The floral industry is worth a gigantic $5 billion per year in the USA.
With companies such as Bouqs Co, 1-800-Flowers, Teleflora, and The Sill there are plenty of options to have flowers delivered right to your front door or to that of a friend or family as a gift.
If you’re using a florist to deliver flowers, you might be wondering what the etiquette is for tipping.
Understanding when and how much to tip can make a huge difference to your budget. Tip too much and you may overspend. Tip too little or not at all and you may fall foul of good tipping etiquette.
To help you out with this we’ve looked at what the customary practice is for tipping flower delivery, how much you should tip (if anything), what workers in this industry earn, and much more…
Keep reading to find out…
Do You Tip for Floral Delivery? The Short Answer
It isn’t customary to tip for flower delivery and you certainly wouldn’t tip if you’re receiving flowers as a gift (i.e. if receiving them as a surprise). If you’re receiving flowers for yourself then we’d suggest a sum of $5-$10 is fine if you do wish to tip. We’d recommend the same amount if you’re purchasing the flowers as a gift for someone else.
How Much Do Floral Delivery Drivers Earn?
The main consideration for most people when it comes to tipping is asking how much does the worker who is going to receive the tip earn?
If the worker already receives a good salary then do they really need a tip?
Most people are familiar with the idea that certain professions such as pizza delivery guys and hairdressers usually need tips to boost their income.
This is mainly because they earn fairly poor incomes so need that little bit extra to make up the numbers.
But what about with floral delivery?
We’ve taken a look at the popular job website Talent.com and according to their data, floral delivery guys earn around $28,275 pa on average.
This is clearly well below the US average yearly salary which is in excess of $50,000.
On this basis, you may feel it is in good conscience to offer your floral delivery driver a tip to help supplement their income.
Indeed, this is the conclusion we reached when looking at whether to tip Edible Arrangement delivery drivers who earn very similar sums to floral delivery drivers and work within a similar industry.
How Much to Tip a Floral Delivery Driver?
The going rate in the US is 10-20% of the value of the goods purchased.
So if the floral bouquet costs you $50, then $5 – $10 is the amount you should consider tipping.
You can also offer a fixed tip rather than a percentage and we think $5 – $10 is also fine for this.
If it’s a huge display of flowers and the delivery guy is arranging them for you in addition, then you might want to dig a little deeper and tip a bit more.
Should I Tip For Wedding Flower Delivery?
Again, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to tipping for floral delivery for a wedding but we do find that people are generally more inclined to tip on special occasions.
We came to a similar conclusion when we looked at whether to tip caterers for big events.
The average cost of the wedding budget for flowers and flower arrangements is $700 – $2500 according to the Wedding Flowers Cost Guide so you’ll need to factor in any tips into this amount if you do intend to offer one.
If you’re having flowers delivered and arranged for your wedding then we’d suggest a tip of $20 – $50 is suitable depending on how big the arrangement is, the number of flowers you’re having, and the total cost of the flower package you’ve purchased.
Remember to check the terms of your contract or invoice when tipping for your floral wedding arrangement as you may already be paying a service charge which includes a tip. You don’t want to end up tipping twice.
Ask your florist if you’re in doubt.
What About Floral Delivery at a Funeral?
Like tipping at a wedding, we’d suggest tipping for funeral flower delivery especially if the flowers are being arranged for you.
According to funeral resources, most people spend $100 – $600 for funeral flowers so the expense will already be fairly significant.
Again, if you wish to tip we’d suggest a little bit more than you might do otherwise for standard flower delivery (i.e. when it’s not a big event).
We’d recommend tipping, say, $10 – $40 depending on the size of the arrangement and how much work the florist or delivery guy is doing.
When Should You Tip More (Or Less/Not at All)?
We love encouraging people to tip more or tip when they wouldn’t usually after receiving excellent service.
Consider doing this if:
- The delivery guy went beyond the call of duty. For example, by arranging the flowers for you if this wasn’t included in the price
- If the driver has come out in snow or ice
- If the service was completed professionally, punctually, and to a good standard
- Around the holidays
- At big occasions such as weddings, funerals, baby showers, birthdays etc…
Think twice about tipping if:
- The flowers arrive damaged or dead
- The driver is late or outside the allocated time slot
- The delivery is made to the wrong address
- The order is incorrect or not as expected
- The driver is rude or discourteous
Final Thoughts
The jury is still out as to whether you need to tip for floral delivery.
You’re unlikely to raise any eyebrows if you don’t but we always recommend tipping when the worker’s salary is likely to be low as is usually the case in this industry.
If it’s a big occasion then that should create a stronger urge to tip, especially if arrangement services are provided on top.
You should also tip or tip more if the service provided has surpassed your expectations.
However, remember that there’s no need to tip if you’re receiving flowers as a gift. Any tip should be made by the person purchasing the flowers and not the recipient.
