When it comes to service providers, it is customary in most parts of the world to tip. This is because, as a general rule, this sort of professional either does not earn a fixed salary or makes minimum wage, therefore being forced to rely on tips to improve their quality of living.
But while tipping is generally encouraged for fast food delivery, waiting tables, taxi transfers or even hairdressing, there is one specific type of service that gets lost in the shuffle: courier jobs. Should your ‘parcel delivery person’ be tipped in a similar manner to, say, your hairdresser, or the waiter at the fancy restaurant?
At first glance, the answer would appear to be ‘yes’. After all, courier jobs fall in the same category as services such as pizza delivery, where tips are generally accepted as a given. It would seem to stand to reason that, if you tip someone who delivers a meal to your door, so too would you tip someone who delivers a parcel to your door.
However, in the case of courier jobs, there are certain specificities which keep this practice from being applied as a rule of thumb, most of which have to do with drivers’ affiliations. While some of the people performing courier jobs are freelancers, most are contracted to a company – and certain companies forbid their employees from accepting tips. Therefore, if your driver turns down a tip, do not think he or she is being rude or ungrateful – it may simply be that their employer does not allow them to take tips.
Of course, in the case of larger, corporate courier companies, the tipping factor often does not even come into play. Tips are not expected in this sort of situation, since the drivers are usually getting paid a more than reasonable salary to perform their courier jobs. It is mostly the local contractors – the aforementioned “freelancers” – that most benefit from your voluntary contributions. In these cases, the benefits of tipping your parcel delivery driver are similar to those of tipping the ‘pizza guy’ or your hairdresser – namely the forming of a stronger bond, which may then lead to better service. If you become known as a good tipper, you may find that your parcels will start developing a habit of arriving at your door faster and with much less hassle than those of non-tipping customers or tightwads.
In short, then, when deciding whether or not to tip your parcel delivery driver, you should take into account circumstances such as the ones detailed above. Not thinking things through and making a rash decision could get your courier into trouble, rather than making his day!
