Thinking Outside the Pizza Box

Workforce Shortage?  Have you thought about paying your customers to do the work for you?

Everyone is faced with the labor shortage dilemma and getting creative is the only way to solve the problem.  That is just what Domino’s pizza did.  Their solution to compensate for the labor shortage and the decline in sales is to pay their customers.  This pizza chain, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced they will offer customers a $3 tip they can use on their next order if it’s placed within the week.  Brilliant!  Not only are the customers picking up the delivery tab they have an incentive to repeat the behavior.

In Fall of 2021 Dominos reported a decline in sales and attributed it to a “challenging staffing environment.”  Like many other places, Domino’s was forced to reduce store hours and faced many customers service issues.  This scenario created longer delivery times and often an inability to even fulfill the orders.  Domino’s does not use a third party deliver system (Door dash/Uber Eats).

It doesn’t appear the labor issue will be resolved any time soon, especially in hourly positions. 

Businesses still must attract and retain talent while making a profit.  So why not pay your customers to fill in the gaps?

Perhaps dangling that carrot (or pizza) in front of your customers will not only solve the labor problem but also create new customer habits.