Walmart+ delivery driver tipping? Really??

[SecondAttempt]

I once got a taxi in New Zealand at around 2:00 am. The bill was $18 and I handed over $20. As I walked away the driver called me back to give me my change. He looked confused by my behavior.

I am always somewhat surprised in most other countries when I hand a taxi driver even paper bills above what the fare is (usually because the coins are harder to count quickly) and start to hussle my way out and the driver tries to get my attention to give me change. Surprised not because tips are not customary. Surprised because I'm sure he knows tips are customary for taxis in the US so he could easily make a little extra and I might not know or care.

We had an Italian friend 25 years ago and he told us that in Italy it was offensive to waiters to offer a tip because they are fairly well paid and that makes them feel like they are being treated as servants. Of course tipping is still not necessarily the norm in Italy, we found a tip line fairly common on restarant bills in 2019.

 

[SecondAttempt]

A couple of weeks ago we went to Tahiti mostly for Heiva which is a big Tahitian song and dance festival and quite a big deal. But the first day we booked a private tour on Moorea, not because we need private but because we wanted longer than the offered tour because of logistics and had a couple of specific places we wanted to go.

My partner is also (part) native Hawaiian and wanted to gather some specific plants to make a special type of head dress to wear to Heiva later that week. Our guide was not just awesome, he took us to find the things she was looking for. We had a great time and I think he did too because we spent a lot of time sharing common Polynesian things and experiences.

Anyway, as it happened we had to pay halfway through. I paid with no tip and he seemed a little surprised that I only gave him the exact amount (tipping is not expected there but I think most tourists do, especially Americans.) I did not want to tip halfway through in case the rest sucked.

When he dropped us off at the ferry dock a few hours later I gave him a 20% tip (about $80) and this guy's face lit up like you would not believe. I was not throwing a handout to the proles. I was expressing our sincere gratitude for him doing the extra special things that got my partner her materials and for sharing cultural things that very few tourists would have a context for. But he caught on very quickly that most of the things he started to show us we have in our yard in Hawaii and he quickly adapted.

Partner wore her headdress to Heiva 2 nights in a row and fit in very well with the locals!

 

[aja8888]

I had an appendectomy last year. I arrived at the hospital around 10:00am and was home by 4:00 post surgery.

Service was excellent. Job done was excellent. And literally life saving.

The bill was $42k. What would be a reasonable tip for this?

The tip was probably included in the invoice but you didn't notice it....

 

[aja8888]

What kind of business? That sounds unusual for people to frequently over pay a bill.

Is this common that people over pay invoices? I am learning something new.

I ran an engineering consulting business for over 20 years and never got a tip on an invoice. Occasionally, though, clients tried to cut the bill instead. Cheapskates....they weren't clients again though.

I tip for good service these days as a lot of service is seemingly getting poorer.

 

[captain3d]

The tip was probably included in the invoice but you didn't notice it....

Don’t make me look at that bill again

(It was Kaiser. I really only had to pay the deductible)

 

[RetMD21]

But the most galling thing about the service, IMHO, is that it asks you to tip the delivery driver when you're going through the checkout process. The default tip is $5, but you can select any amount you want, including $0. Despite my reservations, I've given $4 each time, but the more I think about it the more it just seems absurd. Amazon doesn't ask me to tip its delivery drivers when I'm checking out. Nor does any other delivery service I can think of, other than Uber Eats. Selecting $0 or "no tip" makes me feel cheap, so I usually succumb to the pressure when asked to add a tip to anything these days. But this Walmart+ delivery driver tipping seems like a bridge too far, for some reason. What do you think? Would you tip a Walmart+ delivery driver? Happily, or begrudgingly?

We've been doing the free trial and it's been fine but I find tipping or even being asked annoying. We'll revert to curbside. Driving to Walmart or the local grocery is not a big burden for us. We slightly prefer the grocery chain anyway.

I thought with the Walmart+ access to Sam's Club gas maybe I could drop that membership but DW prefers the selection and prices of laundry detergent and paper products at Sam's.