Instacart Driver Urges Other Drivers To Skip Orders That Don’t Tip, And The Internet Has Thoughts
Content creator James, who is one half of the TikTok account @JamesAndLeondra, also does Instacart deliveries, and he recently uploaded a video about the gig.
Calling his peers to unite, the man explained why he thinks nobody should accept some of the tipless orders they get.
“Look at this,” James said at the start of the clip, before dissecting the app’s microclimate. “They want 43 items. No tip. Good luck with that.”
The video quickly blew up and ignited a discussion on fair pay, tipping culture, and the entire service system as a whole.
This Instacart shopper is so sick and tired of tipless orders, he just made a video about it
Image credits: jamesandleondra
“Look at this s**t. They want 43 items. No tip. Good luck with that”
“This is a call to arms to all Instacart shoppers. If you’re an Instacart shopper, I’m calling on you to join all the other Instacart shoppers. I’ve been seeing batch after batch with no tip.”
Image credits: jamesandleondra
“If somebody orders one thing and they don’t want a tip, I get it. I’m not going to take the order. But when somebody orders 43 items with no tip and it’s 6 degrees outside, it’s a 10-mile round trip, they want us to go to the store in six-degree weather, pick up 43 items, bring it to their house, drop it off at their door, possibly ring the doorbell, wait for them to answer the door in six-degree weather.”
Image credits: jamesandleondra
“They don’t wanna tip. If you’re an Instacart shopper and you see a batch with no tip, don’t take it. Do not take it. Let it sit there and sit there and sit there until they have to go to the store their damn self. Don’t take orders with no tip. Don’t.”
Image credits: jamesandleondra
With this video, James has touched on a sensitive subject
Dr. Jaime Peters, assistant dean and assistant professor of finance at Maryville University, has a quick solution for determining when and if it is appropriate to tip: “It helps to understand how people are paid,” she told CNBC.
In other words, a waiter at a restaurant is not paid the same minimum wage as a cashier at a grocery store or coffee shop. “The lower hourly rate is justified by the opportunity for the waitstaff to earn generous tips, which should — theoretically — bring their wages to or above the state’s minimum wage,” Dr. Peters explained.
For this reason, leaving a gratuity for your waiter at a restaurant has been standard practice Other situations where tipping it’s also routine include taking a cab ride or getting a service done at a salon.
Dr. Peters added that you may also tip most front-of-house restaurant employees, bellhops, parking attendants, airport service workers, and food delivery workers. ”[Customers] should consider each one of them an independent contractor that [they] are hiring for the moment,” she said.
His TikTok quickly went viral
@jamesandleondra This is a reoccurring issue that needs to be addressed. #instacartshopper #instacart #notipnoservice #dobetter #work#fyp #viral #struggleisreal ♬ Powerful cinematic orchestra [war] – Sino
On the other end of the spectrum, fed-up consumers are posting rants on social media complaining about tip requests at drive-thrus, while others say they’re tired of being asked to leave a gratuity for a muffin or a simple cup of coffee at their neighborhood bakery.
As more businesses adopt digital payment methods, customers are automatically being prompted to leave a gratuity — many times up to 30% — at places they normally wouldn’t. And some say it has become more frustrating as the price of items has skyrocketed due to inflation, which eased to an annual rate of 6.5% in December but remains painfully high.
Unlike tip jars that shoppers can easily ignore if they don’t have any change in their pockets, experts claim digital requests can produce social pressure and are more difficult to bypass. And your generosity, or lack thereof, can be laid bare for anyone close enough to glance at the screen — including the workers themselves.
And received a lot of positive replies as well as inspired people to share their own take on the subject
However, there was a fair share of backlash, too
Some think Instacart itself is to blame for the division between shoppers and customers
The real problem is the "tipping economy". This discussion would be completely superfluous if companies would actually use the delivery fees to pay their drivers a living wage. Using "sharing economy" concepts or bogus "self-employment" to undermine minimum wage laws also is a problem. I would gladly tip a driver, but not just because the company wants to maximise profits. How long will it take until people will actually have to pay to work for those companies instead of getting paid?
Exactly. Here in the Netherlands we also have delivery companies but they employ the drivers for a normal wage. Also every supermarket has there own delivery service as well. The main problem is the format, just like doordash for example
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I'm happy to tip and I always do - but only after the fact. A tip is made and appreciation of a job well done and a service given, but apps have now changed that so a tip is required before I even get that service. If that service is done poorly, I don't get my tip back. I will never again use any app that requires me to tip beforehand. I will only use services that allow me to tip once I've seen what the quality of service has been.
That's because this "tip" isn't really a tip it's you paying the person for their service. It should be called something else like a bid and not a tip.
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So...does he want tips? Or a higher salary? Can't have both a tipping economy and a high salary economy. And by the way, the tip should come AFTER the service. How does the customer know you're going to provide good service in advance? It's all bs tbh. You want a tip? Fine. Do your job correctly, provide good service, and I'll tip you when it's done.
If someone working in an office screws up the Peterson presentation, does their boss take a cut of their paycheck? No. The company can discipline you or even fire you but they still have to pay you for making that presentation. Tipping is part of the capitalist dystopia. The multinational company is getting your full payment for a messed up contract and does not have to suffer for any loss of income because of it. That cost is absorbed by someone who isn't even being paid minimum wage.
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The real problem is the "tipping economy". This discussion would be completely superfluous if companies would actually use the delivery fees to pay their drivers a living wage. Using "sharing economy" concepts or bogus "self-employment" to undermine minimum wage laws also is a problem. I would gladly tip a driver, but not just because the company wants to maximise profits. How long will it take until people will actually have to pay to work for those companies instead of getting paid?
Exactly. Here in the Netherlands we also have delivery companies but they employ the drivers for a normal wage. Also every supermarket has there own delivery service as well. The main problem is the format, just like doordash for example
Load More Replies... I'm happy to tip and I always do - but only after the fact. A tip is made and appreciation of a job well done and a service given, but apps have now changed that so a tip is required before I even get that service. If that service is done poorly, I don't get my tip back. I will never again use any app that requires me to tip beforehand. I will only use services that allow me to tip once I've seen what the quality of service has been.
That's because this "tip" isn't really a tip it's you paying the person for their service. It should be called something else like a bid and not a tip.
Load More Replies... So...does he want tips? Or a higher salary? Can't have both a tipping economy and a high salary economy. And by the way, the tip should come AFTER the service. How does the customer know you're going to provide good service in advance? It's all bs tbh. You want a tip? Fine. Do your job correctly, provide good service, and I'll tip you when it's done.
If someone working in an office screws up the Peterson presentation, does their boss take a cut of their paycheck? No. The company can discipline you or even fire you but they still have to pay you for making that presentation. Tipping is part of the capitalist dystopia. The multinational company is getting your full payment for a messed up contract and does not have to suffer for any loss of income because of it. That cost is absorbed by someone who isn't even being paid minimum wage.
Load More Replies...
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