Do You Tip Walmart Delivery? Must Read Before Doing This?
Ordering groceries online for delivery to your doorstep is so convenient. No more driving to the store, navigating crowded aisles, and waiting in endless checkout lines. With services like Walmart Grocery Delivery, you can get all your essentials delivered right to you. But here’s the question many shoppers have: should you tip your Walmart grocery delivery driver?
The short answer is yes, you should tip your Walmart delivery driver, especially if they work for a third-party service. But the full tipping etiquette depends on who does the delivery. Let’s dive into the details, best practices, and things to know about tipping your Walmart grocery delivery.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover:
- Walmart’s official tipping policy for drivers
- Differences between Walmart employees vs. third-party drivers
- Recommended tip amounts for grocery delivery
- Cash tipping vs. in-app tipping
- Whether tips influence service quality
- Driver perspectives on tips
- How to add a tip before or after delivery
- Tax implications for drivers
- And much more!
Ready to learn the ins and outs of tipping your Walmart grocery delivery? Let’s get started!
Walmart’s Official Policy on Tipping Delivery Drivers
Walmart has an official corporate policy when it comes to tipping the drivers who deliver your groceries. Here are the key things to know:
- Tipping is optional – Walmart emphasizes that tipping is entirely voluntary. There is no automatic gratuity or service charge added to delivery orders.
- Drivers cannot solicit tips – Walmart prohibits delivery drivers from asking customers for tips. This is against company policy.
- Fair base compensation – Walmart strives to provide competitive base pay rates for drivers rather than relying on tips for essential income.
The takeaway? Tipping your Walmart grocery delivery driver is welcome but never required or expected under their corporate policy. Drivers won’t ask for tips.
Do Walmart Drivers See Tips Before Delivering Orders?
An important thing to understand is that Walmart drivers do not see any tip amount until after your order is successfully delivered.
When placing a grocery order on Walmart’s website or app, there is no option to add a tip at checkout. Tips can only be added by the customer after the order is complete.
Once delivery is finished, you can rate your experience and add a voluntary tip through the app or website. Only then is your tip amount passed along to the driver.
Walmart designed this delayed tipping process intentionally. The goal is to prevent tips from influencing service and ensure drivers provide consistent, fair work regardless of tips.
How Walmart Online Grocery Delivery Works
Before getting into the tipping specifics, let’s quickly review how Walmart’s grocery delivery service functions.
There are two main ways your order may be delivered:
- Walmart employees – Some locations have Walmart store employees who assemble and deliver orders directly.
- Third-party services – In other areas, Walmart partners with services like DoorDash or Point Pickup for delivery.
For home grocery delivery, Walmart charges a flat $9.95 delivery fee per order. There are no hidden costs or tips included in that fee.
Walmart+ members can get free unlimited grocery delivery with no per-order fee. But again, tips are always separate and voluntary for the driver.
Should You Tip Walmart Employees vs. Third-Party Drivers?
Here’s where tipping etiquette starts to differ. Should you tip Walmart employees the same as third-party drivers?
For Walmart employees, tipping is optional and at your discretion. Walmart employees earn hourly wages rather than relying on tips for income. There is no expectation from Walmart that customers have to tip their own staff.
However, for third-party delivery drivers, tipping is very customary and expected. Unlike Walmart employees, independent contractors for services like DoorDash depend heavily on tips as a major portion of their pay.
Without sufficient tips, the base delivery fee these third-party drivers receive from Walmart is often quite minimal. Because they aren’t employees, tips make a big difference.
The standard practice is to tip third-party drivers in the same way you would tip any food or grocery delivery service. This helps ensure they make decent earnings.
How Much Should You Tip Walmart Delivery Drivers?
Tipping is subjective, but here are some general tipping recommendations for Walmart grocery delivery drivers:
- For smaller orders of 1-2 bags, tips of $5-10 are considered appropriate and much appreciated. This amounts to 15-20% of a typical $50 grocery order.
- For larger orders with more items and bags, tipping $10-15 or 10-20% of the total order cost is a generous amount.
- If the driver has to maneuver many heavy items, navigate stairs, or deal with bad weather, tipping at the higher end is warranted.
- Likewise if the driver provides exceptionally fast, careful, or friendly service, an above-average tip is a great way to show your satisfaction.
- On the other hand, if you receive notably poor service, you have discretion to tip less accordingly.
As you might for a food delivery tip, base your Walmart grocery tip on factors like order size, difficulty, and service quality. Most drivers appreciate $5-10 for basic orders and up to 20% for exceptional service or challenges.
Tipping Walmart Drivers with Cash vs. In-App
Sometimes customers wonder if cash tips might be preferable to tipping in the Walmart app. Here’s the scoop on cash tips:
- For third-party contractor drivers, cash tips are ideal since cash doesn’t have to be reported as taxable income.
- However, Walmart policy requires drivers to immediately report any cash tips received. The cash tips are then added to the driver’s paycheck rather than kept separately.
- So while cash is preferred, in-app tipping provides the same net benefit to drivers in the end.
- The app just offers a more convenient no-contact method if you don’t have cash available.
Both cash tips and in-app tips go fully to the driver either way. So focus on whatever tipping method is most convenient for you!
Will a Big Tip Get You Better Service?
You might wonder if leaving a large tip will get your order faster service or extra care from the driver. However, the size of your tip does not affect service quality for Walmart orders.
Remember, drivers have no way to see tips until after delivery is complete. They provide the same quick, careful service to every order regardless of the tip amount.
Drivers never know if an order includes a big tipper or no tip at all. Their priority is consistently fast service for every customer. So tip based on service, not to try and get special treatment!
Why Some Customers Don’t Tip Walmart Delivery
While tipping is standard practice, not every customer opts to tip their Walmart delivery driver. Some reasons customers may choose not to tip include:
- They believe the $9.95 delivery fee sufficiently covers the driver’s effort.
- They assume the driver earns an hourly wage from Walmart rather than relying on tips.
- They simply can’t afford an extra tip cost right now.
- They aren’t aware tipping grocery delivery is customary.
Since tipping is voluntary, some shoppers choose not to tip Walmart delivery for any number of reasons. It comes down to personal preference and situation.
Do Walmart Drivers Refuse Orders Without Tips?
Because Walmart drivers don’t see tip information upfront, they are never able to pick and choose orders based on potential tips. Drivers must take every delivery assigned to them.
Refusing orders without tips would be grounds for termination. Drivers can’t decline deliveries from non-tippers. They focus on fast service regardless of tips.
How Long Do Walmart Drivers Get to Keep Tips?
One common tipping concern is whether drivers receive tips right away or if they are delayed.
The good news is Walmart drivers get to keep tips immediately after you add them. Tips are not transferred separately in a paycheck.
Once a delivery is successfully completed, any tip you add through the app becomes available to the driver as soon as it is processed. There is no tip holding period.
Can You Add a Tip After Walmart Delivery?
If you forget to tip when you receive your delivery, not to worry! Walmart allows customers to add tips for up to 14 days after the order.
To add a belated tip:
- Open the Walmart app.
- Go to your Purchase History.
- Select the appropriate order.
- Choose Add Tip and adjust the amount.
So if you realize you forgot to tip, or want to adjust your tip afterward, you have plenty of time. Walmart makes it easy to add or change a tip for up to 14 days after delivery.
The option to tip afterwards gives you flexibility. For example, you can wait to see if your entire order is delivered accurately before deciding on a tip amount. Or you may want to boost your tip if the driver had to haul a particularly heavy load up three flights of stairs.
The ability to adjust tips retroactively lets you tip based on the full delivery service rather than having to pre-tip at checkout. Just double check your order receipt within 14 days to add an appropriate tip.
Walmart also makes tipping after delivery quick and simple through their app and website. Just a few taps allows you to properly reward your driver, even if you didn’t get a chance to tip at the time of delivery.
The convenience of post-delivery tipping combined with Walmart’s 14 day allowance window ensures your driver is appreciated. Whether you want to show extra thanks for great service or make up for forgetting to tip altogether, Walmart has you covered.
Are Walmart Drivers Taxed on Tips?
Some customers may wonder if tipping drivers in cash helps them avoid taxes. However, Walmart drivers pay taxes on all their tip income, whether from cash tips or in-app tips.
Any cash tips received must be immediately reported to Walmart per company policy. Walmart then includes the cash tip amounts in drivers’ taxable wages on their paycheck stubs.
So while cash tips are helpful, drivers won’t actually take home more after tax by receiving cash instead of in-app tips. All tips are declared and taxed appropriately regardless of method.
Key Takeaways on Tipping Walmart Delivery
To recap some of the top tips for tipping your Walmart grocery delivery driver:
- Tipping is optional for Walmart’s own employees but expected for third-party drivers
- Drivers can’t see or choose orders based on tips beforehand
- $5-10 for typical orders and 10-20% for larger orders are good tip amounts
- Cash tips are preferred but in-app tips work fine too
- Drivers aim to provide quick, careful service regardless of tips
- You can add or adjust a tip for up to 14 days after delivery
- All tips are taxed, so cash doesn’t increase take-home pay
Keep these best practices in mind when tipping your Walmart delivery driver!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common FAQs about tipping Walmart grocery delivery drivers:
How much do Walmart delivery drivers make without tips?
For third-party drivers, base pay without tips is often very low, frequently under minimum wage. Tips make up a significant portion of their earnings.
Do Walmart drivers know if I tipped in advance?
No, drivers have no way to know if an order has a tip or not until after successful delivery.
Should I tip every Walmart delivery?
For third-party drivers, yes you should tip each order as tips are essential to their income. Tipping Walmart’s own employees is optional order-to-order.
Can Walmart drivers accept gifts instead of tips?
There is no Walmart policy preventing gift-giving, but cash or in-app tips are more beneficial for drivers.
Do bigger tips get better service?
No, drivers don’t know about tips in advance so they cannot provide preferential service based on tip amount.
Conclusion
While not mandatory, tipping your Walmart grocery delivery driver is a kind way to show appreciation for the convenience of getting groceries brought right to your door.
Drivers who work for third-party delivery services depend heavily on tips to make up for low base pay rates. Leaving a tip of even just $5-10 goes a long way towards fairly compensating professional delivery work.
Remember that drivers provide the same fast, friendly service regardless of the tip amount on an order. But your generosity is always appreciated when possible, especially during harsh weather, for large orders, and as thanks for excellent service.
So next time your Walmart grocery delivery arrives, consider thanking your driver with a tip through the app or with cash. Your tip makes a difference and shows you value their time and effort!
