Do you tip your mailman/garbageman/paper deliverer?

[mtemm]

at x-mas....and how much? Gift or money? How do you do it? I never see them usually. This is our first x-mas in our new house so am curious.

TIA!

Marcia

 

[cgcw]

Letter carrier - always!! To me, that is one of the yuckiest jobs anyone could have. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter, wet on rainy days. They have to appreciate it when the weather is just beautiful....I'm sure it makes their days a whole lot better. We have a walking route - mail is delivered to our front door. This year, I gave him a $15 gift certificate and a small poinsetta plant.

I have never tipped the garbage man but this year he came to the door to tell me he couldn't take a cabinet we left out because it put us over our square yardage of trash (or whatever) and he had to leave it behind. At the end of his shift, he came back and threw it into his truck. I haven't seen him since (it's only been a couple of weeks) so I will give him a small box of candy when I see him.
Newspaper - never! The guys an idiot - driving like a maniac irradically down the street and in and out of driveways. I don't even allow him to drive on our driveway because he's left tire marks in our yard. So, he's certainly not getting anything extra from us.

 

[EROS]

Mailman and paperman_ $25 each

No garbageman......

House Cleaner_$60

 

[CamColt]

Mailman & Paper Boy, 25.00 each. I never tip the gargage men, although now thinking of it, they probably have the worst job of all, huh?. I think the reason I dont tip them is I dont know them. I see our paper boy & mailman on a regular basis. We have to take our trash to a general area where all 4 houses on our street leave it, so they never come to our house, and I never see them.

 

[Muffy]

Mailman and newpaper person 20.00 ea. Garbage man, zip.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

I thought it was illegal for a mailman to accept a monetary gift!

 

[ez]

my postal supervisor gave us on Friday. "Accepting gratuities from customers is illegal, and when you deliver your thank you cards, make sure you put a stamp on them!"

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

http://money.cnn.com/2001/12/03/saving/q_holiday_tips/

We never have the same people in these jobs, they seem to rotate around and I have never laid eyes on our newspaper carrier! We always tipped the newspaper carrier when we lived in a small town and it was the same person. I do tip the woman who cuts my hair!

 

[tiggerlover]

When we were in the US we tipped the paperboy and mailman $10, but never the garbage man. We also gave a bonus to our regular babysitter and when I had a housecleaner we tipped her as well. Now that I live in Italy I do not have a sitter or housecleaner and the postman is someone in the military so we can't tip him (but I will make him some homemade cookies because he is a single service member) and I don't have paper delivery, so that takes care of the tips.

Yes it is illegal for postal people to accept tips, but they do anyway. My FIL was a letter carrier for 36 years and the monetary gifts were always appreciated (as were the other gifts he received).

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

He-he tiggerlover , when we were in Germany I think I tipped more people: the Stars and Stripes carrier, the man who mowed our lawn, the woman who cleaned the stairwell(sounds strange now!), and the serviceman who did the mail got a gift (he took good care of us when the men were at war-carried packages to cars).

 

[Regina]

We actually have a paper "man" who drives from house to house delivering the paper at the curb. We pay the newspaper directly for the service.

Just this week I found a Christmas card inside the paper, that just happened to have his name and address inside. I think it's supposed to be a hint.

 

[Regina]

Oh and Eros, you disappoint me. I thought for sure you'd be giving out gift certificates for Victoria's Secret.

 

[tiggerlover]

Originally posted by BibbidiBobbidiBoo
He-he tiggerlover , when we were in Germany I think I tipped more people: the Stars and Stripes carrier, the man who mowed our lawn, the woman who cleaned the stairwell(sounds strange now!), and the serviceman who did the mail got a gift (he took good care of us when the men were at war-carried packages to cars).

I wish we could get delivery of Stars and Stripes to the house! Since we are so remote, it isn't possible. We can buy it at the shoppette, but it is usually a day late, plus S&D is usually a day late with the news so by the time we get it we already know the news.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

I feel your pain tiggerlover ! The second place we moved to for 1 year was more remote, no S&S and no AFN! We had to watch foreign speaking channels, did get a couple of British ones, but they showed OLD shows. At least we could understand them! AND no internet when we were there in the early 90's! Cut off from the news and modern civilization as we knew it ! At least we had a phone No american speaking neighbors either! Yes, the things we take for granted...
Ok, I KNOW I am off topic, just reminiscing !

 

[TimeforMe]

I am soooooo glad to hear so many people tip their mailmen since DH is a mailman and those tips sure do come in handy around Christmastime! I can tell you they are VERY much appreciated.

We tip our mailman $25 plus some kind of goodie. I do send our newspaper carrier between $10-20 in the mail. I bring a gift to my hairdresser.

 

[BWVDenise]

I love my mailman He has been so nice to us and has gone out of his way on more than one occasion. I love giving him a gift at Christmas!

 

[Disney845]

We have no paperboy, milkman, babysitter, housekeeper, or garbage collector that comes to our home (we carry our own trash to a community dumping spot). When I lived in FL we used to give the mailwoman cards with money or a tin of homemade cookies. Up here in Indy I have never even seen our mail person, don't even know if it is male or female. They are also the worst mail person I have ever dealt with, as far as actual delivery accuracy. At least once a week we get mail belonging to our neighbors. I can't even imagine how much mail we aren't getting that belongs to us, that is delivered to other people. They will not be receiving anything.

 

[disykat]

I guess I'm getting off easy this year.

We have a rural post office route and everytime I see the carrier, it's a different person - so I'm not tipping. When I lived on a walking route I knew the carrier and always gave him a gift certificate.

I've never tipped the garbage person - I never see them.

I do include an automatic tip for the paper carrier along with my payment every six months. However, for the last two years we've gotten an obnoxious note with their address etc. begging for tips at holiday time. Each year I consider calling the paper to complain, but figure other than that the service is good and it's not a job many people want. I wouldn't mind if it were a generic note that "happened" to have their address, but it's obnoxious. Maybe I'll post it this year (if we get one) to see what people think.

 

[newmousecateer]

Originally posted by EROS
Mailman and paperman_ $25 each

No garbageman......

House Cleaner_$60

Exactly! The same as EROS.

 

[Kermit]

How do you tip a garbage man? I've thought about it, but I can't think of a good way to see that they get the money. I'd just have to hope that whoever go it was honest and would share it, since there are about 4 men on the truck.