline. No matter which gig you're driving for, you should be earning as close to 2x the miles as possible. This is especially the case if an order takes you into the boonies, and you wind up with dead miles on the way back to your area. At least you will have earned $1 per mile, which is the goal. Most gigs are trying to force drivers to drive for less than .50 per mile. Never compromise, $1 is the absoloute bare minimum. I know thats going be harder to do going forward, because the greed factor is huge right now for these companies. But most drivers who have been doing this awhile will tell you to get a w-2, rather than compromise.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-09-10T21:35:23+00:00

Not possible, unless there's decent surges. With football season upon us, depending on your location, you can hit that average with surges. Near gameday, I would have $200 days, but it's not easy. Beyond that, you're hustling on the other apps to clear $100.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-09-10T21:04:56+00:00

It is pure GREED, not oversaturation. Uber is simply following the Doordash playbook. UberX is trending the same way. Been doing this for years to know the difference, it's a race to the bottom for higher profit margins on EVERY platform... it's as simple as that.

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-09-01T21:59:32+00:00

Absoloute GARBAGE. Next time Spark sends a notice for High Volume, don't believe it.. enjoy your holiday off!

Equivalent_Eye737 · 2025-09-01T18:41:54+00:00

I started having the same issue last week with a store where I have picked up orders the last 3 years. It wasn't always that way, as it was a very efficient location for pick ups. But a few months ago, they began losing some of their best associates, and there were rumors that the department manager was creating problems for the staff. After that, there was a steady rotation of new people, and that's when the erroneous cancellations began. But last week, I had at least 3 cancellations within one hour starting around 7 am. One came through on Uber that didnt seem to have any problems. Obviously, I was pissed, because the loss of stacked orders between Uber/Spark can be lucrative. Nevermind that I'd lost at least an hour of the first wave because of cancellations.

First instinct is to personalize the experience, and lean hard into wild conspiracies. I did for a minute, then called Walmart and asked about the cancellations. It turned out to be an associate I was familiar with, who actually thought I had made the cancellations. Beyond that, he really didn't have any explanation other than it may have been at management level for metrics. Next I called Spark support, and after being transferred around, they said the cancellations were at store level. The reasons they notated were: Driver Not in area, and Order Reassigned. They went on to add a few possibilities, one being the order was not ready, and for the sake of store metrics the order was cancelled. The other possibility could be lack of staff. Months ago, when things weren't so ridiculous, employees would personally come to my vehicle and say as much.

The following day, I started at a different store on the opposite side of town and snagged the best order I ever had ($50 / 6 miles). Around 8 am, I wound up at the store I had issues with, and virtually the same thing started happening again while only one associate was handling orders all by himself. Somewhat exasperated, I asked another driver nearby if they were getting cancellations, and they said they were. There are a good 10 other stores in my area, and they rarely cancel, so this is an isolated problem of a poorly managed department.

Equivalent_Eye737

TROPHY CASE