do you tip your newspaper carrier??

[hemispheredancer]

Nope. NO tip for the newspaper person.

 

[diesel]

yes we tip the newspaper man because he delivers it right to our breezeway and on rain/snow days he'll put it in the breezeway. He will also put it in our dogs mouth when he comes to greet him. I tip quarterly about $20 and then for Christmas I'll give $60. Yes I guess I tip a little too much but I appreciated what he does and we've had him for over 7 years.

I also tip the mailman. Don't tip the garbage man because I woudldn't have any idea how to leave it for them.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

The Toledo paper switched their delivery system a few years ago, to regional pickup centers, theoretically ending the possibility of kids having paper routes. Instead of dropping the papers at the carrier's home, the carriers have to drive to the center to get them. They also require earlier pickup and delivery of the carriers, and eliminated front porch delivery for my entire town. At my old house this meant I had to walk across the street in whatever weather to get my paper because the mailbox was across the street. I work in a more rural area and I always see older folks hobbling across roads to get their papers!
If my carrier was some shivering kid, sure I'd tip. But it's a middle-aged man in a sedan who doesn't even get out of his car and just has to put it in the paper box by my mailbox. Rationalize it all you like, but he won't get anything from me.
Robin M.

 

[kydisneyfans]

The difference between paper carriers and mailmen are that paper carriers are contracted and not employees of the paper. Expenses are partially written off at tax time-and some papers subsidize routes with mileage money, but no carrier at any newspaper I can think of is an employee. Mail delivery people are provided a vehicle by our tax dollars, have benefits, etc. If a mail carrier has a rural route, then they are reimbursed per mile at the government rate, whch is currently at .485 per mile.

Many news carriers give out names and addresses for tips, others do it for service reasons-as many papers give incentives for achieving on time delivery. If the customer calls the newspaper office regarding a missing/wet paper, a complaint is filed. If the carrier is called direct at home, the newspaper does not know of the complaint, and the service record looks better.

 

[TammyJ]

The first time I got a Holiday Card from my paper deliverer I was a little irritated by it because it did seem like an ask for a tip. And, I still think that is the primary reason behind it. But, then I decided I appreciated it because I had thought about tipping but didn't know how. I certainly wasn't going to wait at the end of my driveway at 5 in the morning to hand him the tip.

 

[Jeanny]

I only tipped the kids next door when they delivered our newspaper growing up, actually their dog, Cinamon, was trained to deliver the newspaper. I never tipped the adult drivers, who took over the route, as yes, they too threw the paper out of their car window and I never knew where I would find it, IF I would even be able to find the paper because Cinamon would scoop up my paper and bring it to her home... sometimes they'd have 5 papers, but didn't know who she had scooped them from.

Now, I've learned how hard some of the drivers actually "work". My current next door neighbor leaves at 4:00 a.m. EVERYDAY, delivers papers in all sorts of weather, rain, snow, sleet, etc. I never thought about what they had to do, I just expected my paper by a certain time, and I didn't care if it was snowing or not, or if it was a holiday or not!!!!

Yes, we pay a lot for our newspapers, but the people delivering the newspapers DON'T get paid a lot to do it. They did tell me they get tips starting the beginning of December anywhere between $10 and $50 from their customers.

 

[minniecarousel]

I have and will tip the newspaper delivery person. We get a local daily paper and the SF Chronicle on the weekends. Anyone who gets up in the middle of the night to deliver a newspaper to me gets a tip this time of year. (I think we might tip on the invoice of the bill too - but I'm concerned that the carrier doesn't get it.)

 

[ZachnElli]

I get billed every other month for the paper. I add a $5.00 tip to the bill when I pay it (they provide a space on the remitance for this).

This is what I do too. I thought it was extremely common to tip the newspaper carrier.

 

[JimVL]

Wow. I wrote a post earlier that mentioned how I was tipped 30 plus years ago. Reading the posts, I'm wondring are there any paper boys or girls left. I've never subscribed to a paper, but I have seen them delivered from a car by an adult. I'm kind of bummed thinking that there are no more kids delivering the paper. My paper route sent me on trips to Canada, Ohio. and New Mexico with the Boy Scouts, paid for my first car, and paid for week long school trips during April vacation.

 

[Meriweather]

Ours is delivered by adults...to a newspaper box by our mail box.
We get daily and Sunday. We tip $5 a quarter.
We are billed directly from the newspaper and there is actually a spot for the tip amount.

 

[Blondy876]

My dh worked as a newspaper carrier for 2 years. He would get up at 2 am every morning, no matter what the weather and make sure that the paper was delivered by 6 am. Then he would come home and get dressed and go to his second job. He worked incredibly hard. Even if that had been his only job, he worked incredibly hard. His gas allowance was only $.31 a mile. That won't even buy you a 1/4 of a tank anymore. And he had to buy the paper bags, rubber bands etc. When he quit we figured out that his paper route actually cost us money.

So do I tip, I sure do. And often. It's a miserable job and those that say they don't tip certainly wouldn't want to do it. Sending a tip throughout the year is awesome and sending a bonus at Christmas time was so appreciated.

 

[LadyBears]

It depends on the carrier. When the kids (brother & sister) down the street were delivering it - I tipped them extra every week & I gave them $10.00 a piece at Christmas. My paper was delivered on time EVERY day no matter what the weather. The paper was in the same place EVERY day - between the storm door & the front door. They were dependable & I could count on them. If going on a vacation - they would hold it & hand deliver the stack when they knew we would be home. They provided exceptional sevice! I was so sad when they moved away!!!!

The next guy wasn't too bad, but I no longer had door delivery. At least he always left it in the driveway so I didn't have to search too hard for it. But sometimes it was in plastic, sometimes it was just a rubber band. If we had an unexpected shower - my paper was destroyed. He got $5.00.

Then, when he quit the route - we got someone new. I had to call the paper almost daily to find out where my paper was. It has been found on all parts of the yard - & several time underneath the car (smack dab in the middle like it was placed there, not just it landed there from being thrown from a car window)! I can just imagine how my elderly neighbors feel having to move their car to get to their paper. I can't see them crawling on their bellies to get it! I would leave money & she wouldn't take it, then she would turn around & say my service would be cancelled for non payment. After many complaints to the paper ( & not just by me!), at least my paper is now only on the side of the house with the driveway. We still have to hunt for it though. Also, I now pay the paper directly. This carrier is not getting a penny for Christmas!


edited to add about the weekly tipping & to clarify the Chrismas tip.

 

[swilphil]

If you are getting good service, definitely tip. I would say around $20 is good. The carriers are underpaid, usually have no benefits, and pay for their equipment and gas.

 

[Mizzoufan]

Hello old thread

 

[Luvstotravel]

I tip, because our carrier does a great job. If there's been a foot of snow overnight, my newspaper is still there between the doors. I keep a path clear, but if I didn't, I would still get a newspaper where I want it. It's never late, always there by 6 am. It's never wet or muddy. We've had carriers in the past who would deliver wet or muddy papers, or not deliver when there was fresh snow, etc. So I know what a bad carrier is like, and a good one. I tip him for continuing to do it well.

 

[lynxstch]

Nice screen name..(NOT), and you bring up a 10 year old thread for your second post??

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Hmmm, whoever bumped this must have either deleted their post or been deleted...

I don't tip the newspaper guy, never have.

 

[lynxstch]

Hmmm, whoever bumped this must have either deleted their post or been deleted...

I don't tip the newspaper guy, never have.

my guess is the mods deleted it for them..as far as I know there is no way to delete your own posts, at least not entirely...

 

[LBIJim]

Nice screen name..(NOT), and you bring up a 10 year old thread for your second post??

It was actually his/her first post, and then he/she added a second post with more information.

Eh, I don't mind when zombie threads are resurrected. If I'm not interested, I just skip over them.

I agree with most of what the deleted poster said. I tip our paper delivery person (I think it's a woman) monthly, with an added bonus tip at year's end.

 

[DeaverTex]

We don't tip at the holidays. If that makes me wrong, then so be it. Tips are for superior service, not for doing the absolute minimum you can get away with and not be fired.