# Pizza deliverers: how to get a tip - or not get one - in the UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 25, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683 "2016-10-25T15:10:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/21 "2016-10-25T23:15:49Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > If I had wanted to be insulting, I’d have tipped him a penny. I normally get fast and friendly service. This guy didn’t provide it. So no tip. Don’t be surprised then when you swallow a glob of spit, next time, over one quid. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/22 "2016-10-26T00:00:26Z")
I guess I’m thick. Here’s what I believe has happened. 1. £17.99 pizza ordered 2. £17.99 pizza delivered 3. £20.00 offered to delivery man. 4. Delivery man returns a £2 coin. 5. OP wants £2.01 as his rightful change (and in £1 denominations) and therefor leaves no tip at all. Is this right, of am I daft? (Both could be correct.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/23 "2016-10-26T00:05:24Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I guess I’m thick. Here’s what I believe has happened. > > 1. £17.99 pizza ordered > 2. £17.99 pizza delivered > 3. £20.00 offered to delivery man. > 4. Delivery man returns a £2 coin. > 5. OP wants £2.01 as his rightful change (and in £1 denominations) and therefor leaves no tip at all. > > Is this right, of am I daft? (Both could be correct.) Ah, I thought he initially complained because he got two 1 pound coins instead of one two pound coin. Now I’m even more confused. I guess I took the first “do” as given and the “but” as a “not,” instead of the first “do” as a “don’t.” So confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/24 "2016-10-26T04:35:01Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > The ‘kid’ was as old as I am - 40s. So a low-income adult. I’m really puzzled about why you seem to be bragging about stiffing the delivery guy for extremely trivial “offenses” (in quotes because I think few people would regard them as such). Do you really think people will be patting you on the back for such a move? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/25 "2016-10-26T05:12:37Z")
Tipping is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/26 "2016-10-26T05:19:40Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Tipping is stupid. Holy shit I just agreed with octopus! ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/27 "2016-10-26T05:45:39Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I guess I’m thick. Here’s what I believe has happened. > > 1. £17.99 pizza ordered > 2. £17.99 pizza delivered > 3. £20.00 offered to delivery man. > 4. Delivery man returns a £2 coin. > 5. OP wants £2.01 as his rightful change (and in £1 denominations) and therefor leaves no tip at all. > > Is this right, of am I daft? (Both could be correct.) I think the missing bit is the delivery guy insisting on payment (step 3) before step 2, which the OP complained about. It’s not standard to insist on payment first unless they think the deliveree is drunk or high or something, and is going to refuse payment. My interpretation is that the OP felt like the guy was treating him like a thief, then didn’t actually give him the full change (which, yeah, is only a penny, but the delivery guy already somewhat pissed him off). The £2 vs £1 thing is just that he definitely (in the OP’s opinion) didn’t warrant a £2 tip, but the choice of coinage removed the chance of a £1 tip as well. Really though, the UK norm is for the delivery guy to be paid normal hours wages plus a fuel allowance (unless he’s using a company vehicle), so tipping isn’t really expected. Appreciated, yes, but the local guys at least seem genuinely surprised if you tell 'em to keep the change. We asked one if they get tipped often (trying to solve a house debate about acceptable tipping standards) and he said they only get a few a shift, sometimes none. Just not that common, and it’s normally under £1 'keep the change '. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/28 "2016-10-26T06:18:50Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > I think the missing bit is the delivery guy insisting on payment (step 3) before step 2, which the OP complained about. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/29 "2016-10-26T06:37:00Z")
Wow. ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/30 "2016-10-26T07:10:34Z")
> [@Jinks](#): > > I’ll just throw it out there before I run and hide… I live in the UK and don’t know of a single person who has ever tipped a delivery driver other than as a convenience to themselves (I hate carrying around change). I have never noticed a delivery driver waver as if expecting a tip either. > > It is it not out of maliciousness, it is just something that has never occurred to me. I’m in England and I’m with \*\*Jinks \*\*- it would not occur to me to tip a pizza delivery (apart from anything else I normally order and pay online) and I have never seen any sign that it is expected/required. > [@RobDog](#): > > I live in the UK and I tip delivery drivers 20% minimum as a matter of course. So, now you do. Wow! In the UK I wouldn’t tip 20% for top service in a high end restaurant… In fact I can’t imagine tipping anyone 20%. \*\* RobDog\*\* - when you say “delivery drivers” does that include the Yodel guy delivering my Amazon order? If it does, it’s going to make my new TV very expensive. If not, why not? What is special about pizza delivery as opposed to any other delivery? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/31 "2016-10-26T07:26:08Z")
I always give 10 shekels - about $2.50 these days - for any delivery I get. Pizza, supermarket, whatever. If you show up at my door with something I want, you get a 10 shekel coin. No offence to you delivery guys out there, but I don’t believe in tipping deliveries at the same rate I’d tip restaurant servers. They simply don’t provide an equivalent level of service. If the pizza guy plated my pizza, served me drinks, waited until I finished eating and did the dishes, \*then \*I’d give him a 15% tip. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/32 "2016-10-26T07:27:16Z")
> [@Jinks](#): > > Well I left myself open to that. Please feel free to add the qualifier “people I interact with regularly outside of online message boards”. > > I am now going to have to ask everyone I know\* if they tip. I would be surprised if I’m not part of the large majority but I remain open to the possibility… > > \*includes standard qualifier Well I’m also in the UK, and I would typically tip a delivery driver £2-£2.50, regardless of the value of the order. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/33 "2016-10-27T04:43:14Z")
> [@MarcusF](#): > > … \*\* > RobDog\*\* - when you say “delivery drivers” does that include the Yodel guy delivering my Amazon order? If it does, it’s going to make my new TV very expensive. If not, why not? What is special about pizza delivery as opposed to any other delivery? Well, for a start I only order delivery food when I’m in on my own, so the tip is only ever going to be £2 to £3. I tip food delivery drivers because they do a filthy dangerous job in south London. They have to drive those shitty little mopeds which is a humiliation no man should suffer. 4 out of 5 delivery drivers are also mugged , shot or otherwise assaulted. The last deliverer I had was waylaid by a flock of feral pigeons who had dressed up in an old lady’s coat and laid in the middle of the road pretending to be perplexed into a state of unconsciousness by an especially minxy Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword clue. When he stopped to assist, the leash of foxes, with whom the pigeons were in league, bipped him on the head and pilfered all the acorns off of the pizzas, leaving the pigeons to feast upon the remaining oily pond of tomato-tainted cheap mozzarella. I don’t tip Yodel drivers because they are a) all Swiss b) armed c) cunts Also, why the fuck would I tip _your_ Yodel delivery driver? He’s done nothing for me. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/34 "2016-10-27T06:32:28Z")
I live in the UK and tip deliveries from my local curry house 10%. All the delivery guys know me and I get great service. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/35 "2016-10-27T07:21:23Z")
Londoner, nearly always give a couple of quid or 10% ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/36 "2016-10-27T07:23:29Z")
This thread has made me think. Tipping isn’t by any means standard here in the UK - the closest we get is that it is pretty much expected and normal for a sit-down meal in a restaurant with full service. On the rare occasions that I order food to be delivered, I have been doing so via JustEat or HungryHouse, and paying online (so no cash at the door). So I’ve not been tipping my delivery drivers at all. It honestly never occurred to me to do so - now I feel bad about that. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/37 "2016-10-27T07:30:57Z")
> [@glee](#): > > All the delivery guys know me and I get great service. What do they do that’s great? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/38 "2016-10-27T08:21:56Z")
He tips. They know this. Guess who gets his food fast, even before people who have been waiting forever for their lukewarm food to arrive. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/39 "2016-10-27T08:48:41Z")
I wasn’t asking you. And how would he know? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683/40 "2016-10-27T08:57:53Z")
I wasn’t answering you. I’m not responding to you now, either. What? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-deliverers-how-to-get-a-tip-or-not-get-one-in-the-uk/769683.md?page=3)