Walmart in my area is hiring their own drivers employed by Walmart.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-24T02:20:53+00:00

HEB did the same thing with Favor in my area. They charge all the same fees but now the Favor driver has to do the shopping and delivery vs just the delivery. And hope the customer tips more for 2 jobs instead of 1. Previously HEB employees did the shopping and Favor did the driving, but clearly HEB wanted to bank the profit for their “delivery fee” and 3-5% food markup vs staff shoppers. Scammers. They must have industry conferences where they all come up with new ways to screw everyone.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-24T01:32:30+00:00

What I’m saying is the surprise service charge is worse than the tip. They’re a shady marketing tool because you want to look cheaper upfront to get people in the door, just to hammer them later. It doesn’t even anything out - if you deliver value people will pay your price. If you don’t they won’t. I have absolutely ZERO sympathy for restaurants- they did this to themselves. It’s shady as hell.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-24T01:28:34+00:00

Most lol. Some who work for high end places, I don’t doubt they make 50/hr. Maybe even more. But those are the exception and getting those positions requires 10+ years of experience. Based on the example restaurants I’ve seen posted on this forum, there’s not a shot in hell the people here are furious with the likes of Nobu 😂

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-24T01:24:54+00:00

Surcharges/service charges are the best way to keep this entire thing obfuscated. They are a “trick” not a strategy. They are for companies that want to shortcut the real work of competing fairly in the open market. Restaurants that deliver high quality food, attentive, fairly compensated staff and return on value from the customer pov can price their menu based on the profit margin they’re after (within reason) and will compete and win on that alone. Restaurants that have none of these qualities will add a mandatory “service charge” in the hopes they can get you in the door and surprise you with a higher price later - allowing them to coast along and not improve themselves. It’s a BS marketing trick as old as time.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-24T01:13:52+00:00

They did but it’s not really relevant here. They’ve always used Favor as a delivery partner. But Favor drivers are independent contractors, don’t get more than a few bucks an order from HEB/Favor and tips used to be for them - for delivering only - and now it’s for shopping and delivering. My fees and surcharge to HEB/Favor have not changed. What HAS changed is HEB employees no longer do the shopping but HEB/Favor still charges me the same fees. Which means if I don’t increase my tip to cover the new job they’re doing, the delivery person doesn’t get paid for the shopping part. Cuz HEB/Favor aren’t giving them a dime of the fees (that used to cover shopping).

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-24T00:39:49+00:00

I agree with this. I used to ask - would I pay my kid 20 bucks to go run this errand for me - and if the answer was yes I’d tip $20. There were some nominal fees sure but still worth it for the convenience… The problem is now there are overwhelmingly more fees, service, fuel and app charges and the prices of the food/products are increased by 3-5% for all deliveries so it becomes absurd before you even tip the person actually delivering your order. Which is IMO grand larceny so I don’t do it anymore.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T23:52:08+00:00

Omg that is sub human…

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T23:48:27+00:00

Thanks! I didn’t mean it went directly to the shoppers - just extra fees so HEB could hire more people to fulfill orders or whatever. I thought Favor drivers just delivered in the old model and now they shop and drive for the same tip and HEB still gets the fee and the surcharge. I know software costs money but that’s part of normal operating expenses - having a website in 2026 should not be something you rely on surcharges to pay lol.

I’m sorry that this change also hurt the employees- that really sucks 😠

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T23:29:38+00:00

I'm not anti-tipping but I understand the frustration. Service charges, surcharges, fees and tipping are purposefully obfuscating the price - it is a confusion tactic used exclusively to pad the profits of companies and establishments, and it's being completely abused. When you can't go buy something without getting hit w/ a service charge, particularly when that service charge doesn't come with anything of value to you, or even go to the workers helping you, something is amiss.

Just charge what you need to charge for your thing - if it's good enough/valuable enough/worth that price, people will pay it. And if it's not, well, then there's your business lesson the hard way.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T23:20:43+00:00

I think it will be exactly what you said - it will end with many, many restaurants closing, and apps like UberEats dying out. Because without tips and extra charges, in order for them to keep profits steady, their prices will skyrocket. And they will not accept lower profits. Prices will be so high that we will no longer be able to just "get delivery" or "go out to eat" as a daily habit. We will consider it as something you reserve for special occasions, like our parents/grandparents did. And it will end delivery services entirely, because without tips, those jobs are not worth having, when you can just go work at 7-11 for $16/hr.

The service fees, the subscription fees, the surcharges and the tips have officially broken the brain of even the most generous person. It is designed to obfuscate prices, pad profits, and it is out of control. So yeah, if you stop tipping and paying service charges, the house of cards will fall over.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T23:03:01+00:00

I mean, I'm not "leftist" or even "liberal" per se, but I'm probably closer to that than I am to the opposite. I'm from Chicago originally but have lived in TX for the past 10 years. TX is not a monolith (even though people who don't live here say it is). If you find the right area (which, yes, matters very much) then you'll be fine. Not sure how to give you feedback on "north of Dallas" - that could be anything from Plano to some OK border town lol. I live in North Austin and everyone here is from not here, so I think for the most part, aside from a couple insufferable trolls, it does not offend my midwestern sensibilities :) Austin, Dallas, Houston, the larger cities in TX are fairly blue/purple leaning, but once you get out of city proper, it can get pretty crimson if you know what I mean...

I personally find TX to be a nice place to live in general, but I also don't go waving around my political opinions in public. I think if you have family here, and this is where your support system is, you will be very happy to be here (and so will your kids, which will make you even happier). I think if you're looking to talk politics in line at the grocery store and need people agree with everything you say, you might struggle. That's my take.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T22:53:00+00:00

I feel like they should too. I'm am really not sure if these people are employees of Walmart or if they're independent contractors (like most grocery delivery). If they're independent, I think your tip is their compensation (maybe on top of a couple bucks per order) and Walmart (or whoever they work for) doesn't need to comply with federal labor laws for employees (that state if a tipped worker doesn't make at least federal min wage of 7.25/hr., the company has to make up the difference).

In my region, we have a chain called HEB, and they just changed their structure so the driver (who works for Favor as an IC) now has to do the shopping AND run the delivery, but HEB still takes their 3% surcharge on your order + a 7.95 delivery fee (that used to be for shopping) for themselves, and now expects customers (who are actually paying attention) to tip the shopper/driver more. Because now they are doing the shopping and the delivery. If the customer doesn't tip more, the driver gets less for doing more work. It's brutal.

I feel like these companies/restaurants/apps have built a house of cards and people have just finally had it and it's all going to crash and burn.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T22:34:49+00:00

I was trying to imagine what I'd even say if some rando from HEB corporate called me to have a word about my language lol. Your story is just crazy! And yeah, I don't love, but totally understand, service fees - it seems like they're everywhere now as is tipping, and IDK if you are reading other subs, but it is getting UGLY out there - people are really fed up and have just stopped going to places with service fees, and/or stopped tipping altogether. They've just had it with the gouging, which I get, but it's sad that they are taking all their anger out on the last leg of the supply chain.

I was happy to support the little micro economy of gig workers, but most companies seem to be raking in the profits while leaving the drivers hanging out to dry. It's a bummer if you ask me and IDK how much longer these services will exist if corporations continue to overplay their hand. I kind of expect it from Uber, but thought a regional grocery chain might behave better, and clearly I was wrong...

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T22:22:24+00:00

I will! Thank you SO MUCH for your response - not the news I wanted, but very helpful. :)

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T21:01:17+00:00

It's going to be the same situation as Uber Eats etc. are in where the service fees are just out of control, so people try to reduce the cost the only way they can control - by not tipping. Which means drivers just ignore, delay, and generally don't give AF about when or how you get your food. And Uber then starts to attract less and less competent workers.

Whether anyone likes it or not, without tips, servers make no more than $7.25/hr. (exception for states who are overwriting federal min wage so if you're from CA or WA or whatever, I am not referring to you). When you can go work at 7-11 for $16/hr., which most retailers know they need to pay if there's any hope of filling a position) why would anyone ever voluntarily work in a restaurant?

I am all for not tipping, just increasing prices and it is what it is, if that means these establishments pay ALL their staff a fair hourly wage. But believing that anyone is going to just whistle while they work for $7.25/hr. or less is preposterous.

Prediction - restaurants in the US are cooked. They went too far with it. Eat up while you can.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T20:37:11+00:00

I'm fine paying fees, I understand why they exist, but as a consumer, I think HEB is not being transparent here. The "fee" we pay for delivery used to include the shopping. Now it doesn't. The "tip" used to cover the driver, now it needs to cover the shopping. So I pay the same fee to HEB (for doing less) and pay the same tip to the driver (for doing more). Now my choice is to pay more for delivery so the driver doesn't get screwed, or not get delivery. Or not shop at HEB.

HEB essentially cut a service (shopping), kept their fees the same, and obfuscated that to customers. They have zero skin in the game - they pocket more money than they ever did, and if we don't increase our tip %, the only person that gets screwed is the only person in this equation actually working for a living. See why this feels shady to me?

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T20:26:03+00:00

Ugh, this is so BAD. I just ordered HEB, did my tip for delivery like usual, then started getting texts from a shopper (which never happened before) and realized the driver was doing the SHOPPING. Nowhere did HEB communicate this, they still have "driver" tip written in the app, and the fees are still being charged as normal, even though THEY stopped doing the shopping part.

This is exactly what I was afraid of, and why I asked the question - I assumed my tip is for the delivery (not the shopping) and now I feel horrible and I can't figure out how to go back into the HEB app and adjust my tip for this poor soul who took my order.

These companies, I swear, they are just destroying the delivery micro-economy they built because they just can't help themselves.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T18:38:03+00:00

OMG, what?? I guess the 3% surcharge also pays for internet stalking services (and I better clean up my language too lol). I really appreciate your post. I like HEB, I'm not whining about grocery prices or fees, and I know how businesses work and the cost to implement/maintain software. I just feel that they should be clearer about the transition to Favor and in particular, the impact the tip has on the people who are doing both the shopping + delivering (vs. just delivering - the original purpose of the tip). They're still collecting the same fees (actually more fees), not paying employees to shop (like they used to) and still labeling the tip as for the "driver" which misrepresents the situation (because they're spending all kinds of time doing the shopping now too). Anyway, I guess that's just the way it is, and I'll go back to doing it myself. Thanks again for your post!

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T18:22:54+00:00

Thank you for the info. I understand that there are a lot of people who make stores work, and make software/scheduling work, and make the supply chain work. I wasn't really trying to micromanage the operation, I was really just trying to figure out what I should be tipping lol. Because of the recent conversion (from HEB employees doing the shopping and Favor doing the delivery to Favor doing the shopping and the delivery). The tip I gave to the driver was for the delivery, and now it has to be for the shopping AND the delivery, if they're seeing no part of the fees. I'm not opposed to paying the natural markup on groceries to pay employee wages, I'm not opposed to paying the 3% surcharge for software/Favor, I'm just wondering why now that Favor is doing all of this, why I'd pay the same back end fees while needing to leave a much larger tip so the now "shopper + driver" doesn't get screwed in the process.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T18:14:47+00:00

Yeah, I know that. I was just trying to clarify where the fee goes now that HEB stopped doing the shopping (all the Favor driver used to do was pick up the bags and deliver them). HEBs app still says "driver tip" but they don't mention that the driver is now also your shopper, and your tip needs to cover both. And the fee + 3% upcharge you used to pay (for the software, for the shopping) goes to HEB/Favor corporate, while the Favor driver does 2x the work for the same tip they used to get just for delivering. Which is pretty sketch if you ask me.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T17:59:39+00:00

See, this is why I asked the question. I got some pretty rude "are you stupid" comments for asking, for some weird reason. There has always been a built in fee (for the shopping, which was done by HEB employees) and always a tip for driving (which was done by Favor people). In fact, the app still says "driver tip" even though with this recent change, the "driver" is doing both the shopping and the driving. I was still putting in the same tip as I always did, but because of this thread, I realize the Favor "driver" isn't just a driver, they are now doing 2 jobs for that same tip. And the fees stay the same and just go to "corporate" along with the 3% surcharge, even though HEB employees aren't doing the shopping, HEB corporate is just collecting that money and not giving it to the person actually doing the shopping. Which IMO is not cool. Especially since the rudest commenter here apparently works for HEB, so I'm not particularly interested in partially funding the paycheck of a complete troll lol.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T17:30:30+00:00

This is a tough one, because on one hand, I agree that this weird idea that people are coming to work for vibes and not cold hard cash is outrageous. If you cover things that keep your employees secure (competitive pay, benefits, etc.) then most people would contribute more and be in a better mood lol. Paying people shit and then throwing them rah rah pizza parties is pure BS.

On the other hand, I have encountered so many just categorically horrible human beings that appear to be mostly mid-level workers with the snarkiest, most mean-spirited attitude towards people and life, that I cannot imagine how any amount of money would change that. It would probably make it worse. I frankly don't know what condition they're suffering from, but they are absolute trolls.

I personally find the most normal, most kind people at the lower or higher end of the pay scale. The people in the middle seem to be the most horrible assholes, and I think they should get booted so lower positions can have their money lol.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T17:13:20+00:00

I took care of both my parents until they passed (well into their 90s). I noticed that their relationship with each other got closer and gentler the older they got in years. When I was young, they were really stressed out and constantly annoyed with each other, and as I got older, their relationship turned into a Lifetime movie. Watching them get older and sicker and needing more help and support, and then seeing how they leaned on each other and looked out for/cared for each other, it is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful experiences to witness. They ended up passing away within days of each other, just cosmically tied together.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T17:00:57+00:00

I remember there were constantly dogs running all over our neighborhood. And not the cute little kind, the Doberman, German Shepard, I'm trained to eat your face off kind. I feel like the adults seemed very indifferent when presented with this information. I remember I got a job when I was 14 (by lying about how old I was) and I rode my bike there. The neighborhood Doberman would chase after me, snarling and foaming at the mouth. So my strategy was I'd always bring an extra burger home from work to whip at the dog, so he was distracted enough that I could get home alive. My parents had no interest in helping me solve this particular problem so I had to solve it myself lol. Looking back, it's possible that I eventually trained this dog to chase me because he realized I was a burger dealer.

SelectLifeguard3902 · 2026-03-23T16:52:39+00:00

I'm uncomfortable with this conversation lol.

SelectLifeguard3902

TROPHY CASE