Mailman and Holiday tipping

[beattyfamily]

I give my mailman $10 every year. It's the same guy everyday unless he's sick or off.

He does a great job and goes above and beyond so I enjoy giving him a Christmas present just as I do for my DD's teachers who also make a decent wage and benefits. I do it as a "thank you" and as a "I thought of you this Christmas" jesture. He seems to appreciate it.

I don't call it or consider it a tip, but a Christmas gift.

If he is at risk for loosing his job for taking my Christmas present, he has never clued me in on that and doesn't seem too concerned.

Do what's right for you and your situation, and I'll do the same, without judging others for their choices.

 

[java]

I don't give my mailperson a tip as the one year I did do it, she took off and another sub mailman took it!!

 

[Trentmom]

I don't tip our current mail carrier. He's been delivering our mail for about 3 years but have never tipped him. But then, he is my dad so I guess the gift he gets at the family gathering is enough.

Anyway, some years, he does make out like a bandit...others not so much. And it really does depend on where he is working. But it's usually cookies and homemade stuff that he shares with everyone.

And for all those who have deal with bad mail carriers, . I feel so fortunate now.

That is so cool that your Dad is your carrie, I bet you get great service

I put a wrapped box of candy in the box with a Christmas card. I figure our mail carrier can take the box back to the post office and share or she can just take it home. She does a great job and I feel like I should do something.

That is a nice idea

My Dad was a mailman for many years, and every Christmas season he would bring home lots and lots of candy, cookies, chocolates, etc. It was awesome! I remember we always looked forward to one lady's homemade cookies. They were cut out with a cat-shaped cookie cutter.

THey sound cute

 

[Trentmom]

I give my mailman $10 every year. It's the same guy everyday unless he's sick or off.

He does a great job and goes above and beyond so I enjoy giving him a Christmas present just as I do for my DD's teachers who also make a decent wage and benefits. I do it as a "thank you" and as a "I thought of you this Christmas" jesture. He seems to appreciate it.

I don't call it or consider it a tip, but a Christmas gift.

If he is as risk for loosing his job for taking my Christmas present, he has never clued me in on that and doesn't seem too concerned.

Do what's right for you and your situation, and I'll do the same, without judging others for their choices.

Well well Put

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

Our mail carrier--no. Only met her a few times when I was getting a package delivered. Wasn't very friendly, borderline rude.

Our newspaper carrier--her, yes. We often round up the subscription price when we mail our check in (our paper is $26.25 and we just round it up to $30) and every time we do she sends a thank you note.

We'll probably give $10 or so in a card and leave it in the paper box.

 

[sha_lyn]

It would never occur to me in general to do so, and as a previous poster said, our mail carrier should be paying us.
She leaves the mail box open 1/2 the time. Which had led to soaking wet bills, magazines etc on several occasions. She drove right though our front yard and up to our front door to deliver a package once. Said she didn't think we had a driveway. Hmmm OK, what's that thing covered in gravel that leads from the street to our garage and has cars parked in it? Good thing I was getting dressed when she came to the door. DS answered the door and just sort of stared at her , her mail truck then the driveway. I walked in the room just as she said she didn't think we had a driveway. DS shut the door on her LOL.

 

[kctwinmommy]

We did when it was our regular guy! Larry was a fabulous mailman!! And he was a big guy, had like size 13 shoes, so it was funny, cuz you could tell when he went through the snow! LOL! And he had a little girl, about our kids' age, so he laughed and understood their excitement over little things. We always gave him something at Christmas. And then last year, he changed routes a few weeks before Christmas. So, despite what the USPS guidelines are, we gave him some cash, some candy, and a nice card. He'd been our mailman for about 5 years, and deserved it!

This year though, no we won't, and that's what I voted. We've had at least 8 different people during the year. We had one, Norma, for several months, but no idea where she went.

 

[Golf4food]

Why should I tip someone for doing their job when they make more per hour than I do anyway and will get a government pension on top of it!?

National starting salary for a mail carrier is around $38,000 and tops out around $49,000 according to one article I found. So a starting carrier makes more than most school teachers in our area. If you are going to tip someone, tip a teacher, not someone who drives a truck and sticks hopefully the correct letter in the correct box - hardly complicated. Not to put down the job, but it ain't exactly rocket science.

 

[krcit]

Why should I tip someone for doing their job when they make more per hour than I do anyway and will get a government pension on top of it!?

National starting salary for a mail carrier is around $38,000 and tops out around $49,000 according to one article I found. So a starting carrier makes more than most school teachers in our area. If you are going to tip someone, tip a teacher, not someone who drives a truck and sticks hopefully the correct letter in the correct box - hardly complicated. Not to put down the job, but it ain't exactly rocket science.

Well, around here $49,000 is barely enough to live on. Teachers in my district, however make around $80,000. I give gifts to both my kids teachers and to my mailman just because I want to thank them for all they do for us all year.

 

[jrsmom]

Our old neighbor was a postman all his life and he used to come home with all kinds of money, cookies, bottles,etc. I think they make darn good money and have excellent benefits and make more th an I do but either way I only believe in tipping people who go above and beyond. The mail lady we have no is very nice and she goes above and beyond as she brings packages or things that won't fit in our mailbox, which is down on the street, up to the house and puts it under our carport to be protected and not stolen being on the street. So yes I do tip her about $10 or $15 each year. If she gets that from every customer she'll do quite well so that is enough. I don't believe in tipping everyone just because it's Christmas.

Well, let me be the first to tell you that the benefits are not as great as people think that they are and neither the pay. I think that general statements like this are pretty ignorant.

 

[helenabear]

Nope, but we also do not have just one person who delivers mail to us. We do have one guy who does it more often than some, but not regular enough for us to tip all of them (we have four or five that rotate)

 

[DVC Sadie]

I guess I am one of the very "few" who do give our mailperson a gift/tip at Christmas and its just the way I was raised. Heck, we give the sanitation and recycling collectors gift/tip and we use to give gifts to the teachers as well.

 

[suzimar57]

we've had the same mail carrier for the past 12 years (nice older man)

we give him a little more than $20

 

[cnj]

We always give our mailman a $25 gift card to a restaurant. He seems to appreciate it.

 

[beattyfamily]

Why should I tip someone for doing their job when they make more per hour than I do anyway and will get a government pension on top of it!?

National starting salary for a mail carrier is around $38,000 and tops out around $49,000 according to one article I found. So a starting carrier makes more than most school teachers in our area. If you are going to tip someone, tip a teacher, not someone who drives a truck and sticks hopefully the correct letter in the correct box - hardly complicated. Not to put down the job, but it ain't exactly rocket science.

No one here has said you should. We are saying what we do and to each their own.

I do give my DDs teachers Christmas presents as well as our mailman. No, it's not rocket science but neither is a waitressing job but we tip them as well. I don't give the mailman a gift because it's a difficult job, I give him a gift because I want to.

Do whatever you want to but please don't try and make those of us who choose to give the mailman a gift feel bad for doing so.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I never tipped a mailman until we got this one; he is a great guy, always looks out for us; knows the entire family's names even the dog. The dog loves him btw, 'cause he plays with him & gives him treats. So I give this mailman a $20 Dunkin Donut card.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

We have a great mailman named Ron, and we tip him every year. I walk my dog everyday about the same time he's doing our neighborhood. He always says hi and we talk, and he's very friendly with the pooch. To top it off, he does a great job, we have no complaints.

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

Well, let me be the first to tell you that the benefits are not as great as people think that they are and neither the pay. I think that general statements like this are pretty ignorant.

My DH is a full time postal worker (not a carrier) and the benefits are EXCELLENT. I have a BIL who works for the state, a sister who works for the largest hospital system in the area as a nurse, and neither of them come close to the benefits we have.

Medical is cheap, dental through the union is even cheaper...additional life insurance for family is rock bottom. It cost me less to get my life insurance through DH at the USPS than it would have to get it from my own employer, who has decent benefits.

DH is a PS5. He makes just under $50,000 base full time after 12 years. Carriers are level 6, which make more, so carriers top out higher than 50. And topping out does not include cost of living raises. That does not include overtime. Many carriers work 6 days and get overtime. There are some level 4's at our main PO that make six figures working OT.

The cost for their benefits is going down in 2008, too. By 20%.

We just don't tip our carrier money because we know she is not supposed to get it, and being an employee, DH really should not be giving it to her. She actually was very touched that I remembered her mentioning the chocolate we get her. I don't care if people do tip their carriers. Tis the season. I am not going to begrudge a carrier making a little extra at this time of year. Who couldn't use some extra cash?

I just don't want people who don't tip to think they are obligated to. In all actuality, carriers are not supposed to accept cash, whether you call it a tip, gift, etc or not.

And the one who actually solicited tips? I don't know what to say about that, except that unless the postmaster at his station likes him ALOT, that was a very risky move. One complaint from someone on his route and he could be terminated.

 

[tiggerlover]

I do not tip the mailman, he is paid to provide a service, just as I am in my position. I receive a bonus from my employer, not my clients. I barely know who my mailman is, I think in three years I have seen him a handful of times. If I see him I will be sure to wish him a happy holiday, but there will not be a tip from me. My mailman (and my paper person) send out Christmas cards with their name and address, to me that is just begging for a tip and I find it offensive. I do tip my mail person every 6 months when I renew my subscription, just not at the holidays.

On a side note, my FIL was a mail carrier for over 25 years and several of his clients would give him money, food, liquor and other fun things. On average, I think he brought home around $500 or more per holiday season.

 

[ReggieB]

My mail carrier is my lifeline to home. The whole tipping thing was new to me when I first moved to US, so it took a bit of time to work out who what I could and who could get tips. However since we have lived at our current address I always find something yummy from my home country to give to him. I really have a great mail carrier, my DH thinks it's really funny how I'm on first name terms with him. Very lucky to have such a great guy.

At our old address I used to have a great UPS guy, but he would never take anything as he said he wasn't allowed.

I don't have any problem with tipping these people, they really don't have to be so kind, they could just "do their jobs" and no more. My experience is that they have gone that extra little bit, so I want to say thank you. I can understand if your service is nothing special, that you do not want to tip.