Is necessary or customary to tip for this particular type of delivery service? Why or why not?

Asked by Buttonstc (27605) February 17th, 2011 from iPhone

I understand that furniture delivery guys are doing major heavy lifting and Pizza delivery people are paid pretty low wages similar to waitstaff. So a generous tip for them is understandable.

The local Kroger Pharmacy offers free delivery which must be scheduled 24 hrs. in advance so it’s not really on-demand like Pizza.

Obviously the store offers this to attract customers to patronize them rather than the competition I’m sure that their hefty markup on prescriptions makes it quite profitable for them to offer this service :)

Evidently they use some external type of delivery service company.

I would assume that these delivery companies would pay a fairly standard fulltime hourly wage with benefits equivalent to any other type of blue collar worker (rather than the pittance paid to waitstaff.)

So, wouldn’t this make the delivery driver more equivalent to a bus driver or UPS worker rather than someone who is reliant upon tips in order to make a living wage.

Also, he Pizza driver generally uses his own vehicle (and gas?) unlike these other drivers with a company vehicle so I understand tipping him.

With the typically exhorbitant costs of most prescriptions, if a tip is part of the equation, how would it be calculated?

So, what would you do? Or what have you done for a prescription delivery?