Thanks to a partnership between DoorDash and Walmart, some Walmart orders are now delivered by DoorDash—and Uber Eats, too. Convenient, right?
But there’s a problem: Many DoorDash drivers hate doing Walmart orders. Take one visit to the DoorDash subreddit you’ll see daily posts like these by drivers complaining about Walmart orders.
- “Walmart orders are making me lose money”
- “I decline all Walmart orders”
- “200 items up to a 3rd story apartment and no tip”
- “Just remember, Somewhere in the world right now….someone is on a $3 Walmart order”
The disdain for Walmart orders is so strong that some drivers even request to block all Walmart orders (pic).
So what are the main complaints from drivers? Low pay, slow service at Walmart, infrequent tipping, and simply too much work for too little money.
Just check out these estimated payouts to see why drivers are upset: $3-$5 to spend 30+ minutes hauling heavy groceries, with no guaranteed tip. Normal food deliveries are faster, easier, and typically pay more.
Haul 43 items for $5 with no guarantee of a tip. Would you accept?
It’s clear that DoorDash drivers don’t like Walmart orders. To get to the root of the issue, let’s look at how Walmart orders on DoorDash work, and what DoorDash and Walmart can do to improve the situation.
How the pickup and delivery process works for Walmart orders on DoorDash
Here’s what the overall delivery process looks like for a Walmart order:
- Accept or decline the Walmart order request
- Navigate to the Walmart pickup area
- Wait for Walmart employee to load the order into the car
- Navigate to the customer
- Drop off the order at the customer’s door
Walmart orders might not look too different from a typical DoorDash food delivery, but the problems lie in the execution.
Problems with the DoorDash/Walmart delivery process
A Walmart order request looks similar to other requests: Drivers see the location of the Walmart, the customer drop off location, and a payout amount that includes a base payout and any electronic tip.
Walmart customers can now tip when they place an order, and DoorDash updated the Dasher app to include tips in the overall estimated payout on the order request screen.
A lot of complaints are with the pickup experience. Drivers say that pickup areas can be disorganized, and wait times vary wildly. It’s not supposed to take more than 5 minutes to get the groceries, but DoorDash drivers regularly report that it can take 20+ minutes.
Drop offs are another point of friction for drivers: Food deliveries are typically just a light bag or two, but Walmart orders can contain dozens of heavy items that must be hauled to the customer’s door.
Imagine taking several trips to the car to haul cases of water up the stairs at an apartment complex. It’s a lot more work than a food delivery for the same, or sometimes less, pay.
6 stops? This is more like a UPS delivery route. Credit essejpatterson on Reddit
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How DoorDash Drivers Get Paid for Walmart Orders
Payouts for DoorDash orders work the same way as a typical food delivery order: Drivers receive base pay + promotions + 100% of tips. Base pay is an algorithm that accounts for time, distance, and ‘desirability.’
The issue is that base pay can be quite low, sometimes as low as $3, and tipping for these orders seems to be less frequent than regular orders. Many DoorDash drivers share screenshots of orders in the $6 – $8 range, which isn’t terrible as long as the entire order doesn’t take too long. But when wait times are 20+ minutes with a long drive & delivery to follow, $6 doesn’t look so great.
It used to be that Walmart customers could only tip after an order was completed, but that has changed. Walmart customers can now leave a tip when they place an order, and the tip will be included in the order payout estimate that drivers see.
Which would you accept: A food delivery that shows a $10 payout to deliver a bag of food, or a Walmart grocery order with 25 items that shows a $5 payout?
Controversy: Does Walmart ‘Keep’ Tips on DoorDash Orders? (No)
Tips on Walmart orders can be so few and far between compared to food delivery that some drivers suspect an issue with the payment might be preventing them from receiving tips.
The way payments for Walmart orders are handled might also cause a delay in tipping, or potentially missed tips. With a typical food delivery order, payments are directly handled by DoorDash. With a Walmart order, payments are first handled by Walmart, then are completed by DoorDash. Walmart seems to settle orders more slowly than DoorDash, so the extra step can cause delays.
I asked DoorDash for more clarity on how the payment system for DoorDash/Walmart orders works, and if it’s possible for Walmart to ‘keep’ tips that are intended for drivers.
A DoorDash rep said, “[Walmart order pay] is the base pay plus 100% of the tips. However, for Drive and Grocery order, the customer’s are placing the order directly to the store. We cannot see here in our system if there’s a customer’s tip or none. It still depends on the store if they will provide the tip or not.” [Pic of conversation]
Some DoorDash customers have complained that they tried to tip DoorDash drivers, but an app bug prevented them from doing so. One customer said, “The app will show that the tip went through, however, the following day after delivery there’s an error message in the app that says “sorry your order is no longer eligible for tipping, your tip has been removed.”
My take: Walmart isn’t keeping tips, but they might be slow to deliver them, and app issues may prevent them from going through.
Some Walmart Customers are Unhappy with DoorDash Deliveries Too
Down in the comments section of this article, you’ll find comments from Walmart customers who were unhappy with a DoorDash delivery. The main complaint is that they weren’t notified that their order would be delivered by DoorDash. Some orders are split between shipping companies, so some items in the order are delivered by DoorDash others are delivered by FedEx.
Many Walmart customers don’t feel that they need to tip DoorDash because they were never notified that DoorDash would be fulfilling the order. If they didn’t request DoorDash, why would they tip? And if they don’t tip UPS or FedEx, why would they tip DoorDash? This is a common customer outlook on the DoorDash/Walmart situation.
One customer said, “The current system is not set up to even make customers aware of HOW/WHEN their items will be delivered. Most will just assume it’s through USPS FedEx or UPS.”
And it’s hard to argue with this customer’s logic: “I can’t justify a tip for something I was not advised was going to happen.”
Walmart Workers Chime in
DoorDash drivers don’t like Walmart orders, and it turns out that the feeling is mutual for Walmart workers. Walmart employees complain of impatient DoorDash drivers who become rude when wait times are longer than a few minutes. And then there’s the time a frustrated DoorDash driver dumped a load of groceries in the Walmart loading area without telling anyone.
Another point of friction is that Walmart instructs workers not to load an order into a car if the driver or vehicle appears disheveled or unclean, or if the driver has young children in the car who can’t be left unattended. Imagine how uncomfortable it is for employees to turn a driver away, or to be turned away as a driver!
How DoorDash and Walmart Can Improve The Situation
DoorDash drivers don’t like them, Walmart workers aren’t big fans either, and customers feel like they are in the dark too. What can be done?
Walmart should let customers know that their delivery is being completed by DoorDash. Too many Walmart customers have no idea what DoorDash is, or why part of their delivery was done by DoorDash when another was done by FedEx. If customers know what to expect, they’ll be a lot more satisfied.
Walmart orders are much less appealing for Dashers compared to restaurant orders, so Dashers either need more tips or higher base to make it worth their while. Walmart could try to encourage tipping, but it’s understandable that adding a new cost won’t go over well with Walmart customers who already pay for shipping or delivery memberships.
The remaining option is a higher delivery fee for drivers that is paid for by Walmart and DoorDash, or their customers. In the end, someone will need to pay more.
Another necessity that’s easier said than done: Improve logistics. One of the major complaints from DoorDash drivers is that they have to wait far too long at Walmart to pick up an order. Some type of logistical upgrade is needed to streamline the process, but there’s no guarantee that DoorDash and Walmart will be able to sort that out.
DoorDash drivers: If the payout doesn’t look right, decline it! You can’t be deactivated for a low order acceptance rate, so you’re free to decline any order that doesn’t meet your standards.
george says
you dont tip ups no but they also make 30 an hr plus use a company vehicle keep that in mind. we do door dash to make money at the cost of gas now 3.00 to drive 12 km isnt really profitable. think to yourself would you drive that distance for that? and if nobody did doordash you would now have to go do your own shopping.
Matt says
I am a Walmart+ subscriber. I have groceries and other items delivered to my house (via Door Dash) and I have no complaints. Yes I tip fairly (and I’m not rich by any means) and how I look at it is sometimes I HATE going to Walmart.. I drive 15 minutes, shop for about 30-40 minutes, load my car, drive home which is another 15 minutes, and unload my car. That’s about an hour and a half of my time. It saves me all the aggravation of doing all that when all I have to do is bring it inside and put the stuff away. I could be home doing other things while someone else shops for me and brings me my stuff. So to me tipping covers my time and not using gas in my car. If you don’t want to tip for convenience and having others do your shopping for you then don’t use the service. You don’t tip UPS and FedEx but you do pay shipping and handling.
Tammy says
My food was not delivered yesterday! I never order 300$ worth of food ever. they double-charged me. I have no food, no extra money to get more food. Walmart Customer Services sucks. I learned Door Dash was the delivery service and they NEVER SHOWED UP. Walmart Canada and Door Dash had the audacity to lie and say my food was delivered. It never was.
Vicki says
Another solution would be for Walmart to simply use employees for deliveries instead of an outside company. I guess they think they’d be slow?? We thought they used employees, actually, until I just started looking into this today. It would be a luxurious life indeed to be able to afford 20% tips on top of a subscription fee (in a city where you don’tpay for a car and all itsrelated expenses, it wouldbe more worth it) . I guess it’s regular old-fashioned shopping for us!
Darrell says
I signed up for Walmart Plus two years ago. Grocery delivery service for the most part has been fair, and I only live one mile from my local store.In the beginning, I kept receiving deliveries with missing items which I paid for, I kept having to call customer service to get credit; And spending a lot of time doing so. A lot of the time I receive re-frozen TV dinners which are spoiled and have to throw them out because it may be days later before I eat them after the delivery, so loses there are piling up. The last three months, I’ve had deliveries not even show up, I call customer service and they say the reason was no drivers and I could reschedule for the next day, but they pick the time. Or cancel the order, but here’s what happens, they take a week to return the money to your bank account, Seriously? Their mistake at your expense. Nice way of doing business, huh? Seems to me they should find a way to refund immediately under those circumstances.
Nikky says
I signed up for Walmart delivery that’s supposed to save me the $10 delivery fee if I need groceries from Walmart and that cost me $100 a year then I’m forced to tip after finding out it will not be Walmart that will be delivering and will be a doordash driver my food has arrived warm sometimes they reject the order and I do not tip any more than 9%, which I think is decent if you don’t want the job don’t do it but I’m not going to pay Walmart $100 a year and then plus be required to tip you when no one told me that it would not be Walmart delivering and Walmart has their own van I am done with it all I will place my order online for the grocery store and go pick it up