Last week, Meijer announced they are partnering with Shipt to provide home delivery in West Michigan beginning March 29.

If you purchase a membership and your order is at least $35 delivery is free, but many customers tip the Shipt employees who shop and deliver the orders.

Will you tip your Shipt shopper? How will you decide how much to tip?

Meijer's partnership with Shipt began at 25 Detroit-area stores last year on Sept. 15. For $99 a year, Shipt members receive unlimited free grocery deliveries on all orders over $35.

Shipt shoppers (they are hiring in West Michigan) will be working 24/7 and they offer delivery in as little as an hour. Getting your order right can be very important. If you're putting together a large meal, missing just one ingredient can be a big problem.

Another important item is fresh produce. Shipt offers advice for their shoppers on how to pick the right produce. Getting the best fruits and vegetables can make a big difference in the quality of your order.

Is this something worth tipping for?

I think so.

Joe Hirschmugl, Public Relations Manager at Meijer, tells us, "Tipping for the service isn’t required, but in our experience of having service at Detroit stores, I’ve heard that customers often provide a tip based on the level of service the Shipt shoppers provide."

Julie Coop with Shipt gave us a similar response, "Our members have the option to tip their shopper in the app or in cash. Members should never feel obligated to tip, however, if a shopper has done a great job and the member would like to recognize that, they are welcome to reward the shopper with a tip."

Tipping is welcome and should be routine if you ask me. How much should you tip? That's going to be harder to decide.

The often-used restaurant standard of giving a fixed percentage of your total bill doesn't seem fair to the customer receiving the delivery or the Shipt shopper. Getting five large items that total $150 can be considerably less work than 50 items that cost $3 a piece.

Accuracy of order, receiving your order in the expected window of delivery and difficulty of fulfilling the order should all be factors in considering how to tip your Shipt shopper.

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