Staff Ed: Use delivery but don’t forget to tip

By THE BLUE AND GRAY EDITORIAL BOARD

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, people around the world are staying at home and practicing social distancing in order to help flatten the curve. In an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, many states, Virginia included, currently have some form of a stay-at-home order in place.

With everyday tasks like making a grocery store run or going out to a restaurant being limited, if not completely impossible, the presence of apps and websites such as Instacart and UberEats have given people the ability to have meals and groceries delivered to their houses. Some companies have even waived the delivery fees associated with these digital tools in order to encourage consumers to support local businesses.

During times like these it is more important than ever to be considerate to delivery employees. At a time when people are told to stay at home as much as possible, they are doing a job that not only provides you access to food but also helps keep others safe through limiting the necessity of going to the store to get food. While this is a hard time for everyone, our essential workers deserve to be respected and treated well. Kindness is free and if you are in a financial position to be able to do so, we also strongly encourage tipping delivery employees generously.