yeah, I think the whole thing could use a re-work... we already have a check for charisma and the like-- why not apply it to the reset timer as well? you can even include player reputation in determining how well it works out, like with the gangs.
if I were a boss, I'd probably tend to favor the hot chicks and manly men to be working for me more often than some punks I'm not even sure of... for all I know, the punk mixers are stealing from the crates and that's why my customers are complaining about coming up short all the time.
and Joe Butterfingers keeps dropping my crates, that's should be coming out of his pay!
it's been a while since I've used, or felt that I needed the crate system, so I don't know what all features it currently has.
maybe the crates should weigh more and tire you out faster. so maybe it won't be about how many runs the owner is willing to give you, but how much you can actually do... and being tired/weak leaves you more open to muggings and such, being less able to defend yourself.
and then pay can be calculated by how many times and also how often you've made that delivery vs. how long it took you to make it. the pizza guy knows exactly how to get to my house-- if he's late, I'm not tipping so well. after a while, I might become casual acquaintances with him.. I don't know what acceptable common practice is, but tipping your friends just seems kinda weird/awkward to me.
and all of this might have been brought up before-- I haven't seen or remember the previous discussions.
since I'm not currently using the crate system, it doesn't really affect me other than people not having time to stop for RP.. though-- it does let me know where I can wait in the shadows and expect them to happen by, having just gotten paid -- which I may or may not do sometimes or never.