The Definitive 2025 Tipping Guide: 5 Crucial Reasons Why You CAN'T Tip Walmart Curbside Pickup (But MUST Tip Delivery)

Are you supposed to tip your Walmart Curbside Pickup associate? This is one of the most common and confusing questions for millions of customers who rely on the convenience of Walmart's grocery services. As of December 2025, the answer remains a firm and unambiguous "No" for curbside pickup, but the rules change completely once your order leaves the parking lot for home delivery. This guide cuts through the confusion, explaining the strict company policy, the key difference between a Walmart Associate and a Spark Driver, and the consequences of trying to offer a gratuity.

The confusion stems from the modern gig economy, where tipping has become standard for many services. However, Walmart maintains a clear and long-standing policy: employees who are paid an hourly wage directly by Walmart for in-store services, like retrieving and loading your order, are prohibited from accepting tips. Understanding this distinction is essential to ensure you are respecting the rules and properly acknowledging the hard work of the person handling your groceries.

Profile of the Walmart Curbside Pickup Associate Role

To understand the strict no-tipping rule, it helps to examine the role of the person bringing your order to your car. This individual is a direct Walmart employee, often referred to as an Order Fulfillment Associate or a Personal Shopper, and their job is governed by Walmart’s internal corporate structure and compensation model.

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• Official Title: Order Fulfillment Associate or Digital Personal Shopper.
• Employment Status: Direct W-2 Walmart Employee (Hourly Wage).
• Primary Responsibility: The "Personal Shopper" portion involves accurately selecting and bagging all items in the order from the store shelves. The "Associate" portion involves retrieving the staged order from the back room and safely loading it into the customer's vehicle at the designated pickup spot.
• Compensation Structure: Associates are paid a standard hourly wage set by Walmart, which is intended to cover all aspects of their job, including the physical labor of loading. Tipping is not factored into their compensation model.
• Company Policy on Gratuity: Strictly Prohibited. Accepting a tip is a violation of the Walmart Code of Conduct and can lead to disciplinary action, including formal coaching or even termination.
• Key Entity Distinction: They are *not* the same as the third-party delivery drivers.

5 Crucial Reasons Why You Cannot Tip for Walmart Curbside Pickup

The desire to offer a tip is a natural reaction to good service, especially when an associate is loading heavy water bottles or multiple bags in bad weather. However, the corporate policy is rigid. Here are the five main reasons why you must keep your money in your wallet during a Walmart Curbside Pickup.

1. Corporate Code of Conduct and Employee Integrity

Walmart's official policy strictly prohibits its hourly associates from accepting any form of gratuity or gift from customers. This rule is a cornerstone of the company’s internal ethics and is designed to prevent any conflict of interest or perception of favoritism. The company views all associates as salaried or hourly employees whose compensation is set, unlike a traditional service worker (e.g., a waiter or delivery person) whose base pay relies heavily on tips.

2. Standardized Compensation Model

The compensation for a Walmart Associate is built on a fixed hourly wage. The company structure ensures that pay is consistent regardless of the number of orders fulfilled or the size of the order. Allowing tips would create pay disparity and complicate the standardized compensation model, potentially leading to unfair competition among employees for "high-tipping" customers.

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3. Risk of Disciplinary Action or Termination

This is the most critical reason for the customer to adhere to the rule: attempting to tip puts the associate's job at risk. Associates are trained to politely decline tips. If an associate is caught accepting a cash tip, it is considered a violation of the company’s gift policy and can result in disciplinary action, up to and including immediate termination of employment.

4. The Service is Considered Part of the Purchase Price

Unlike a third-party delivery service that charges a separate delivery fee, the Curbside Pickup service is marketed as a free benefit (or included in the overall price of a Walmart+ membership). The cost of the service—the labor of the personal shopper and the loader—is absorbed by Walmart as part of its operational costs, not passed directly to the customer as a separate, tip-eligible fee.

5. The Tipping Mechanism is Digitally Disabled

When you use the Walmart app or website to place a Curbside Pickup order, you will notice that there is no digital tipping option available on the checkout or post-order screens. This design choice is a direct reflection of the no-tipping policy for in-store employees, eliminating the possibility of a digital gratuity.

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The Essential Distinction: Tipping for Walmart Delivery (Spark Drivers)

While tipping for Curbside Pickup is prohibited, the rules flip entirely for Walmart Delivery. This is the key piece of information that every customer must understand to navigate Walmart's services correctly.

Why Delivery is Different

Walmart Delivery orders are typically fulfilled by third-party logistics partners, most notably drivers who work through the Spark Driver platform. These individuals are classified as Independent Contractors, not Walmart Associates. Like other gig-economy drivers (Uber Eats, DoorDash), they use their own vehicles, pay their own gas, and rely heavily on tips to supplement their base pay for the delivery service.

Walmart’s official policy for delivery services explicitly states that tips are optional and that 100% of the tip goes directly to the driver.

Walmart Delivery Tipping Etiquette: How Much to Tip in 2025

Since Spark Drivers rely on gratuity, tipping is a crucial part of the transaction. The amount you tip should reflect the level of service, the size of your order, and the distance traveled. Here are the suggested tipping amounts and factors to consider:

Recommended Tipping Guidelines

• The Minimum Tip: A flat rate of $5 to $7 is considered the absolute minimum, especially for smaller orders or short distances.
• Percentage-Based Tip: The standard recommendation for grocery delivery is 10% to 20% of the total order value. A $100 order should warrant a $10 to $20 tip.
• Heavy/Bulky Orders: Increase your tip for orders that include multiple cases of water, soda, pet food, or other heavy bulky items. These require significant physical labor.
• Weather and Distance: Add an extra $3-$5 for deliveries during severe weather (heavy rain, snow, extreme heat) or for a delivery that is significantly far from the store.

Remember, the driver sees the tip amount before accepting the order, which can influence how quickly your order is picked up and delivered.

Alternative Ways to Show Appreciation for Curbside Pickup Associates

If you receive exceptional service from a Curbside Pickup Associate and feel compelled to show your appreciation, there are several ways to do so without violating the strict no-tipping policy and jeopardizing their job:

1. Provide Positive Feedback: The most impactful way is to mention the associate's name in the post-pickup survey or by calling the store’s customer service line. Positive feedback is tracked and can contribute to the associate's performance reviews, recognition, and internal rewards.
2. Mention the Associate to a Manager: When you arrive at the pickup spot, if you speak to a manager or team lead, briefly mention the excellent service you received from the specific associate.
3. Offer a Written Thank You Note: A simple, sincere thank-you note or card is a non-monetary gift that is usually permissible and highly valued by the associate.
4. Be a Great Customer: Ensure your designated pickup spot is clear, your trunk is open, and you are ready to receive the order promptly, making their job easier and more efficient.

In conclusion, the rule is simple but critical: Do not tip for Walmart Curbside Pickup, but always tip for Walmart Delivery. By understanding the distinction between the hourly-paid Walmart Associate and the independent contractor Spark Driver, you can ensure you are following the correct etiquette for both services in 2025.