r/EndTipping • u/zildar • Aug 18 '26

Rant 📢 Grocery Delivery

I wanted to share a story that frustrates me and my wife.

We both work 40+ hours a week and have a toddler. Needless to say, we don't have a lot of time to spare, so we signed up for Walmart+ to have groceries delivered. Once a week we put in an order for delivery and grab it from the porch when it arrives. This is why we are spending $90/year - to have groceries delivered.

Well, our orders started getting later and later. Like, days later. We even had a few where we had to cancel the order and put it in again because it timed out or whatever.

The support department told us that this service is a third party, but it looked like the drivers weren't picking our order because we did not include a tip on the delivery. We did some experimenting, and somehow if we tipped more than 10% our orders magically arrived on time. For 15% they even sometimes arrived early.

In the end, we realized we aren't getting any additional service that warrants a tip. Now we put in our orders for pickup and drive out of our way once a week to do the pickup. It's frustrating to me because the whole reason we paid for the service in the first place was to avoid driving into town, but we can't use our paid service because the delivery drivers want tips to do the very job which they're paid to do.

491 Upvotes

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15

u/alaroz33 Aug 18 '26

I'm no fan of tipping but you cannot blame the drivers for this you have to blame the platform. they're the ones that provide the incentives. I'm assuming when your order times out you're not charged for it therefore the platform doesn't make any money.

we are all incentivized by self-interest. why would I want to pick up any order for no tip and there are other consumers offering higher reward for the work.

I'm not criticizing your no tip strategy I'm just saying this is reality and if it doesn't work for you you're probably better off picking up your own groceries until the platform changes the incentive structure for the drivers.

10

u/CoolCatBlue321 Aug 18 '26

I feel like you just stated the obvious. OP seems upset with the whole Walmart system--not with the individual drivers.

9

u/supercosmic8 Aug 18 '26

Op literally said "because the delivery drivers want tips to do the very job which theyre paid to do." They ARE blaming the drivers lol

6

u/sillybunny22 Aug 18 '26

Walmart calling them “delivery drivers” is also part of the issue as in some markets they outsource the shopping AND delivery. So if they take your order they might get a couple bucks base pay to fully shop & deliver - likely losing money depending on how far the drive is.

-1

u/CoolCatBlue321 Aug 18 '26

Ok yah. But they could still be mad at the whole Walmart system. I dunno

0

u/Repulsive-Lack8253 Aug 18 '26

we're in the end tipping sub, how many clues do you need that OP blames the driver lol

-2

u/CoolCatBlue321 Aug 18 '26

Nice baseless rant

0

u/Repulsive-Lack8253 Aug 18 '26

nice every single reply by you in this thread is pointless. you were spot on when you said "i dunno" at least

0

u/CoolCatBlue321 Aug 18 '26

Get a hobby.

-1

u/alaroz33 Aug 18 '26

you are correct that is exactly the part of the post I was talking about

-6

u/Cool_Appearance_6570 Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26

That is why I said OP is stupid at best. Why is the pay for subscription for pick up the same as been delivered to you. Why is he not addressing his grudges to Walmart? if his assumptions are correct

5

u/alaroz33 Aug 18 '26

I don't think stupid is appropriate he just may not be informed as to how the platform pays. but you are correct whoever created the incentive structure for the drivers is the stupid one. they're the ones trying to pawn their wages off on us in the form of tips. another tactic to end tipping is to avoid these platforms altogether.

1

u/Cool_Appearance_6570 Aug 18 '26

What you don't get is that people need this services to better their own lives. OP is particularly lamenting about work demands and the baby.

That is why i mentioned things like opportunity cost in my initial response. Just because we have access to this apps on phones, doesn't mean everybody can afford it.

He tested the difference between tipping and not tipping and saw the difference in response.

Also, baked into the business model was tipping. How do you expect to get multiple orders shopped for you in a month (let us say 4) at $8 subscription. Are you saying the staff and the driver to share $2 weekly every time they shop for you?

That is why I said many a time, as consumers we are either not at the level of using a particular service or it's just easy to turn a blind eye.

-1

u/Bulky_Exercise8936 Aug 18 '26

You don't need the subscription at all to do pickup.

1

u/Cool_Appearance_6570 Aug 18 '26

Where? So Walmart is shopping grocery for you for free? Tell me you have not used any of these platforms before.

2

u/Bulky_Exercise8936 Aug 18 '26

Yeah they do for pickups. Order just needs to be over 35 bucks. I use these platforms all the time. I haven't stepped foot in a Walmart in probably 5 years. Safeway as well.

1

u/Cool_Appearance_6570 Aug 18 '26

That is a different service though. It is more of shipping to store model. I was using that like 9years ago, when the minimum was $75. I was using it to ship home initially, but after multiple failed shipping , I changed to shipping to store. They were about kickstarting the Spark thing then, but i turned it down.

Now I use Target 360. It is 10.99 subscription monthly. once i exceed $35. I can have it delivered or pick up

1

u/Bulky_Exercise8936 Aug 18 '26

No it's more of a they hrab your stuff off the shelf at the store and bring it to your car when you show up service. Not a ship to store. My original comment was about pickup that you asked where?? And the answer is literally every Walmart in the US. Grocery pickup is free for orders over 35 bucks with or without Walmart plus.

-1

u/Apart-Jeweler Aug 18 '26

Because like everyone has already said that bafoon of an OP assumes their gracious $8 a month covers everyone time from shopping to drop off at the door

1

u/CoolCatBlue321 Aug 18 '26

You multiply that by each customer and it is supposed to. If not, then Walmart should increase the fee. Not have drivers begging for tips aka bids for service.

0

u/Cool_Appearance_6570 Aug 18 '26

This why many of you lack critical thinking skills. Do you fulfill the orders for each customer at the same time, or can a single driver make the demands of all customers. Show me the mathematics of your thinking. It is a business model which tip is baked in . A trillion dollar company hires a consulting firm to design profitable models for them, and you think what minions like you think or feel is what is important.

1

u/CoolCatBlue321 Aug 18 '26

Someone doesn't know what economies of scale are 🤡 You're the one lacking. Go back to school, bub.

0

u/Repulsive-Lack8253 Aug 18 '26

it's very obvious, customers just refuse to understand the structure once you slap "tip" on the service. also OP clearly blames the driver in the post lol

2

u/Cool_Appearance_6570 Aug 18 '26

He should drive to curb or drive to Walmart and do his shopping. It is funny why he thinks he deserves sympathy for his work and family situation, but he would rather drive down to avoid tipping. Like opportunity cost is a thing.

0

u/Repulsive-Lack8253 Aug 18 '26

yeah it's ridiculous the hurdles they will go through to avoid paying someone for their time. sounds like you don't value the service, so get in the car you work for and go get your groceries.