On certain items, Sam’s Club requires a $8-$12 delivery fee. This is problematic enough given some items are free delivery.

At the end of the order process, I’m then asked to tip the driver. It seems to me that Sam’s Club could put together a big enough delivery route to be able to pay a driver well and maintain the delivery van at that delivery fee per each stop.

I feel over-charged paying tip on top of that. However, I never dick over delivery drivers. Is Sam’s Club paying them? How much? What is that delivery fee going towards?

So I end up tipping.

More frequently, I just avoid ordering items with a delivery fee. (Not a good option for people stuck at home for good reasons like age, disability, lack of transportation, etc.)

Oddly, customers are not asked to tip on the free delivery items.

  • Decimit@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    It will be great when we finally move past the whole tipping culture. Businesses need to pay their own workers the correct amount instead of relying on the customer to pay pay them a nebulous amount instead.

    *Fixed typo of current to correct.

    • Mr_Blott@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I was reading a thread about how people in Oregon now have the “freedom ©®™” to put fuel in their cars themselves

      Half the comments were people asking if they used to have to tip the pump guy wtf

    • Imgonnatrythis@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Yeah, will be great when we move past gun culture too, but neither of those things will happen in the next two generations. These kinds of things are actively getting worse not better and are so deeply rooted there is no way we are just going to “move past them”

      • Saigonauticon@voltage.vn
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        11 months ago

        For some of us at least, the solution was just… to move on to another country. If there had been problems with guns and socioeconomic divide in Canada, I would have exited even earlier! (I actually left for the fairly boring reason of career progression)

        Although spoiler alert: immigration is difficult, miserable, and a pretty massive commitment overall.

  • dmention7@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    I had the same experience when trying to buy my brother (2 states away) a bottle of whiskey for his birthday. Rather than just hiring a delivery service or paying the driver a fair pre established rate, we are being forced to guess in advance how much of a “tip” (bribe) is necessary to ensure the order gets delivered in a timely and professional manner.

    • Imgonnatrythis@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Yeah, this bribe culture just needs to be made illegal. Tipping is well established (and really shitty practice), but this bribe thing is growing fast and is a total cancer. It doesn’t even have the guise of being an incentive, it’s just a threat.

  • foggy@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Imagine if we just were really strict about paying livable wages?

    All the shitty companies that can’t figure out how to work on the budget of fair compensation would just… Fail.

    Those would-be CEOs will end up in debt, the businesses that exist would be better, and the workforce would be happier and more productive.

    Wild.

  • teft@startrek.website
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    11 months ago

    Guilt is a hell of a thing in capitalism. Speak with your wallet and stop ordering from them.

    • Zagone@lem.clinicians-exchange.orgOP
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      11 months ago

      Well sure, Teft – you are not wrong. But let’s say I’m working 10 hours per day to live in this capitalist system (I am), and need to outsource shopping. There are only so many mom and pop shops I can get delivery from, and only so much time I want to spend going to the store myself.

      I’m mostly not lazy – I’m stressed in other ways.

    • Zagone@lem.clinicians-exchange.orgOP
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      11 months ago

      Infyrin – I get this. In fact, this tipping supply drivers thing is new for the USA. They are not Uber Eats.

      I just have low expectations that Sam’s Club will give two shits if their drivers start quitting. At least for a few years.

      In the meantime, I’m partially infuriated by Sam’s Club setting it up this way so I have to guess if their drivers are paid.

    • Jamie@jamie.moe
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      11 months ago

      If you don’t support it, then don’t do business with any place that expects a tip. Or just get takeout where tipping isn’t expected so much.

      As long as the business gets your money, they’re still winning whether you tip or not.