I'm a bit curious if anypne can explain this to me. This stems from both experience and pure scientific curiosity. Does anyone know WHY so many Mainers have such hostility toward food delivery drivers? If you are one of these people, what is your personal reasoning? If someone is doing a job, delivering food to the address given by the customer who ordered it, why would this worker deserve the level of hostility?

context: Maine is my home, but I have been a delivery driver in several different states on vacation and such but Maine is the only place I've been threatened this way while working. I've been threatened with gun violence twice and yelled at several times on top of this. I've gotten over it, but am very curious if there's a reason for this phenomenon.

Personally, if someone is delivering food to myself or a neighbor, I simply recognize that this is a person doing a job that will be leaving soon and I either mind my own business or treat the worker with respect as a human person which is why i'm so stumped!

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kauaime t1_iuakzhz wrote on October 29, 2022 at 9:11 PM

I have never heard of this and lived in quite a few states. Did I read correct that you deliver food when on vacation? Interesting.

United_Mixture_6700 t1_iuai9ft wrote on October 29, 2022 at 8:51 PM

No, I just get a little irritated when they call me and have me walk to their driver side window to pick it up in all kinds of weather. That might make me a princess, I'm not sure, but I'd already tipped them 20%.

DidDunMegasploded t1_iuaizsb wrote on October 29, 2022 at 8:56 PM

What city has the violence occurred in?

My dad had a neighbor who worked for Doordash and he would often complain about him not getting a real job. But that's about it as far as hostility goes. I'm certainly not hostile towards food delivery workers--I'm more scared of them than they are of me. Social anxiety is a bitch.

But if the violence occurs in a sketchy neighborhood, that might be why you're getting flak. When you live in a sketchy neighborhood, nothing strikes fear in you like having a company send a random person to deliver you fast food who might, juuuuust might, scope the place out and decide to rob you later. Even if you ordered the food yourself and know what to expect..

Even if you're not that type of person, people don't fuck around with stuff like that.

eljefino t1_iubg9f0 wrote on October 30, 2022 at 1:16 AM

Why couldn't someone in that situation set up housekeeping so "the good stuff" isn't visible to solicitors at the front stoop? Or meet them just outside?

DidDunMegasploded t1_iubixp0 wrote on October 30, 2022 at 1:38 AM

They could hide their good stuff, but not a lot of people do because Maine is a low-crime state, and thus, it must be a safe state where burglaries are exceptionally rare when they aren't. Hiding your good stuff is just plain old common sense no matter where you live.

But they could meet them outside too, sure. It's just the act of having a complete stranger come to your house and on your property that throws people off and causes them to lash out. That, or they order the food and don't wish to be bothered, but delivery people bug them anyway because...well yeah, it's their job, and customers don't get that.

SwvellyBents t1_iub9yca wrote on October 30, 2022 at 12:25 AM

Do I understand you correctly that the people to whom you are delivering the food threatened you with guns or yelled at you? Not some other party?

If so, my only thought is crank can make people stupidly mean.

teambeattie t1_iubbtpc wrote on October 30, 2022 at 12:40 AM

Happy cake day!

shaboomalahooha t1_iual26c wrote on October 29, 2022 at 9:11 PM

I have never heard of this type of hostility in Maine. Sorry you have to deal write that. Keep spreading the word to bring attention to it. People should know better… be kind people!

MathematicianGlum880 t1_iuav0t3 wrote on October 29, 2022 at 10:26 PM

If you are bringing me food…I’m definitely not going to make a big fuss. Seriously…

RitaPoole56 t1_iuanpt3 wrote on October 29, 2022 at 9:31 PM

Hey! That stranger just drove into my dooryard! They have some nerve, riling the critters up like that!

Oh, it’s the food I ordered? Well… you’re still an asshole!

/jk

smokinLobstah t1_iud2wg2 wrote on October 30, 2022 at 12:34 PM

Where I live we'd PRAISE any food delivery driver...

If only.

spandexcatsuit t1_iud8kvg wrote on October 30, 2022 at 1:26 PM

If they’re supposed to be delivering it to your door and they don’t, or even worse if they make you come out in the rain, that’s a valid annoyance. I don’t think I’ve ever been at all mean to a delivery driver tho. I assume if they suck this bad at their job then their life is hard enough without my added negativity.

That is all to say I haven’t heard of Maine being any more difficult to deliver than anywhere else. It is a notoriously dangerous job in some places tho. Show up to the wrong place and you could be in actual danger.

ENGFRAGERM t1_iudg1lr wrote on October 30, 2022 at 2:25 PM

Bc Mainers got brain damage from all the drugs and think its 1950 where if anyone steps on their property they just shoot them with their hunting rifle before asking any questions

splintered-unknown OP t1_iudt4d0 wrote on October 30, 2022 at 3:59 PM

Oh wow this blew up a little! To clarify, I only "bother" the customer when the map shows the wrong location, it's a business in a strip and theres no indication of which business the customer is in or something like that.

I'm not talking about rightful frustration with bad customer service, i'm talking about hostility and threats for the "crime" of... being a person that exists in the general location of the given address for the total of 30 seconds it takes to drop off the order.

most of the instances have been neighbors across the street or neighbors in an apartment or even roommates that are apparently very upset that their roommate has human functions like a need for food and take it out on me.