AIBU for not tipping my grocery delivery driver?

[Honeybooboo123]

I'm never sure if I am supposed to. What's the general rule?

Tipping doesn't sort out the problem of low wages in the long-term. It's a short-term fixture. The employer will not increase the wages knowing their employees could earn extra with tips. Why not to price the services correctly so every employee would receive a normal salary?

Tipping is an outdated concept now. It goes back to the days when certain people were paid waaaaay less than others. I remember my cousin being a factory worker back in the early 80's (at the age of 20-ish) and her wage was £3 an hour. My hairdresser who was the same age was on £1 an hour. A girl I knew who was 18, was a waitress and was on £1.10 an hour.

So their occupations used to pay waaaay less than the factory money.

Fast forward 15 years or so, and everyone on basic pay/minimum pay started to be paid the same. (1997 I think it started.)

So there has been no reason to tip anyone since then. Why should delivery drivers, or waitresses, or hairdressers get 'tips?' when no-one else does?

They should not expect them, and should not take them.

@lacucuracha

People lack empathy.

Restaurant delivery people are also very poorly paid. No harm in tipping a £1.

It's nothing to do with 'empathy' either. Nor is anyone POORLY PAID anymore. Everyone is on a minimum of £7.50 an hour. (Soon to be £7.83 an hour.) So that doesn't wash. If you are mug enough to give extra money to someone who is probably earning as much as you, (when you have already paid for your service,) then more fool you.

Do you tip the woman in Tesco or Morrisons who scans all your shopping, and shoves it down the conveyor belt for you to pack at the end? Or the man in the off-licence who gets the bottles of wine off the shelves and puts them in a bag for you?

Thought not.

I used to tip the Ocado delivery driver years and years ago but then it became obvious that it wasn’t the norm and I stopped. I do tip a fiver for the Christmas delivery though and they always accept gratefully so if they are “not allowed” to accept it doesn’t seem to stop them.

My hairdresser is now so eyewateringly expensive that I’m seriously reconsidering my lifelong habit of tipping.

Kimanda, agree 100%

@OutsideContextProblem

My hairdresser is now so eyewateringly expensive that I’m seriously reconsidering my lifelong habit of tipping.

Exactly! Why the hell should someone who is making fuckloads of money, from their customers, (with such over-inflated prices,) be given extra money?!

Thanks @onecutefox

The more tipping is recognised as being a normal part of someone’s remuneration, the less incentive there is for their wages to rise.... The lower paid, who tend to receive tips, are then at the mercy of the whims of the customer and their generosity.

Tipping should be for exceptional service that you want to reward rather than a normal part of a transaction. The sooner this weird culture where we tip some people but not others, for no reason other than it’s the “done thing”, the better.

I don’t tip. I’m in a ground floor flat and I’m a “dump it in the hallway” person so I don’t think I’m a difficult customer for them. My mum has used supermarket delivery for almost 20 years and always had them leave shopping in the hallway and didn’t tip, so I guess I’ve just copied her.

I hate tipping. I never know how much to give and I find the whole thing awkward. I’d rather pay a service charge where it’s clear what’s expected.

I think it’s ridiculous that certain jobs receive tips and others don’t. Employers should pay wages that don’t need to be subsidised by tips.

Agree with @coco and @glum ^

These are relatively poorly paid people trying to deliver to tight schedules

There's loads of relatively poorly paid people doing incredibly hard/worthy work. Why are some deemed OK to tip but not others?
This is why the whole tip culture is so ridiculous.

My hairdresser is now so eyewateringly expensive that I’m seriously reconsidering my lifelong habit of tipping

The practice of tipping hairdressers is particularly bizarre... how can be justified when so many services are not routinely given tips.

Restaurants too.... If i go to a basic place I may pay 1/3 of what I pay in a fancy place... but the tip is still expected to be 10%.... have the waiters worked 3 times as hard?! Of course not!

I think it’s ridiculous that certain jobs receive tips and others don’t. Employers should pay wages that don’t need to be subsidised by tips.

Same. As for the second point, in the UK they don't need to be subsidised by tips as we have a national minimum wage that everyone gets. Around £6 to £8 an hour depending on your age.
In the USA where employers don't pay their employers properly and expect the customers to prop them up, fair enough. even though they should pay them properly to start with
Here, though? Nope, no need.

I don't tip Ocado - never occured to me to. Part of their thing is that they will take your shoping where you want it - I always ask them to bring it through to the kitchen (and dh never does ask which annoys me as then it is in the hall and we have to bring it in while balancing babies etc)

I would round up cost for delivery driver up to nearest pound or two -so if £18.50 for example I wouldn't want change from a £20 note.

I tip the beautician a couple of quid and the hairdresser three or four pounds.

And this is it.

Don't tip but let them use my loo when they have asked.

I tip the beautician a couple of quid and the hairdresser three or four pounds

But why do we all do this?! We’ve developed some irrational groupthink that we all (myself included) moronically follow.

I don't tip our shopping delivery drivers, but we unload at the front door. I do buy them a tin of chocolates at Christmas though. We do tip food delivery drivers.

I don't - I can't afford to

I don’t tip delivery drivers. I also don’t get the tipping thing. But I don’t get why some families think they should and do buy the teacher a present, but not the volunteers who run clubs for their child to attend and enjoy each week. How does that work?
I’ve only had one tesco driver ask to use the loo and I let her, with no issue, I know that is a big problem to some people.

If you do tip the delivery man, would you tip each time they come (could be expensive if they come every week) or just on special occasions like Christmas?

Please let's not turn into America where everyone tips. I do a job that is not paid well as do many people but wouldn't ever be tipped. In fact we are not allowed to accept gratuities. I am not going to start tipping someone because they do a different job to me!! Unless they do something above and beyond.

But why do we all do this?! We’ve developed some irrational groupthink that we all (myself included) moronically follow.

I don't. I see what you're saying though,it's like some sheep like following. People be sheep.Do what's "expected." Even though it's not needed in the UK. (London particularly weird about tipping, but other areas really don't expect it.)
Stupid how some are deemed "worthy" but not others.

Tips are unnecessary in the UK as we have a minimum wage, unlike America where employees earn the vast majority of their money from tips. I only tip in restaurants, or if I'm drunk and feeling generous tip bar/hotel staff never tipped the hairdresser as it's extortionate enough at toni&guy and don't get a chance to tip taxi drivers as I get Uber!

@Astrid2 if it’s an order with no carrier bags you just take your shopping bags, a box or an Ikea bag etc to the front door and take it back.

If they were to bring crates to my kitchen there wouldn’t be space to unpack unless they waited for me to put things away which would make them very late. But I don’t have them bring them in because of the dog anyway.

I don't tip anyone for just doing their job. I do tip when someone does something beyond what I would expect normal service to be.

I don't tip delivery drives. I do leave good reviews if I get the text or email asking.

I tip in restaurants unless the service has been terrible, in which case no tip.

I don't tip delivery drivers, taxi drivers etc and my hairdresser is self employed and sets her own prices so she refuses to accept tips.

I've read on mumsnet about tipping being the norm and it made me wonder if I was out of step. But I've watched other people closely as a result, at the beautician, the hairdresser, in taxis etc and they hand over the money and they get change. Then they say goodbye. I've never seen anyone else try to tip. And when the delivery driver comes with takeaway, they always have the correct change in their hand and they hand it over along with the food (so if it's £18.50, they know they'll get £20, so they hand over the bag and £1.50 at the same time). Then they turn on their heel and hurry off for their next delivery, so they certainly don't appear to expect a tip, they're nearly running away as they hand it over.

And it would be a cold day in hell before I'd tip the council workers who collect the bins and recycling because they are, almost without exception, obstructive, sour faced and unreasonable.