How much to tip the Peapod delivery person?
Okay, I live in FreshDirect land, but I know Peapod is also a grocery delivery service. I agree with giving generous tips in principle, but 20% is way higher than the norm as far as I’ve observed — and the percentage you tip a driver A) is not going to directly affect the company’s ability to stay alive and B) probably should not be tied to gas costs as I don’t imagine the drivers’ pay depends on gas costs. For example, take a $200 order. Tipping $40 (20%) would be very extravagant. $20 would be nice/generous. $10 would be average-to-low, for average service where nothing special happened. $5 would be inappropriately low if the service was acceptable. Again, I don’t know where you live; this is from my perspective. But on any large orders, 20% is definitely overtipping (unless you’re well off, in which case I encourage it!!).
I’m a generous restaurant tipper and I always tip the pizza guy, but I don’t tip for grocery delivery. If I get a delivery from any of the local places, I pay as much as double what I might pay if I went out and got it all myself from reasonably-priced stores. If the store isn’t sharing that with the driver via a decent wage, that’s not my problem.
In my book the Peapod delivery person is in the category with the UPS and FedEx guy and I do not tip them. Then again, I also don’t tip hotel maids so I’m a little more on the hardassed end of the spectrum. If you’re one of the sort who believes tips should be based on the worker’s base compensation, my office manager tells me they’re paid mileage and a percentage of the delivery charge. She may or may not be full of crap.
