Grocery delivery allows people to enjoy a bit more time at home.
When you use a grocery delivery service, you may wonder how much you should tip them.
Here’s what you need to know about grocery delivery and tipping etiquette.
How Much To Tip Grocery Delivery?
According to an etiquette expert, you should expect to tip grocery deliverers 25% to 30% of your total order.
A standard tip of d $5 or 10% isn’t quite to today’s standards anymore.
That’s because the cost of living has increased.
With inflation on the rise, bills, food, and goods cost more.
That also means gas costs more.
As such, grocery deliverers have to spend more of their money to perform their job.
$5 is no longer going to help them.
Since some grocery deliverers rely on the service as their main source of income, adding $5 to what they are earning from taking your order isn’t going to be a livable wage.
As such, giving a 25% to 30% tip is much fairer to them.
The good news is that if you’re using an app like Instacart or Shipt, the app does the number crunching for you.
It will show you the percentage of the tip that you can pay and what that equates to in terms of dollars.
The app also handles the tip process for you.
If you’re someone who doesn’t carry cash, you can still use the app to give your delivery worker a tip.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Grocery Delivery?
If you still haven’t used grocery delivery services, you may wonder if it’s worth the extra money.
Not only do you need to pay for the platform that you use, usually through a service fee, but you’ll also need to pay your grocery delivery worker a tip.
Since it’s a bit more expensive than getting your groceries yourself, you may be thinking it’s not worth the extra expense.
Here are a few benefits of using grocery delivery services.
1. Convenience
Perhaps the biggest benefit of using a grocery delivery service is the convenience that it gives you.
According to a survey performed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average adult spends around 46 minutes grocery shopping.
That doesn’t include the time it takes to drive to and from the grocery store.
The more items that someone needs to buy, the longer they tend to stay in the store.
As such, people clearly spend a good amount of time shopping.
That time could be better spent doing other things.
You can even spend it relaxing.
Using a grocery delivery service allows you to indulge in that relaxation.
While someone is handling the shopping for you, you’re able to focus your attention elsewhere.
You might clean the house, exercise, spend time with family, complete a project, or even just sleep a bit longer and relax.
The point is you get to buy yourself a bit more time that you can use elsewhere.
Since it can be difficult to find time in a busy schedule, grocery delivery services are a great convenience.
2. Creating Jobs
Another great benefit of using grocery delivery services is that you’re helping to create jobs.
Many workers use grocery delivery as a gig or side job.
Others use it as their main source of income.
For those using it as a gig, it helps them earn a bit more money to support themselves and their family.
For those who use it as their main source of income, it’s a chance for them to earn money while taking care of a family member or putting the money aside for future investment.
No matter how they’re using the money, by using the service, you show that there’s demand for it in your area.
This can encourage the delivery company to invest more in your area.
That might mean better pay for shoppers.
It might mean that they support more stores.
Either way, it usually means more jobs.
In an uncertain economic environment, creating jobs is always a great thing.
Furthermore, it helps you support your local community.
By using the service and paying tips, you’re allowing your neighbors to thrive.
Without your help, they may not be able to afford their bills or house.
3. Avoid Standing In Lines
One of the worst parts of shopping is standing in a line.
Even if you prefer self-checkout lanes, if the store is busy, you’re going to find yourself standing in a line.
Stores only have so many checkout lanes, and cashiers can only scan so fast.
When problems occur, like if a customer has to search for their card, it makes the process take even longer.
Standing in line isn’t ideal for people who don’t have time to waste.
It also isn’t ideal for people with mobility issues or physical ailments.
Having to stand in one place can hurt their bodies further.
Those who suffer from anxiety or claustrophobia might also have problems standing in line.
This is where grocery delivery services shine.
Someone else gets to stand in line for you.
You’re able to relax at home without worrying about crowds while your shopper has to wait until they can check the items out.
Not only do you save a bit more time than you would originally, but you also don’t have to worry about any physical or psychological problems that standing in line might cause.
4. Increases Grocery Revenue
Another great benefit of using grocery delivery services is that it helps groceries earn more money.
Shopping online and having your groceries delivered offers convenience to consumers.
Since it’s more convenient, consumers are more willing to spend more at the grocery store.
They no longer have to make time for it in their schedules.
Instead, they can put in an order, and then go to the gym or do whatever else they want while the shopper is shopping.
By the time they get home, their groceries are there waiting for them or on their way.
Since it’s more convenient for consumers, they might also order more items when they need something immediately.
For example, if someone runs out of butter, they might normally wait until their usual shopping day to get it.
However, if they use a grocery delivery service, they might just choose to order the butter immediately along with anything else they need.
This increases the number of times they shop at the grocery store and increases the revenue that the store generates.
A grocery store earning a good amount of money is great for the local community.
It allows the store to offer more products and hire more people.
They can expand and offer new jobs.
5. Less Wear And Tear On Your Car And Fewer Gas Costs
If you go to the grocery store every week, you spend a decent amount of money on gas for that trip alone.
Even if the store is nearby, you are still spending some fuel you’re to get there and back.
When gas prices are high, you likely want to conserve as much gas as you can to save money.
Cutting out trips to the grocery store can help you save a bit more gas and money as a result.
With a grocery delivery service, someone else has to pay those high fuel costs to deliver the groceries to your door.
Another advantage of using a grocery delivery service is that it gives a little less wear and tear on your car.
Every mile that you drive does a bit more damage to your car.
You can reduce the number of miles that you put on your car by cutting out grocery store trips.
If you happen to live far from a grocery store, you could end up reducing the mileage by a significant amount.
Instead, the delivery worker is the one who puts the wear and tear on their car to bring you your groceries.
As a result, you’re able to save a bit of money on repairs for your car.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Using A Grocery Delivery Service?
While using a grocery delivery service has many benefits, there are a few disadvantages to it, too.
Here are some of the disadvantages of using a grocery delivery service.
1. Expense
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage is that it makes your grocery bill a bit higher.
Depending on the delivery app that you use, you may need to pay an annual subscription plan, a monthly plan, or a service fee for each use.
You also have a delivery charge that you need to pay and a tip for the delivery worker.
Depending on how much you tip, and how much the fees are, you could be looking at adding anything from a few dollars to $40 or $50 to your total.
Consumers who have a tight budget might find that the convenience that the service affords is not worth it if they have to tighten up their budget to afford it.
While grocery delivery isn’t the most expensive service in the world, it can seem like a luxury for certain budgets.
2. Not Every Item Is On The App
One problem you may encounter when using a grocery delivery service app is that the product you want isn’t always listed on it.
This is common for more local brands rather than big brands.
This is a problem that stores are seeking to fix.
Over time, they hope to have everything in the store reflected in their app, too.
In the meantime, you might find it rather inconvenient when you want something, but it doesn’t show up on the app.
Some apps let you request special items.
You’re able to give the name of the product and a few details about it.
This can help the shopper find the item and buy it for you.
Of course, then you’re reliant on the shopper understanding your description and finding it.
In some cases, you may get so frustrated that it isn’t worth using the app if you can’t buy the items that you want to buy.
3. Out-Of-Stock Items
Another problem that you can face when using a grocery store delivery app is that it says items are out of stock.
Whether an item is in stock largely depends on when you order.
At the time of your order, those items may not be in stock.
However, by the time the shopper goes to buy them, they might be in stock.
This becomes a problem because some apps substitute items.
You may have selected the substitution over the original item that you wanted because the app said it wasn’t in stock.
As a result, you end up not getting exactly what you wanted since you chose to get the substitution when the real item was actually available.
If you had gone to the store yourself, you would have seen the item was in stock and been able to buy it.
This can become a frustrating experience if you have a preference for the items that you buy.
4. Substitutions
A final disadvantage of using grocery delivery apps is substitutions and shoppers.
While the app usually gives you a few selections for possible substitutions for an item that isn’t in stock, they don’t always offer good ones.
Even worse, if an item ends up not being in stock while your shopper is shopping, it’ll be down to them to find a proper substitution for you.
In most cases, the shopper will contact you to determine if a substitution is correct.
If you have a great shopper, then the substitution they suggest might be perfect.
However, if you have a new shopper that’s never shopped for you before, they might not what item fits your needs.
That means you can sometimes end up paying for an item that you either won’t use or that doesn’t quite satisfy your needs.
If you had gone shopping yourself, you’d know immediately what you’d need to get if your original item wasn’t in stock.
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