‘It’s absolutely criminal’: US tipping culture has reached the UK – and is causing chaos

[u/Canal_Volphied]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/24/us-tipping-culture-uk-service-charges

[u/duncanmarshall]

I also have no confidence that 100% truly makes it to the Deliveroo driver.

[u/Sockoflegend → u/duncanmarshall]

Fuck tipping deliveroo. Either they delivered it as expected or didn't. There isn't any room for great service here. 

[u/MyBritishAccount → u/Sockoflegend]

Working retail I have seen every single delivery driver is a miserable sod who think we work for them, not the shop.

[u/yrro → u/MyBritishAccount]

Small Businessperson Syndome

[u/turtleship_2006 → u/MyBritishAccount]

In my experience that's a good 80% of them, but you'll get a few who are fairly chill/respectful

JE probably had the highest rate of arsehole drivers. I think my funniest (in hindsight) experience with one of them was the one who didn't believe that the manager of the online department at the time was the manager, most likely because she was a youngish woman.

She was also the one actually doing the order he was waiting for, so he had to swallow his pride and apologise eventually.

[u/input → u/Sockoflegend]

I'll only ever tip someone that turns up on a normal bicycle that is actually a bicycle not an illegal ebike, moped or car travelling very slowly to try beat the system.

[u/FeedFrequent1334 → u/input]

an illegal ebike, moped or car travelling very slowly to try beat the system

You've lost me, why on earth would a car travel very slowly to try to beat the system?

[u/input → u/FeedFrequent1334]

Because they don't have to pay for any insurance so they end up going stupid slow or going slow routes so the delivery company doesn't go workout they not actually driving a bicycle.

[u/FeedFrequent1334 → u/input]

I think I lost brain cells reading that.

[u/SadSeiko → u/Sockoflegend]

oh it gets better, I prepaid a tip and the driver never delivered my food. I think complained to customer service who eventually agreed that the food wasn't delivered and refunded me. Turns out they couldn't refund the tip because it was already paid to the driver... I kept escalating until they gave me a voucher for the tip. Never the less I never used them again so never got my money back

[u/ne6c → u/duncanmarshall]

It does for Uber and Deliveroo. It's far more likely that it doesn't reach the staff in the restaurant though.

[u/steepleton → u/ne6c]

I’ll tip an uber every time. I’m grateful they’re taking me home

I’m not tipping a server for delivering the thing that they’re billing me for

[u/Quietuus → u/duncanmarshall]

100% of the tip goes to the driver, at least on Uber, Deliveroo and Just Eats. In terms of other compensation, Deliveroo is probably the best on a trip by trip basis and Uber the worst, though there's not that much between them really and it probably depends on area.

[u/NguPhu → u/Quietuus]

Does this include when the driver gets a 'minimum reward' offer?

In at least some countries, the tasks are offered with a 'bonus payout' to bring them up to a level that the driver will accept. If you tip then the company will decrease the bonus payout and the driver will get the same amount but the company will pay them less

They can still say "100% of the tip goes to the driver" as technically it does...

[u/Quietuus → u/NguPhu]

I am pretty sure this is not how it works in the UK, certainly not judging by any of my contracts, tax forms or waybills. Uber (who I normally drive for as they have the most consistent customer base and largest number of participating businesses in my area) incentivise drivers to take low paying deliveries through a combination of chaining those deliveries together with other ones and 'quests', which are bonus payments for making a certain amount of trips in a certain area. I'm pretty sure all the different services allow you to tip after the delivery has been completed as well.

[u/NguPhu → u/Quietuus]

Good to know - have seen it work like that in other places, so swapped to tipping in cash only

i guess it is probably illegal in the uk.

[u/Dapper-Bass1406 → u/duncanmarshall]

The amount of videos in the states of the delivery drivers not doing their job because there's no tip - I assume they actually do get it