Curbside grocery pick-ups actually offer customers a service that makes shopping less stressful. Instead of dragging carts through the aisles, consumers can now create a grocery order online, park in a designated area around the grocery store and have their groceries loaded up for them by a store employee. Depending on the actual time you order, your groceries will be available within hours.
Now the big question is, do you tip the employee that helps bring all of these things outside and load them into your car for you? Well, it depends. Different stores have different rules. Walmart, for example, states on its customer service page that its employees do not accept tips, while Target is silent on its tipping policy. Most local grocery shops do not allow employee tipping.
So, tipping the person who helps load your car is solely on you to decide. However, do keep in mind that the employee might decide not to take it based on the grocery store’s prohibited law.
Also, if you have an idea about the tipping policy of the store and it’s clear that they do not prohibit tipping, then it’s only fair that you show love to the employee. The particular amount you give still depends on you.
How much should you tip for groceries?
Tipping has become a serious matter in the world of grocery shopping as so many grocery stores prevent you from tipping the people or employees who help you load up your car. Here are some other things you can do to still make their day even if giving them tips is prohibited.
You can show verbal gratitude. Verbal gratitude tells them that they matter. It would make their day. You can take it a bit higher by looking at the name on their tag and saying it while thanking them.
Also, tipping in grocery shopping is not archaic; it is a relatively new thing, so there’s no properly defined measure or means to appropriately tip. Now, a 10% tip or giving out a couple of dollars would not be a completely bad idea to give to the person who carried your baggage all the way.
From the store down to your car, load them. Do ensure you know the protocols of the store and you’re not getting them in trouble by tipping them before going ahead with it.
When should you not tip?
Are you bad at tipping? There’s nothing wrong with that at all, only when it is the right time to be a poor tipper, haha. Yes, there are times and some circumstances when it is okay for you to be a bad tipper and not tip.
Let’s look at some factors that should influence when to tip or not.
- When you’re dealing with professionals: You do not have to live as a cash tip for a lawyer, doctor, accountant, and the rest. If you really want to thank them, then the best way to go about it is to give them a gift.
- Dealing with highly skilled workers: Service technicians offer services based on their work and time, so if you paid them for these services, you might not really be a bad person by not tipping them, unless it was an emergency call.
- Small business owners: When you patronize small business owners, that’s a tip in itself, so you really do not need to add an extra tip. They have fixed prices that are set, so definitely there’s an additional tip on the original price.
- Bad customer service: Let’s say the grocery employee offered poor service. You can decide not to tip them because of the low quality of customer service they offer.
Are you supposed to tip the Walmart grocery pickup?
The Walmart grocery store’s free pick-up service is a great option to ease yourself of the stress of having to do the shopping yourself and dragging carts all over the aisle.
You just have to order your grocery items online, reserve a time slot that you’re going to pick them up, and a Walmart employee then helps you shop, bag, and bring everything to your car, where it’s parked in a designated area around the store. The best part is that they’ll get to load them for you too.
Now you might be wondering, after all, if this service, do I not need to drop tips for this employee? Well, normally you’re supposed to drop a tip out of gratitude for the service, but unfortunately, Walmart actually does not allow tips or any additional money for the service.
You can still do well by thanking them and telling them you appreciate their service. This will make them feel better about themselves. You can even check the name on their tag and call them by their name while thanking them. This can really go a long way.
Are you supposed to tip Kroger pick up?
If you’re the type that spends more or shops more based on impulse, then you can not deny that, number of times, you’ve stepped into a store only to get more than you intended to get, spending more than necessary precious money in the process. This is why Kroger’s pick-up service is quality, as it helps you just stay online and order whatever you want, then head to the store curb and pick up your stuff.
All you need to do is order your items online and then pay for them. Try to arrive in the middle of your time slot to evade the rush. Once you park in the designated area, take out your phone and call the phone number on the sign to alert the employee that you’re ready to pick up your groceries.
Now you might be worried about the right amount to tip the employee for giving this wonderful service. Well, you do not even have to bother at all, as there’s a stated policy on Kroger’s website that their employees do not accept tips.
Should I tip Target curbside pick up?
Unlike other big grocery stores like Walmart and Kroger, which do not allow their employees to accept tips from customers, Target does allow their employees to receive tips.
As stated on their website, shoppers do accept tips! If you’re happy with the service you’ve received, we encourage you to tip your shopper as well as rate them. Shoppers receive 100% of their tips, but all other feedback and ratings are anonymous.
So yes, you can tip an employee from Target depending on how satisfied you are with their services. The required amount to give as a cash tip solely depends on you and what you feel like giving.
Should you tip instacart pick up?
Instacart’s pick up, which is also called a curbside pick up, does not have a space to tip the shopper on their app, so you’ll have to give the shopper a cash tip at the pick up when you see them.
While instacart makes it easy for you to order whatever you want from the comfort of your home and easily get to pick it up, there’s someone, a shopper, who does the work to make sure that these things are put in place. This is why you have to become familiar with tipping. You tip these people for the wonderful services they render as an act of gratitude.
Do take note that when you tip through instacart, all of the money goes to the shopper that delivered the items to your door. However, instacart automatically defaults to five percent of the total amount you chose on your most recent order, and lastly, Instagram does recommend a minimum of $2 for tip.
Do you tip Sam’s curbside pickup?
The Sam’s Club pick-up service allows customers the necessary leisure they need from shopping by giving them the option to order whatever they might need from the grocery store directly online without having to go through the enormous stress of queueing and dragging trolleys up and down the aisle.
Sam’s Club members can order anything they want online and pick it up at the club nearest to them within 24 hours. Their pick-up hours begin as early as 7 am for their plus members, while for their club members, pick-up starts at 10 am, running the whole week except Sunday. Members only have to check in when they arrive, and an employee or associate will bring their order.
Do take note that, unlike Target, Sam’s Club does not allow tips for their associates or shoppers.
However, like we’ve always stated again and again in this article, please appreciate these workers. Appreciation must not be only by monetary means. Show them that you’re grateful for the services they offer by telling them “thank you.” You can also add their name to it by looking at their tag. The world needs kindness, and there’s nothing wrong with giving a bit of it to your shopper.