Dear PoPville – Anyone Else Experiencing Issues with Tipping Delivery Drivers?

Photo by PoPville flickr user DooleyPhoto

“Dear PoPville,

A couple people I know have been ordering food for delivery around the district and paying with a credit card. They have been adding a few extra dollars for the tip before the card is charged to not mess with having cash, adding more to the bill afterwards, etc. Then the delivery driver comes to your home and is looking for a tip, even though you already paid one. He will just say you didn’t pay a tip, you need to pay a tip, almost aggressively.

I thought this was ridiculous and petty when I first heard… until it happened to me. Twice.

I dont know what it is, but twice now I have ordered delivery, paid a tip beforehand, and then gotten the driver to almost heckle me to the point of tipping him. Now, I tip pretty well, and even if it is only a few dollars, why would you want to tip twice? Are these drivers hustling large number of people out of tips, and getting twice the amount?

I would assume much of this happens last at night when people are more inebriated and most likely forget they already paid a tip, or just say forget it and pay it anyway. But! I thought this was something to bring to your attention. I definitely want to hear if this has happened to other people, especially late at night and see if it is a growing hustle in DC. It just seemed to me, and the others who it had happened to, that the drivers knew they had gotten a tip and were so adamant about no tip, it almost seemed suspicious. Maybe I am over-thinking heavily, but wanted to know what you think.”