When we posted a simple poll about tipping delivery drivers, we had no idea it would garner the kind of mammoth response it did, with folks on both sides of the tipping divide ardently defending their position. In an effort to clear up what he sees as common misconceptions about tipping, Consumerist reader and former delivery guy Justin wrote in to take a sledgehammer to a handful of “myths” about his past profession.

Here’s Justin’s list:

Feb 06, 2016  How much to tip movers might be the last problem to deal with after a day of stress-inducing and crazy-making situations; especially if you just finished a cross country move.You do not want to do is go into your moving day with no idea what the protocol is for tipping movers.

#1) The delivery fee goes to the driver to make up for a lack of tips. So any additional tip is optional
FALSE. The delivery fee is constant from chain to chain, but rarely does the entire fee go to the driver. Usually the business itself takes the fee in order to cover driver expenses, such as paying for a portion of their gas, or other related expenses specific to the delivery driver position itself (insurance, etc). Sometimes, the business may split the fee with the driver, and some smaller chains may give the driver the entirety of the fee to supplement pay. However, the delivery fee is just that at the end of the day: a fee for delivery to your home. It is NOT a tip, and should never be assumed to be one.

#2) Delivery drivers make more than the kitchen staff, so tips aren’t necessary
FALSE. In fact, because drivers have the ability to make tips, their pay is usually substantially lower than other staff members. The ability to make tips results in a much lower minimum wage by Federal Standards, to the tune of $2.13 an hour for tipped employees, versus $7.25 an hour for non-tip employees (this is also why retail employees cannot accept tips!). The employer must make up the difference if the monthly tips plus wage do not meet the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, hence the various fees tacked onto delivery runs, though even then the kitchen staff tends to make much more than minimum wage. At my place of employment, drivers got paid $8.25/hr plus tips due to municipality laws, though kitchen staff still made $15 to $20 an hour!

#3) If the driver is late, I’m not obligated to tip.
FALSE-ISH. You are never obligated to tip; nobody is twisting your arm until you pay up, after all. However, many customers use this excuse religiously during busy times, like lunch rush and weekend nights in order to get cheaper food. If you want the truth, however, customers who don’t tip are always bumped to the bottom of the delivery list. So if your food arrives cold consistently, maybe you should check and see if you have been tipping the driver; if not, that’s probably why!

#4) The driver just has to grab orders, deliver them, and collect the cash. It’s hardly a job worth a tip.
FALSE. Drivers are the grunts of the store, and do every job inside it. We clean the store at opening, fold boxes, make orders, take orders, box orders, proof the dough, make the wings, mix the sauce, load the freezers, cut the dough, unload the truck, balance the register, clean the counters, mop the floors, wash the windows, empty the trash, and get everything ready for the next day. In fact, drivers are the last employees to leave behind the manager on duty, and the first to arrive to help with the daily chores. Combine that with low pay and the fact we still deliver your food, and we work harder than anyone else in that store sometimes.

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What do you think of Justin’s list? Would you be in favor of paying more for a product if you didn’t have to tip?

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Consumerist.

Etiquette GuideThe Online Magazine About Etiquetteby Claire Valenty on April 9, 2010in Tipping

Tipping furniture delivery people falls into that weird area where we should tip someone who does a good job (lugging heavy furniture and appliances around is absolutely no fun), but, the custom in this category is not to tip. Most companies that do such deliveries have a no tipping furniture delivery personnel policy, which will make you feel pretty silly when the furniture delivery person turns down your tip.

Tipping furniture delivery people, however, is a much debated topic. If it is in your nature to tip regardless of what is the “norm”, contact the delivery company beforehand and ask what their policy is on tipping. If tipping is allowed and the delivery people do a good job (not just dump the box and leave, but, actually take the time to set everything up and make sure you like it AND, most importantly, stick to that lovely six hour delivery window the store provides), then probably $10 tip per delivery person would be a nice surprise to them. But, if you can not afford to tip or do not feel that it is appropriate, from my research, I have discovered, although they would be extremely thankful if they did receive a tip, most furniture delivery people do not expect one. Which is good news for me, because I have never tipped one, nor did it even enter my brain to do so!

Maha bodhi myaing sayadaw. Maha Bodhi Myaing Sayadaw. 1,914 likes 285 talking about this. Personal Blog. Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung Sayadaw U Narada was the founding sayadaw (chief abbot) of Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung, who planted many thousands of Bodhi trees, built thousands of pagodas and Buddha statues, including the Standing Buddha Statue, Reclining Buddha Image and Aung Sakkya Pagoda.

Regardless of your view of tipping furniture delivery people, you should always have cold drinks on hand for them. They will be very appreciative!

Photo: Dreamstime/Nouubon

Tagged as: Tipping Etiquette, tipping furniture delivery

{4 comments… read them below or add one}

PaulNovember 9, 2011 at 3:16 am

I do not know where you got this information from. Not only is it misleading, it is just not true. Here’s the point: Tipping comes form the heart; it is a gesture of appreciation for a job well done. Most retailers are in no position to dictate tipping policies as the delivery persons are Contracted, and NOT employed by them.

The main problem people have with tipping is they place different values on various services. Subsequently, a person will not tip the delivery man $20.00 but would gladly tip a Lawyer $100.00 for winning the case.

I have done deliveries and assemblies of many different household goods for more than ten years. From furniture and appliances to fitness and recreational equipment, I have done it all. I have received good tips and bad tips. However, not once have I refused one. I also tip for all good services as well: I tip the cable guy, the fuel attendant, the waitress and the tire repair man. NO SWEAT.

I really believe if people need to read an etiquette guide on how much to tip for services, they do not want to tip at all. As I said before, tipping comes from the heart. Most people do not need to be taught how to be affectionate. Tipping is just another affectionate gesture people should practice.

BlackjackSeptember 9, 2016 at 4:31 am

Wow! Tip a lawyer for winning a case. What if the lawyer loses, do you not have to pay the fee? It’s nice to receive a tip – even if you do nothing at all. Like getting money from the government – so that you will vote for the crooks.

ElizabethJanuary 19, 2018 at 10:40 pm

I’m checking this, not because I don’t want to tip, but because I am going to ask the furniture delivery people I expect on Sunday to do a little something extra for me, and I want to make sure I am current on the customary tip, so they don’t feel taken advantage of.

My parents always tipped delivery people, landscape workers, handymen, hair stylists–just about any kind of service industry worker who sometimes receives tips from anybody else! Maybe that’s because my parents worked as a waitress and a cab driver, and they knew how the tip income supplements the hourly rate in many, many service sector jobs. And you better believe that companies that employ these workers factor the expectation of tipping into their own (usually low) pay scales!

My husband and I also worked as servers and bartenders, so we are not likely to forget this lesson. I find that people who balk a tipping are usually those who never had a blue-collar job and don’t appreciate the value of manual labor.

Tipping an attorney? I’ve never heard of that, except maybe on The Sopranos, and I am pretty sure that is illegal or at least unethical. Would you tip a doctor? An airline pilot? Every legal secretary I have ever asked has said their attorneys really want for their efforts is your recommendation to others. My friend who is married to an attorney says the same, but that if the firm does a lot of work for you or you see them socially, they do appreciate a fruit basket or nice bottle of something, as appropriate (wine, olive oil, fancy preserves).

Jack SimsNovember 16, 2018 at 7:41 pm

Here is a tip…if your attorney can get the job done without telling any lies…tip them. And don’t worry…you won’t be tipping. They collect in the form of fees that are often legislated…legislated by and for attorneys.

I am tipping my men 10 each for delivering an oversized recliner.

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