In the age of convenience, grocery delivery services like Instacart and Fresh Direct have become household names. But as these services grow in popularity, so does the debate over proper tipping etiquette.
In a video posted by shisugum (@shisugum), a delivery driver and a couple engage in a tense exchange over a tip—or lack thereof—for a sizable $400 grocery order. The driver, clearly frustrated, argues for the importance of tipping, especially given the effort she put into the delivery. The customers, on the other hand, stand firm on the principle that tipping is optional.
“You should see how much work this was and why I should be getting a tip because of how much work this was,” the worker says.
“No, you don’t deserve a tip,” one of the customers says. “You’re crushing the ramen noodles for one.”
The delivery driver says that it doesn’t matter what state the ramen noodles are in because she’s returning all of the items. “They’re not for you anymore,” she says as she attempts to load her car back up with the items. “I had to pack all of this in my car and bring it to you guys and unpack it. You didn’t pay me. You paid the delivery app.”
The customer argues that she paid for the food and accuses the driver of stealing the food. The delivery driver says, “You guys can get your refund, and another delivery driver can deal with you guys.”
The argument goes on for several minutes and ends with the driver continuing to load the groceries in her car and the other customer promising that he is “going to report this.” The customers also speculate that the driver is “probably going to keep this for herself.”
@shisugum ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show
A heated debate
The video was viewed 1. 5 million times and sparked a heated debate among viewers as well.
“No tip? Girl bye I’m with the driver,” one user declared, while another lamented, “$400 worth of groceries and they didn’t tip?! Horrible!”
Yet, there were those who also sided with the customers, with one user saying, “Tipping is optional. You knew it wasn’t no tip b4 you did the order & still accepted it.”
“Tipping culture is out of control in America,” another said.
Nothing new
This debate is nothing new, and there have been many individuals on both sides of the issue who’ve shared their own views on social media. One DoorDash customer explained why they never give drivers gratuities. Another delivery driver chronicled how frustrating it was to not receive a tip despite going above and beyond for their customers.
The American service industry is a gamble. Workers often accept lower hourly wages with the hope of making more through tips. Sometimes, this pays off handsomely, with generous customers leaving substantial tips for minimal work. Other times, as the video shows, workers can put in a significant effort and walk away with nothing. Perhaps this roll of the dice is why the service industry is reportedly in the top industries with too many job openings in the United States, meaning, perhaps workers are becoming fed up with this and want more stability. In addition, it was reported this year by Insider that Instacart dropped the hourly wage from $7 to $4, which means drivers and more dependent than ever on tipping.
Update 3:56pm CT, Oct. 24: After the video also went viral on Twitter, some viewers speculated that the video is staged. One Twitter post was flagged with a note for viewers that warns: “This video is from a TikTok account that uploads fake/staged arguments. The women on the left can be seen in many of the videos on said TikTok account.” This appears to be true. The TikTok account has grown a large following of nearly 15,000 users for posting videos that contain similar conflict. In one video that has since been removed from the TikTok account, the same woman is featured. In that video, she is also a “delivery driver” who refuses to leave without being tipped by the customers.
The Daily Dot reached out to Shisugum via TikTok comment for further information.
