Anonymity

One of my fellow delivery bloggers has recently run into some problems with his blog which have made me reflect on some of the reasons that I started this whole thing anonymously and why I keep it that way.

First, technically I'm supposed to be reporting all of my tips as income to the IRS and I don't. As far as I know this is standard practice in service positions. Any waiter, bartender, or pizza delivery person that I've ever talked to (with a few exceptions) will tell you that while they report enough tips to fly under the radar, they don't report them all. Personally I have no choice but to report all of my credit card and check tips. Usually these add up to make my "wages" more than minimum wage. I won't even get started on why I think it's unacceptable for Pizza Chain to subsidize their social obligation to pay me minimum wage with my tips. I don't want this blog to be used against me should a question arise about my income. This allows me to be totally honest here about how much I do (or don't) get tipped.

Second, I do not always say kind things about my fellow employees. This is mostly a venting mechanism because some of them really aren't that bad in general (example: Bambi Bopper). I don't want them to hear my secret thoughts and I certainly don't want them to think that those thoughts comprise my entire opinion of them.

Third, I do not always say kind things about my customers. This could create a liability for Pizza Chain. They might lose customers which impacts my job. I would probably lose my job despite the fact this this is First Amendment protected speech. At the very least I would be treated differently. Work would no longer have any of the shining moments of fun that occasionally happen.

I have no doubt that with a little diligence someone could figure out who I am, where I work, etc. The point of this isn't to hide but simply to protect my job, my coworkers, and my customers.