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.
Nancy Tomkins says
I am furious with Walmart. I’ll not be ordering from them again. I ordered two packages of ladies underwear and two bottles of spice and expected to receive everything in one package delivered by the postal system as I’ve always done before. My condo is high security but postal workers are permitted entry to leave the package at our doors.
After ordering at 3 am, I certainly didn’t expect to get my order in 6 hours and didn’t recognize the Door Dash telephone call. I thought it was a spam caller trying to get access to my building. I refused. I had NO idea it was Walmart.
I got an email saying my delivery would be early … for the next day. NO mention of DoorDash doing the delivery.
This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. And then I saw Walmart had split up my order and the portion to be delivered by DoorDash was 2 bottles of spice at TWO DOLLARS. Who would ever order so small an order?
I had included spice bottles previously with an order of shoes and insoles … all of which arrived at my door in ONE package by Post Office. The package left at my door.
If I have to get downstairs … I’m on the 23rd floor … and spend a day waiting for DoorDash … then I’ll never order from Walmart again. This is a disaster.
Don’t split orders … I want ONE package delivered by the Post Office.
David Rosenfeld says
I paid $98 to get free delivery from Wal-Mart. I have Amazon Prime and get free delivery there. I now find Wal-Mart is using Door Dash and I have to tip their drivers which eliminates my savings and I have no way to tell Wal-Mart not to use Door Dash for my orders. I hate this system. Give me 2 day delivery from Fed-Ex as I had expected.
I order diapers for my church food pantry. My last order got split up between Fed-Ex and Door Dash. I am supposed to tip for half my delivery because Wal-Mart decided to use Door Dash?
DougH says
You aren’t required to tip for DoorDash. Like you said, you never asked for it. The only issue is that if you don’t tip, your service may be a bit slower because it will take longer for DoorDash to find a driver to accept your delivery. I agree that it isn’t a great system
Dave Billings says
I leave 10% of the gross order in a tip less than 3 miles from store and live on single level home.
1/3rd of my deliveries are botched up. Mainly NO SHOW and recently noticed drivers are stealing food!
Spend % $300 a week on groceries and they can’t even pay their workers a fair wage?
So sad… Corporate and share holder greed at it’s best.
Walmart will never be able to compete with Amazon Prime. Amazon was smart enough to build infrastructures in data and shipping while Walmart milked the cow for all these years.
Once Amazon get’s grocery outlets open coast to coast Walmart will be another K-Mart trying to hold on like Target which is another shim sham.
Optimistic robotics will change everything! Might be a saving grace for Walmart as humans have to eat.
Sick and TIred says
All I hear is constantly is Door Dash people squawking about not enough tips, etc. Well, I tipped them VERY WELL for the Walmart deliveries to my house. I will never tip them again, however. I am sick and tired of missing items that I paid for, and having to schedule another delivery on another day, and get to tip them again and hope the items actually arrive. Yesterday, was the worst ever. I paid $112 for groceries, and HALF of my stuff did not even show up. The two bags that did show up had ALL the Walmart order stickers on them – hmm it really seems like DOORDASH is helping themselves to my groceries! The lady took forever to unload it out of her car and now I know why – she had to pick through all my stuff to get what she wanted and peel off all the stickers from all the bags to put on my bags (the stickers were ripped and it was obviously not Walmart who did this). Anyway, steal my stuff if you are so inclined as I will be reimbursed by Walmart but I am never tipping you again.
WALMART NEED TO DELIVER THEIR OWN STUFF AND DITCH THE DOORDASH THIEVES
DougH says
Sometimes Walmart splits up your order between delivery services. So a few items will come via DoorDash and the rest will come later via Fedex or other courier.
Lindsay Halley says
Not grocery orders
david f says
Door dash has cancelled my order 3 times in a row. What was once a next day delivery has now been a week and we’re forced to drive to the store and pick it up ourselves. Why would walmart allow a contractor to cancel their customers order just because they don’t want to make the delivery?
Screw Walmart says
This BS just happened to me, and it is crap for drivers too. First of all I do not want my order delivered by Door Dash, not at all. But it is being FORCED on me as a customer. I ordered a regular order with regular shipping and what happens is Walmart updated my order to a Door Dash order automatically because they had the products in a store close to me. All without speaking to me. Then I get a text from Door Dash asking me how they can get to my apartment because they are lost, which confused the hell out of me because I do not and will not use this service. I didn’t respond, thought it was a spam message. Then my order got cancelled and the items returned to the store… I called to complain and they just tell me to order it again. As if it wouldn’t be converted to be a door dash order again without my permission… I will NEVER order from Walmart again, screw this.
What is incredibly annoying for me is each and every time this happens my order gets declined because the dashers are not capable of using the GPS I guess? USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc all manage to find my house. But Door Dash just says “oh gee it doesn’t exist” and returns my order. Then I need to order again… Takes forever to receive things.
Not only is this bad for the customer but it is bad for the dasher. The upgrade email they sent me specifically says to not tip the driver too.
Maura says
As a doorDash driver and a Walmart customer, I just became aware of this issue. I was confused as to why some Walmart orders I would get, and deliver respectfully and completely, had no tip while others did. I figured out that when I had to walk into Walmart to get the order, Walmart had generated that order, not the customer. But when I park in the bay to get groceries, that Person ordered through Walmart groceries and generally will leave a tip. I thought that was the whole issue until I ordered a water bottle yesterday, from walmart.com. I ordered it at 3 o’clock, and it came to my house by five! I was shocked then I realized it had been left by a doorDash driver, whom I had not tipped because I thought I was ordering it through regular walmart.com and it would come through the Postal Service. It’s not fair for either side. Drivers are working, we get paid $2.50 to 3.00 for each delivery, we pay for our own gas. So when we get an order that takes 30 to 40 minutes to complete, and two or three dollars of gas, and we don’t get tipped, we lose money. The first few times this happened to me I blamed the customer. If you don’t want to tip, Don’t order delivery. That’s my customer motto as well when I am ordering some thing, if I don’t want to tip I’ll drive to the restaurant. Groceries as well, if I don’t want to tip, I order pick up and park in the bay myself. The problem is Walmart they don’t tell you when you’re ordering off of walmart.com that it is going to be delivered by a door Dash driver, not the Postal Service, so customers are unaware that it is not a regular delivery, like prime, So they are not even aware that they should tip. Walmart needs to change this. Only groceries should be offered up by DoorDash. In other words you can order groceries for pick up yourself, or to be delivered, that way most people will do the decent thing and tip
LadyFlyFisher says
When my Wmart order is broken up and delivered by DoorDash and FedEx, it is unnecessarily expensive to have to tip DoorDash drivers when I did not order through DoorDash. Why should I have to tip for a fire extinguisher delivery and then tip for the delivery of a pair of shoes when I ordered them on the same order? Everything used to be delivered by FedEx. Now my orders are split at the convenience of Wmart.
I am a tipper. I tip $10 online when I order and pay for my Wmart groceries. I feel very bad for not tipping DoorDash drivers when they deliver 1 or 2 items out of my order from my larger Wmart.com order. If I start tipping $1 per partial DoorDash delivery, some drivers will be disappointed and/or insulted. I get tired of trying to explain why I’m not tipping to each DoorDash Wmart.com driver. I am really frustrated and have started to think of ways that I can stop ordering from Wmart except when I do my groceries. I may start tipping these drivers $1 out of consideration but I think it’s unfair that I should have to tip for the delivery of a bag of candy when I did not order it through DoorDash.
Wmart used to be a good place all of the way around but it seems like in past decades their handling of public and employee relations affairs have declined.
skeptic says
I don’t want my Walmart items delivered by DoorDash. I’ve complained to Walmart many times. I don’t ask for it; Walmart doesn’t give me the option of declining it; they don’t let me select items I might want immediately. I don’t want it and I’m NOT going to pay extra for it. I live in a condo. It’s not like I can just open my front door. I have to get dressed; I have to get to the elevator then to the front door, then haul everything back up. The only thing more annoying is if drivers evidently decline the delivery and I don’t get it at all! Walmart doesn’t then send it normally, by the way, when it’s too much of a hassle for reluctant drivers.
PY says
I don’t want my Walmart.com delivered by DoorDash either. My Walmart.com orders get delivered to a company/business location and the fact that these orders get delivered without a box and shipping label with my name, address & tracking number causes the items to be declined, lost or damaged through no fault of the company’s mailroom. I contacted Walmart.com about this and believe they refer to these deliveries as LMD (last mile deliveries). They told me they will put a note on my account indicating that I do not want LMD but also said that it cannot be guaranteed.