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IamA Pepsi delivery driver. (In response to the Coke driver AMA a while back) AMA!
I drive for Pepsi and thought I would do this in response to the Coke driver doing an AMA about a month ago or so.
As much proof as I can muster currently.
EDIT: I would like to apologize for not responding to questions. My internet crapped out on me about 10 hours ago and just now came back up. Trying to wade through everything and answer questions. Bear with me here.
mRNA-64 karma
Is the Coke vs Pepsi thing just a friendly rivalry or something much more between the employees of the respective companies?
larkov103 karma
To be honest, I have no problem with Coke guys. Well, that's not entirely true. I have a problem with them as workers, because in my experience the Coke drivers in my area are lazy mofos. Not all of them, though. I've actually made friends with some of them. It's kind of like the Coke driver said. The toher delivery guys are kind of your only co workers. I don't see other Pepsi drivers very often while I'm working.
SinisterPaige11 karma
I was secretly hoping that you were required to fight to the death whenever you saw a coke driver. Leave a little disappointed.
PS, I prefer Pepsi and wish they'd bring back the large glass bottles.
theineffable3 karma
Assistant manager of a convenience store here. Our coke guys are great. Pepsi, not so much. Just today I had to call them back, immediately after they left, because they didn't leave us any Diet Pepsi BIBs. This is common with our Pepsi reps.
It's probably just that the lead Pepsi guy is close to retirement. Or maybe because we signed a contract with coke that gives him less space in the store. Either way, it's annoying. I just want to get the shit our customers drink into the store. It shouldn't be hard to do so....
larkov2 karma
I agree. I would also like to point out that when i say that coke guys are less courteous and whatnot, I don't mean on the whole. I just mean where I live and work. Some of them are actually my friends. It just depends on the area and who runs the plant and a billion other factors. Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your Pepsi people.
larkov112 karma
Probably not. Our trucks are loaded with exactly the right amount of cases, but we can take things off of an order. When we get back to the plant, we can just say that it wasn't loaded. Keep in mind that I would never do this. Just sayin'.
JoeDidcot54 karma
Do you ever regret that Christmas music does not play wherever you go driving?
LostTheGameOfThrones37 karma
But does that reflect your opinion? Relax we're all friends here and none of us are recording this to pass on to Pepsi.
dableuf121 karma
Would you rather drink 1 Pepsibottle full of coke or 1 coke bottle full of Pepsi?
Go3Team27 karma
Do you ever go out to eat and get disappointed because the place you went out to only has Pepsi products?
larkov3 karma
Not really. I don't really strongly prefer one over the other. So I'm fine with Pepsi.
larkov40 karma
No and kinda. No one owns trucks at Pepsi except Pepsi. As for routes, the route drivers have routes that they drive every day. No one else delivers to their accounts.
roinaj223 karma
Do they still have the conventional deLivery where you are the salesman and driver or have they removed that position. They pulled that out of the mckees rocks plant in pa before I started.
larkov4 karma
Yeah, no. There are sales reps who do the ordering and then the drivers who deliver.
herrsuperman19 karma
If coke and pepsi were men,and you had to choose one to have sex with otherwise you had to have sex with both of them, Which one would you choose?
larkov78 karma
That is both an interesting and a deranged question. I would have to say that I would have sex with Coke because it has more of a bite than Pepsi. I like my sexual encounters a bit rough.
larkov58 karma
My personal preference is any kind of coconut rum. I think they should make a coconut flavored Pepsi.
Thachiefs4lyf15 karma
Tell them to make it. Also is it true the USSR bribbed Pepsi with submarines to bring Pepsi to Russia?
ChargerMatt18 karma
How much is Pepsi paying you to do this?
or, depending on how well/poor this goes, how much is Coke paying you to tank?
larkov50 karma
Coke.
I'm kidding. Honestly, I don't know. Never mixed anything with it and been like, "Oh, that's awful."
coffeeisforwimps15 karma
I work a very cushy office job that I really don't like. I can't stand sitting around all day staring at a computer and creating spreadsheets. I've thought about becoming a UPS driver or something of the sort to be outside and not be stuck in one place for 10 hours a day.
So my questions to you are, how did you get involved in this business and do you like it? Most importantly, is the money decent?
larkov6 karma
The money is very good. I cannot divulge how much I make, but it is good. As for how I got into it, I just decided to be a trucker one day and was an OtR trucker for about a year. Finally got sick of their shit and applied at Pepsi instead. The school I went to for trucking is in St. Louis and took about a month to complete.
TCOULT11 karma
Do you drive dbay or bulk? How do you feel about vrot? I'm a former pepsi driver. I left because of vrot.
larkov13 karma
I can only assume that vrot is variable overtime and I can say that it both sucks and is great. Depends on the week. Also, I'm a relief driver at the moment, but my plant is understaffed, so most of the time I drive Dbay.
TCOULT8 karma
Yes, vrot is a variable rate of over time. I disagree with pepsi's decision to pay vrot. When I first started I was hourly making good money then when I switched to vrot I made a lot less. I think that's the reason the turn over rate is so high there. Don't get me wrong it's a good company to work for. I wish you the best. Hopefully by the time you're full time they'll have done away with it.
larkov11 karma
I actually make more when i run a route full time than when i'm hourly with sixty hours. That's just me though.
larkov7 karma
From what I have been told, if I am not in uniform and I am on my own time, I cannot get reprimanded for my beverage choices. I avoid coke when I'm out just to be safe, though.
larkov5 karma
It was not. However, I do find that our drivers are a tad more courteous because we aren't on a huge time crunch like the coke guys. That's all heresay though.
jjames074 karma
I am a merchandiser at Coca-Cola and I used to be a receiving clerk at Walmart. How do you feel about the receivers? Are they mostly aggravating or do they become your friends after awhile? My experience, on both ends, has always been the latter option, so I was curious if it was for others, too.
larkov3 karma
Yeah, you wind up getting to know the receivers and workers and things and I actually have a couple of friends that work at convenience stores and things just from seeing them on a regular basis.
larkov3 karma
How stupid they can be. Sometimes I swear people turn into morons around trucks. I will say this though, give trucks space. Don't fuck with them. Seriously. I can't tell you how many times I have almost accidentally killed someone because they were driving recklessly around me.
ejaiejaiejai3 karma
Pepsi Dude! Bringer of Delicious Caffeinated Beverages!
A few years ago, did Pepsi make a change in the supply chain or extend the shelf life of diet Pepsi?
I used to "luck into" expired diet Pepsi on a semi-regular bases (averaging 1 purchase per month) so I got diligent on checking the expiration dates*.
It's been several years since I've gotten an expired product so I wondered if something changed.
** BTW whoever decided to print BLACK expiration dates on something that appears on a brown background -- they need to be shot. Can't they use an ink that shows up better?
larkov2 karma
I would say that the reason you were getting expired is because someone wasn't doing his or her job and pulling the out of date. As for the dates printed on the bottles, I'm sure they could. I have no control over that though...sadly.
captainduck23 karma
What's the strangest thing you've seen on delivery?
And does anybody ever try to buy from you like you're an ice cream truck or something?
larkov9 karma
Yes they do. Or that ask for free product. As for the strangest thing? There was a guy dressed in a Batman costume once. Someone yelled at him that it wasn't Halloween and he yelled "Fuck you! I'm Batman!" and ran off.
ImSeeley1 karma
A few years ago a Pepsi driver hit my friends dad, who ran a red light. He was in a coma for 3 months, and suffered brain damage. Did you hear about this?
larkov2 karma
I didn't. I've only worked at Pepsi for a year or so. I can say I'm sorry to hear about that. Sometimes it's hard to not say someone deserved it when they did something stupid, but no one deserves that. My condolences to your friend and his dad.
NOTE: I do not speak for Pepsi in this.
SRD_Grafter1 karma
How is the pay? How hard is the work? Could you give us examples of a day in the life?
Any good or bad stories to share?
larkov2 karma
The pay is good. The work is hard, but rewarding. A typical day is starting at like 4am and being done at 5pm on a really heavy day. I don't have specific stories really. I just know that some days are awful and you just want to walk away from the truck for good. Others, you love your job. I have more good days than bad.
speedracer375231 karma
Is it true that the last Pepsi driver was fired because he tested positive for coke?
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