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Do You Tip Target Curbside Pickup?

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If you’ve ever popped your trunk, watched a Target team member jog out with bags (sometimes in rain, heat, or snow), and thought, “Am I supposed to tip?”—you’re not alone.

Tipping expectations in the U.S. have gotten messier. In a Pew Research Center survey, 72% of U.S. adults said tipping is expected in more places today than it was five years ago. That “tipflation” feeling is exactly why curbside pickup creates so much uncertainty: it feels like a service, but it also feels like a normal retail job.

Here’s the most useful way to think about it:

  • Target curbside pickup (Drive Up / Order Pickup): tipping is not standard, and it’s often refused.
  • Target Same Day Delivery (Shipt shopper): tipping is encouraged and built into the flow.

The rest of this guide shows you how to handle every scenario—politely, confidently, and without making anyone uncomfortable.

What “Target curbside pickup” actually means (Drive Up vs Order Pickup)

Target uses a few “pick it up” options that get lumped together online. Knowing which one you’re using is the key to knowing what’s normal.

Drive Up (curbside)

Drive Up is Target’s service where you order in the app and they bring it out to your car in the designated Drive Up parking spaces.

Order Pickup (in-store counter)

Order Pickup is when your order is ready and you pick it up inside at Guest Services / Order Pickup.

Most people asking “Target curbside pickup” mean Drive Up.

So… do you tip for Target Drive Up curbside pickup?

Most of the time: no.

Target does not present Drive Up as a tipped service (there’s no standard in-app tipping step for Drive Up the way there is for delivery), and many team members will decline tips if offered.

Also, in big retailers, employees are often trained to avoid accepting cash or anything that looks like a “gift,” partly to prevent confusion, complaints, or policy issues. Target’s corporate ethics materials emphasize avoiding conflicts and being careful with “offers of gifts” in general business contexts. While that’s not a Drive Up tipping rule for guests, it helps explain why some employees feel they must refuse cash.

What readers usually want is the “safe etiquette move.” Here it is:

  • If you do nothing (no tip), you’re not being rude.
  • If you offer a tip and they refuse, accept the refusal and move on.
  • If you offer once and they’re allowed to accept, keep it small and simple.

That’s the no-drama, respectful approach.

Why Target curbside feels “tippy” even when it isn’t

Drive Up can look like a tipped service because there is real labor happening:

  • Someone picks items from the floor.
  • Someone stages and organizes orders (including refrigerated items).
  • Someone brings it out quickly (sometimes under strict time goals).

In fact, reporting on Drive Up work has highlighted how timing pressure and customer behavior can make the job stressful—especially when customers arrive without giving the app proper notice.

So it feels like the kind of convenience you’d tip for. But culturally, curbside pickup sits in an awkward middle zone—more than self-checkout, less than delivery-to-your-door.

That’s why you’ll see people disagree strongly about it. Pew’s research shows the broader truth: many Americans feel the rules are unclear, and more people feel asked to tip in places where it used to be uncommon.

The best “Target curbside tipping rule” that works everywhere

If you want one simple rule you can use at any Target without overthinking:

Treat Drive Up like retail help, not delivery.
If you want to show appreciation, do it with behavior first—then consider a small cash tip only if it’s clearly accepted.

Here’s the practical version.

If you’re not tipping (totally fine), do this instead

These things genuinely help the person doing Drive Up:

  • Use the app correctly: tap “I’m on my way” before you arrive, not when you’re already in the spot. Target has even made app changes to reduce “double-tap” behavior because it creates chaos for workers.
  • Clear your trunk in advance so loading takes seconds, not minutes.
  • Turn on your trunk light / pop it early if it helps.
  • Be responsive if they ask a quick substitution or ID question.
  • Say a real thank you (not just a nod). It matters more than people think.

If you want to offer a tip anyway (without making it awkward)

Do it in a way that respects boundaries:

  1. Use cash, folded, discreet. Don’t wave money around in the lot.
  2. Offer once, casually: “Thanks—please take this.”
  3. If they say they can’t: smile and say, “No worries—thank you!”
  4. Don’t insist multiple times. If they’re not allowed, you’re putting them in a bad spot.

How much, if it’s accepted?
There’s no official Target Drive Up number, because tipping isn’t standardized for curbside. But general etiquette guidance for curbside grocery/food pickup suggests “a couple of dollars” is kind, and about $5 for a large load.

A realistic “if accepted” range many people use:

  • Small order: $2–$3
  • Big/heavy order: $5
  • Truly extreme (multiple bulky items, awful weather): $5–$10 (only if clearly accepted)

Again: this is optional and situational—not expected.

When tipping is clearly appropriate with Target: Same Day Delivery (Shipt)

This is where Target does give clear guidance.

Target’s help article for delivery shoppers states that shoppers accept tips and Target encourages you to tip and rate them; shoppers receive 100% of their tips.

Shipt (the platform behind many Target same-day deliveries) also says tips are not required but appreciated, and that 100% of the tip goes to the shopper.

So if your order is being delivered to your home by a shopper/driver, tipping becomes much more normal—because it’s in the gig-delivery world, where tips are part of how shoppers are rewarded for speed, effort, communication, and heavy lifting.

How much to tip a Target same-day delivery shopper

A simple framework:

  • Typical delivery: 10–20% depending on service and difficulty (many people land around 15–20% if it’s a full grocery-style shop)
  • Small orders: consider a minimum like $5 so it’s still meaningful
  • Hard deliveries (stairs, heavy items, bad weather): lean higher

If you want a conservative etiquette anchor, Emily Post suggests around 10% or $5+ for deliveries of groceries or daily items.

“But they walked it out to my car—why isn’t that tip-worthy?”

It can be. The issue isn’t whether the work deserves appreciation. The issue is whether the service is set up as a tipped job and whether the worker is allowed to accept.

Many customers feel caught between:

  • Wanting to be generous, and
  • Not wanting to create a new “expected tip” situation for a service that’s positioned as fast and free.

That tension is part of the broader tipping debate. NPR’s reporting on modern tipping etiquette highlights how tip prompts have spread into more places, leaving people unsure where tipping is actually expected.

So the best move is to follow the “works everywhere” rule:

  • No tip is acceptable for Drive Up.
  • Tip is encouraged for same-day delivery shoppers.

What matters most to Drive Up workers (even more than tips)

If you want to be the customer workers remember in a good way, do these:

1) Don’t “double tap” the app

Target has specifically tried to curb the behavior where customers hit “I’m on my way” and “I’m here” immediately upon arrival—because it gives workers almost no prep time and can blow up their timing metrics.

2) Make pickup fast

Open trunk, clear space, confirm name/order quickly.

3) Reduce heavy-item surprises

If you can, break massive bulky items across separate pickups or be ready to help load if appropriate and safe.

4) Use kindness like a pro

A genuine “Thanks for grabbing this so fast—really appreciate it” is more human than a silent handoff.

These things cost nothing and still show respect.

Common scenarios and the “right” call

Scenario: Normal Drive Up order (few bags)

Tip? Not expected.
Best move: thank them and be ready.

Scenario: It’s pouring rain and they’re soaked

Tip? Still not expected, but if you want to offer a small cash tip, offer once and respect a refusal.
Best move: be fast, be kind.

Scenario: Huge order (water cases, diapers, cat litter)

Tip? Optional if accepted; many people choose $5.
Best move: be ready, help by making trunk access easy.

Scenario: Same Day Delivery to your home

Tip? Yes—Target explicitly encourages tipping shoppers, and Shipt notes tips go 100% to the shopper.

FAQ

Can Target Drive Up workers accept tips?

It depends on internal store policy and training, and many workers will refuse. The safest etiquette is to assume tipping is not standard for Drive Up, offer once only if you feel strongly, and respect a “no.”

Does Target have in-app tipping for Drive Up?

Target’s help content clearly supports tipping for delivery shoppers (rate & tip your shopper), but Drive Up guidance focuses on how the service works and doesn’t position it as a tipped transaction.

What if the app asks me to tip?

If you’re using Same Day Delivery, tipping is normal and encouraged for the shopper.
If you’re doing Drive Up, a tip prompt would be unusual—double-check which fulfillment method you selected.

If I don’t tip Drive Up, am I cheap?

No. This is exactly the kind of situation people feel uncertain about today. Pew’s research shows many Americans think tipping expectations have expanded and become confusing. If you’re polite, prepared, and you use the app correctly, you’re doing fine.

Bottom line: the simplest answer

  • Target curbside pickup (Drive Up): tipping is not expected.
  • Target same-day delivery (Shipt shopper): tipping is encouraged and easy to do in-app.
  • If you ever want to show extra appreciation at Drive Up, do it in ways that don’t put the worker in a bind: be ready, don’t double-tap, and say thanks.

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