Here’s How Much to Tip Grocery Delivery Drivers (2024)

FAQs

Here’s How Much to Tip Grocery Delivery Drivers? ›

So we've already established that you have to tip, and ideally you're giving close to 15 to 20 percent. Scale up if your order is especially large, the delivery distance is far, or you live in the top floor of a fifth floor walk-up.

A good starting point is to tip between 10-20% of the total bill, which is considered standard for showing appreciation towards grocery delivery personnel.

Regardless if you're ordering one item or 50, you should always tip. And if you're asking your delivery person to shop during the busy times (Saturday morning, Sunday after church), you should consider tipping a little more. Think about it—there's a good reason you're not shopping during that time.

In general, it's recommended to tip grocery delivery workers 15 to 20 percent—or more if it's a large or complicated order.

If everything goes smoothly with your delivery and the weather is good, 20% is the standard cost of having the mealtime brought to your doorstep.

Tips are optional and 100% go to the driver. You can choose to tip before or after placing your order or after delivery. You're free to edit your tip amount for up to 24 hours after delivery. You have up to 14 days to add a tip for your delivery driver if you choose to leave a tip.

No tipping please. Third-party partners like Instacart can accept tips.

Instacart workers can see how much you're planning on tipping in the app, and many drivers won't pick up orders that don't have a pre-attached tip. To ensure you're getting the best service possible and to give your shopper some peace of mind, tip through the app instead of tipping in cash.

If customers don't tip up front, Instacart pays more. This essentially works like a tip penalty, where instead of being "extra," tips are just used to make up for not paying workers decently in the first place.

In some cases, drivers have even taken matters into their own hands, refusing to hand over food — or even eating the food they were supposed to deliver — if the tip is too low.

Are you meant to tip food delivery? ›

You don't have to tip, but it's always appreciated

Couriers get 100% of tips, which can help make a big difference in their lives. A little extra really goes a long way.

Orders under $10 are totally fine to not tip by total percentage, with $2-4 per small order being a perfectly adequate tip.

If I had to give an average, I would probably say about $10. If you have a ton of items—call it 50 items—you should tip $15, $20. Definitely tip more if you're living in an apartment in DC and I'm going to have to pay to park, or double-park and risk a ticket—or if you're on, like, the 15th floor.”

Tipping your delivery driver is optional. You'll have the option to tip in the checkout process. Delivery drivers receive 100% of their tips.

"It depends on how big your order is — good tips are at least 15%," said a DoorDasher who declined to share his name. That means the woman who tipped $5 on her $20 DoorDash order — which is a 25% gratuity — actually gave quite a good tip, drivers said. "A $5 tip on a $20 order? That's not bad at all.

“While there are no hard-and-fast rules about when to leave a gratuity, it's generally accepted that servers in bars and restaurants should be tipped. The same is true for other service providers such as barbers and hairdressers. Other than that, it truly is at the discretion of the customer,” she says.

Warrener's rule of thumb is to tip delivery people, whether they're on foot, bike, or in a car, between $3 and $5 depending on the cost of the meal and how far they travel.

Aim to tip 20% of your shopping bill or $5, whichever is highest. Tip at least 10% if you have a smaller order, but 20% is generally better to keep drivers afloat. Tack on an additional $3-5 for weather difficulties and $1-2 if the delivery person has to climb a ton of stairs.

Customers placing orders with generous tips only to reduce or eliminate them isn't new. The practice, called "tip baiting," has historically been the bane of gig workers as tips represent a significant portion of earnings.

If you don't find the option to add a tip, your order is not eligible. Walmart will also send you a notification from the app for you to give feedback or a tip after your delivery.

Should I tip the grocery pickup person? ›

The same advice on tipping goes for people who prepare your drive-up or pickup orders. Technically, they aren't allowed to accept tips either—so again, don't get them into trouble. Just offer a heartfelt thank you. These people are basically doing what's now become a regular part of working at a grocery store.

If a store uses a third-party site for delivery or personal shopping, then the tip will go to the person who is working for that site, not the grocery store employees. If you are unsure if the employees are allowed to accept tips, just ask.

Here's what etiquette experts recommend tipping as well as several employer policies on gratuity: Personal shoppers including Instacart, Shipt, and GoPuff: 25-30% Meal delivery including GrubHub, UberEats and DoorDash: 25-30%

Tipping is optional. Tips are paid directly to the Instacart shopper. Publix associates do not receive tips. Contact Instacart's Care Team at help@instacart.com, by calling 1(888) 2-INSTACART (1(888) 246-7822), or directly through the Publix Delivery and Pickup app for the quickest resolution.