Walmart+ delivery driver tipping? Really??

[Qs Laptop]

Question: Must one be a Walmart+ member to get groceries delivered free? Or as a non-member can I simply use their app to order more than $35 to get free delivery?

Reading the Walmart+ FAQs gives confusing answers. It seems to say that if you're a member you NEVER pay a delivery fee, otherwise if you're not a member you pay $7.95-$9.95.

In another place it seems to say members get free delivery if the order is more than $35.

Elsewhere on the site it seems to say if you're not a member and order more than $35 you don't pay a delivery fee.

Which is it?

(To the OP, I would pay a $5 cash tip directly to the driver upon delivery, no matter if I was a member or not.)

 

[healthyandfun]

I agree that it is hard to figure out the pricing on the delivery fee and can only share my experience. I do not have a membership. Delivery fee varies depending on time of delivery. It is &7.95 or $9.95.in my area. I have always been charged a delivery fee no matter the dollar amount of the order. The fee is visible when selecting a delivery date/time so one know ahead of time what it will be.

 

[Toocold]

It seems like majority of the fast food and fast casual restaurants are adding the tipping option. It's yet another inflation area noone talks about.

 

[folivier]

But at least it's an optional expense.

 

[Magus]

The real question is:

Why can't Walmart pay the drivers a proper wage?

I am not sure I would sign up for a service that made me feel guilty.

They likely are - I'd bet they are making $19-$21/hr currently. Tipping is just extra gravy.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Instacart, Walmart, and I believe most Amazon drivers are independent contractors. That means no benefits. So I believe it is right to tip them. (Someone mentioned UPS, they are employees and paid well, so you do not need to tip them. I know a few people that worked for and retired from UPS).

So here is what I am struggling with in this discussion. Amazon (or Walmart) would have to pay UPS to deliver to me. I have Prime so I don't pay for shipping. If they choose to save money by using their own driver who works for less and expects a tip, why should I support that corporate cost cutting by tipping?

I am a good tipper in situations where it is traditional such as taxis (and I extend that to Uber/Lyft) and restaurants. If a restaurant adds a service charge then I generally will not tip at all.

I sort of see it as the same kind of deception in not making the full cost transparent as hotels charging resort fees.

 

[GreenEggs]

I haven't read all of the posts, but if I choose to tip I would rather tip the driver directly with Cash. It's none of their employers' business whether, nor how much, they receive in tips. If you tip at checkout they probably won't even who that you personally tipped them. Real paper money speaks louder and clearer, and it's a person-to-person translation that allows each party to express their thanks to the other. I do everything that I can to keep life "real" in this fast-paced digital world.

 

[RetiredAt49]

A few days ago my DW ordered groceries from Walmart and we set it for pickup… an hour before we picked up our groceries they delivered 1 box of noodles to our home but we picked up the other 3 boxes of noodles at the store… while we were at Walmart picking up our groceries they delivered another item at our house… two days later they FedEx 1 item to our house.

Walmart spent a fortune on delivery fees… they have a long ways to figure out their pickup and home delivery system!

 

[harllee]

A few days ago my DW ordered groceries from Walmart and we set it for pickup… an hour before we picked up our groceries they delivered 1 box of noodles to our home but we picked up the other 3 boxes of noodles at the store… while we were at Walmart picking up our groceries they delivered another item at our house… two days later they FedEx 1 item to our house.

Walmart spent a fortune on delivery fees… they have a long ways to figure out their pickup and home delivery system!

When you do your WM pick up order, at the top you can click pick up at the store only. In my experience, once I click on Pick up only nothing is delivered.

 

[SecondAttempt]

It's none of their employers' business whether, nor how much, they receive in tips.

Morally and ethically I might agree with you. But legally the employer often has an obligation to report the tip amount. In some states the employer must pay the minimum wage even to tipped employees. For example in Hawaii the employer must pay at least $10.10 including pay and tips. So that requiress they track tips.

If you tip at checkout they probably won't even who that you personally tipped them.

I think but am not certain that the driver is incentivized by knowing the tip ahead of time and will choose the higher tipped delivery over one offering less. I think the driver app also develops a profile of you so that over timethe drivers know who the good tippers are.

 

[captain3d]

I hate tipping. It is not for good service. It is a demonstration of status over the poor helpless people.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I hate tipping. It is not for good service. It is a demonstration of status over the poor helpless people.

I mentioned I am a good tipper. I don't think my reasons are to demonstrate my status. I was even a good tipper when I was a poor college student. To me it is recognition that the service was as expected and that the tip is an expected part of the person's pay. For a restaurant meal I will usually leave 20%

If service is poor I do not hesitate to skimp on the tip to signal that but I am thoughtful about it. If a place is packed but service is slow, I will still leave a good tip if I see the servers working hard. But if they are standing around gossiping maybe not, especially if the service is slow or bad.

I have never worked for tips but I worked a few menial jobs when I was young. I know people in those jobs work hard for every penny and I am happy to recognize their efforts. It has never crossed my mind that I am exercising power over them but your post did cause me to think about it.

There are a few areas where I do not tip. Hotel housekeepers, for example. Yes, they work hard and deserve to be paid well and would understand if the hotel charged me more for that. I don't usually tip for takeout but I will in the relatively rural area I live in because people know each other and I want my pizza in a timely manner next time too.

I do worry that things like square and others are keeping track of us and building profiles for merchants. I am skeptical if the machine wants my card before suggesting tip amount. Maybe that is paranoia but I am not afraid to enter a custom amount if it suggests 22%. Nope, 20% is my tip and I will take the extra steps to put that in or just hit "no tip" if I am in a hurry.

I don't use the door dashes or uber eats of the world because they don't serve my house. I probably would tip those drivers for takeout food delivery but not for groceries since I already buy some non-perishables from Amazon and don't tip UPS.

 

[GreenEggs]

Morally and ethically I might agree with you. But legally the employer often has an obligation to report the tip amount. In some states the employer must pay the minimum wage even to tipped employees. For example in Hawaii the employer must pay at least $10.10 including pay and tips. So that requiress they track tips.



I think but am not certain that the driver is incentivized by knowing the tip ahead of time and will choose the higher tipped delivery over one offering less. I think the driver app also develops a profile of you so that over time the drivers know who the good tippers are.

I understand the taxation implications, but I disagree that "my tip" should be counted against the required $10.10 per hour. A tip is a bonus, not a part of the required minimum pay scale. A good worker gets the bonus & a lazy worker gets the minimum.

 

[aaronc879]

I understand the taxation implications, but I disagree that "my tip" should be counted against the required $10.10 per hour. A tip is a bonus, not a part of the required minimum pay scale. A good worker gets the bonus & a lazy worker gets the minimum.

In Wisconsin there are still waitresses getting the minimum $2.33/hr. They have to get tips and a lot of them to make a decent wage. If that wage plus tips doesn't equal $7.25/hr during a pay period then the employer has to cover the difference. I think most waitresses make decent money but the fact they could make so little if the customers are cheap is a bit concerning.

 

[REWahoo]

In Wisconsin there are still waitresses getting the minimum $2.33/hr. They have to get tips and a lot of them to make a decent wage. If that wage plus tips doesn't equal $7.25/hr during a pay period then the employer has to cover the difference. I think most waitresses make decent money but the fact they could make so little if the customers are cheap is a bit concerning.

Speaking of waitresses, I wonder what this old gal averages per hour in tips?

CAUTION: LANGUAGE NSFW

 

[youbet]

In Wisconsin there are still waitresses getting the minimum $2.33/hr. They have to get tips and a lot of them to make a decent wage. If that wage plus tips doesn't equal $7.25/hr during a pay period then the employer has to cover the difference. I think most waitresses make decent money but the fact they could make so little if the customers are cheap is a bit concerning.

I don't think waitstaff folks would stay at that venue very long if the pay (including tips) was that low. The owner would quickly find herself with no staff!

 

[flyingaway]

I hate tipping. It is not for good service. It is a demonstration of status over the poor helpless people.

I also don't like tipping for the same reason. I go to restaurants to eat and do not want to be a judge of their employee's performance. They are supposed to be professionals of their occupation, should do their job, not try hard to "please" their customers.

 

[captain3d]

If for some reason wait staff got paid $100k+ a year then no one would tip.

Tipping is structured around a social relationship where the people with the money should feel guilt and sympathy to the ‘unfortunate’ worker. While simultaneously reinforcing a status above the poor people.

No one ever tips up the chain of status. Imagine a renter tipping a landlord because they provided good service.

The problem with tipping is that it is a ‘charity’ transaction in the middle of a ‘business’ deal.

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.

 

[aaronc879]

If for some reason wait staff got paid $100k+ a year then no one would tip.

Tipping is structured around a social relationship where the people with the money should feel guilt and sympathy to the ‘unfortunate’ worker. While simultaneously reinforcing a status above the poor people.

No one ever tips up the chain of status. Imagine a renter tipping a landlord because they provided good service.

The problem with tipping is that it is a ‘charity’ transaction in the middle of a ‘business’ deal.

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.

If I made good money I would want to help out someone who makes less and provides me with a valuable service. I don't understand people like you who look down on the lower paid workers who likely work just as hard as you.

 

[harllee]

If for some reason wait staff got paid $100k+ a year then no one would tip.

Tipping is structured around a social relationship where the people with the money should feel guilt and sympathy to the ‘unfortunate’ worker. While simultaneously reinforcing a status above the poor people.

No one ever tips up the chain of status. Imagine a renter tipping a landlord because they provided good service.

The problem with tipping is that it is a ‘charity’ transaction in the middle of a ‘business’ deal.

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 totally disagree. I owned my own business and made good $$ (well over $100,000). But I frequently got tips--people paid me more than I billed them as a thank you for a job well done. I think everyone should be paid a good wage but there should still be tips for good service. It is not charity at all--it is one human being being nice to the other and thanking them for their hard work.

 

[Music Lover]

If I made good money I would want to help out someone who makes less and provides me with a valuable service. I don't understand people like you who look down on the lower paid workers who likely work just as hard as you.

I'm against most (basically all) forms of tipping, but I assure you that I don't look down on low paid workers.

 

[captain3d]

If I made good money I would want to help out someone who makes less and provides me with a valuable service. I don't understand people like you who look down on the lower paid workers who likely work just as hard as you.

I don’t work and never said I looked down on the workers. I said the construct of tipping is based around those workers needing help because their pay is bad. That is clearly strange on a business context.

Charity donations are a separate thing for helping people in need.

 

[captain3d]

I totally disagree. I owned my own business and made good $$ (well over $100,000). But I frequently got tips--people paid me more than I billed them as a thank you for a job well done. I think everyone should be paid a good wage but there should still be tips for good service. It is not charity at all--it is one human being being nice to the other and thanking them for their hard work.

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.

 

[captain3d]

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?

 

[SecondAttempt]

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?

$8400?