Out of curiosity, does Amazon charge a handling fee or ask you to tip the picker? Walmart? Sporting good stores? Pet food stores? Absolutely not.
There are a dozen grocery stores in my area, and the most that any of them charge for a “handling fee” is $1. None ask for tips, and actually ask not to tip.
I’m not arguing about shipping costs. But a tip on top of a handling fee is mildly infuriating.
It would be way more convenient for me to walk to the store and buy this item, but these guys are a few cities over. I’m happy to pay for shipping, but everything else is a cash grab.
Amazon is set up as a business to do the picking. That cost is factored in. Walmart has the same market space as Amazon, so not much room to charge more and still be competitive. I can’t comment on the sporting goods store unless you mean buying online from one, in which case it’s still the same situation: a warehouse designed to pick and ship as the business model. Saves them from shipping and storing in the store. But a grocery store? They’re not set up for this thing. And being they’re a few cities over, it’s not incredibly unreasonable to have to pay for someone to pick it, consume a box, consume filler material, consume tape, print a label, and then mail it. If they deliver themselves, it wouldn’t be so complicated to pack it, but it’d probably be the same cost for the truck and driver. If the law hasn’t specified their job can be below minimum wage and covered by tips (serving), then they’re getting minimum at the minimum. Yes, minimum is trash where I am, but nothing says that tipping is required. People were tip-happy when this program was probably set up in 2020
But a grocery store? They’re not set up for this thing.
Since the pandemic (4 years), nearly every grocery store is now set up to handle online ordering, picking, and either shipping or on-site pickup. Even small stores that never had online ordering had to adapt to offer it in order to stay relevant.
But do you think these retail stores are inundated with online orders? Even in a large store like Walmart, I’m often the only person at the pick-up spot, even when their pick-up slot is “full” for that hour.
The implementation for these stores to set up the actual website and backend for online ordering was a much larger task, and there were never any extra fees associated with them doing that; modernizing their business does have a cost, but it also generates more revenue (and profits) at the same time.
And being they’re a few cities over
What does being a few cities over have to do with their cost of doing business? They are in a more populated area, and have a chain of stores, owned by the largest grocery company in the country. The fact that their online shop brings them business they’d never have otherwise, customers are doing them a favour by ordering online.
Shipping costs, which would apply to local and out of town customers, would only differ in the time it takes to make the delivery.
it’s not incredibly unreasonable to have to pay for someone to pick it, consume a box, consume filler material, consume tape, print a label, and then mail it.
I order stuff online all the time. Regardless of whether a place has a storefront or not, I’ve never seen excessive fees like this one. Boxes? Tape? Labels? Literally the cost of running a business, just like printing on paper receipts at a checkout or providing bags or installing security systems…
I can only accept your argument if you can show that companies who aren’t charging extra fees would be losing money through their online ordering system.
The fact is, grocery stores in Canada, despite offering online order since at least the pandemic, are constantly setting profit records. In the US, online grocery store market has grown significantly and is a key driver in the industry’s growth.
We are not small retail businesses who are asking for these extra fees, so your argument makes even less sense.
Walmart Canada has never had a handling fee or asked for tips. They offer some subscription thing if you want free shipping on everything, but that’s obviously extra.
Out of curiosity, does Amazon charge a handling fee or ask you to tip the picker? Walmart? Sporting good stores? Pet food stores? Absolutely not.
There are a dozen grocery stores in my area, and the most that any of them charge for a “handling fee” is $1. None ask for tips, and actually ask not to tip.
I’m not arguing about shipping costs. But a tip on top of a handling fee is mildly infuriating.
It would be way more convenient for me to walk to the store and buy this item, but these guys are a few cities over. I’m happy to pay for shipping, but everything else is a cash grab.
Amazon is set up as a business to do the picking. That cost is factored in. Walmart has the same market space as Amazon, so not much room to charge more and still be competitive. I can’t comment on the sporting goods store unless you mean buying online from one, in which case it’s still the same situation: a warehouse designed to pick and ship as the business model. Saves them from shipping and storing in the store. But a grocery store? They’re not set up for this thing. And being they’re a few cities over, it’s not incredibly unreasonable to have to pay for someone to pick it, consume a box, consume filler material, consume tape, print a label, and then mail it. If they deliver themselves, it wouldn’t be so complicated to pack it, but it’d probably be the same cost for the truck and driver. If the law hasn’t specified their job can be below minimum wage and covered by tips (serving), then they’re getting minimum at the minimum. Yes, minimum is trash where I am, but nothing says that tipping is required. People were tip-happy when this program was probably set up in 2020
Best reply in the thread, thanks for the good explanation
Since the pandemic (4 years), nearly every grocery store is now set up to handle online ordering, picking, and either shipping or on-site pickup. Even small stores that never had online ordering had to adapt to offer it in order to stay relevant.
But do you think these retail stores are inundated with online orders? Even in a large store like Walmart, I’m often the only person at the pick-up spot, even when their pick-up slot is “full” for that hour.
The implementation for these stores to set up the actual website and backend for online ordering was a much larger task, and there were never any extra fees associated with them doing that; modernizing their business does have a cost, but it also generates more revenue (and profits) at the same time.
What does being a few cities over have to do with their cost of doing business? They are in a more populated area, and have a chain of stores, owned by the largest grocery company in the country. The fact that their online shop brings them business they’d never have otherwise, customers are doing them a favour by ordering online.
Shipping costs, which would apply to local and out of town customers, would only differ in the time it takes to make the delivery.
I order stuff online all the time. Regardless of whether a place has a storefront or not, I’ve never seen excessive fees like this one. Boxes? Tape? Labels? Literally the cost of running a business, just like printing on paper receipts at a checkout or providing bags or installing security systems…
I can only accept your argument if you can show that companies who aren’t charging extra fees would be losing money through their online ordering system.
The fact is, grocery stores in Canada, despite offering online order since at least the pandemic, are constantly setting profit records. In the US, online grocery store market has grown significantly and is a key driver in the industry’s growth.
We are not small retail businesses who are asking for these extra fees, so your argument makes even less sense.
Walmart actually did when I had Walmart+ years ago.
Walmart Canada has never had a handling fee or asked for tips. They offer some subscription thing if you want free shipping on everything, but that’s obviously extra.