Tipping and/or Gift Giving During the Holidays

[Babs Johnson]

Nobody to gift/tip here either. My hair stylist and the dog groomer get tipped as the services are rendered and I may not even see either of them near Christmas. There’s no direct contact with any delivery or garbage people and I’m a decade past having to worry about teachers/coaches/group leaders. It’s never occurred to me to “tip” the leadership at my church; most of them we consider personal friends and that would just feel weird.

You have a dog groomer? Based on some of your past posts, I was under the impression you weren’t a pet person.

 

[Babs Johnson]

My barber gets an extra tip around the holidays. When we still had the newspaper delivered the carrier got an extra holiday tip also.

 

[MamaMermaid]

My son is in kindergarten. We will give his teacher a Christmas gift.

 

[LoveDaisy]

I give a holiday gift to my hairdresser and nail person. They both get a bottle of sparkling pointe (Long Island vineyard that only does sparkling wine) in addition to my regular tip. I know they both use it to toast NYE and have said it’s a part of their holiday tradition.

I also tip our milk delivery person, newspaper person, and my mailman who we have had for years and used to bring our dog a treat every day and if we aren’t home brings all packages to a side door inside my fenced yard so they don’t sit out front all day.

 

[Snowflakey]

I always leave gift bags -3 in total for my garbage and recycling guys. I have a dumpster and if you see the amount of stuff we throw throughout the year you'd give them a gift too

I probably should leave something for FedEx and UPS as they are pretty much here every day

My daughters and I bake every year and go around and drop off goodies to friends around town. Sometimes we do our local firemen, sheriff department as well. That we love the most!

I also adopt a few families every year and buy gifts and clothes for the kids.

Oh I love this time of the year!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's against the law to give a Mail Carrier a tip.

Yeah true, they can take a low cost gift however (not a gift card). I don't remember the amount you are supposed to stay under.

My mom used to bake cookies for the mailperson leaving a baggie for them but that was years ago and probably less likely to be seen as appropriate these days given all the home baked prohibitions in many places. Her mailbox is still attached to her house however.

 

[gmi3804]

I don't tip the dog groomer because she's the owner of the shop, but I do give her a nice gift at the holidays.

 

[nw6675]

OP here -

@tvguy you can tip a mail carrier in goods up to $20, no cash.
https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22349/html/cover_025.htm

We tip our UPS driver and mail carrier (walking mailman) because they rock!! Our garbage and recycle guys because they work hard and they take anything we put out.

Others are hit or miss and sometimes depends if we actually see them in December.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

OP here -

@tvguy you can tip a mail carrier in goods/gift cards up to $20, no cash.

We tip our UPS driver and mail carrier (walking mailman) because they rock!! Our garbage and recycle guys because they work hard and they take anything we put out.

Others are hit or miss and sometimes depends if we actually see them in December.

You're right about the gift card, I guess so long as it can't be one that could be exchanged for cash. I'm not sure how often that comes up with any one particular gift card being allowed to exchange for cash as pretty much all of them say prohibited unless allowable by state law so maybe the states that allow that? Not sure what ones do.

 

[nw6675]

You're right about the gift card, I guess so long as it can't be one that could be exchanged for cash. I'm not sure how often that comes up with any one particular gift card being allowed to exchange for cash as pretty much all of them say prohibited unless allowable by state law so maybe the states that allow that? Not sure what ones do.

I updated my post because some say yes on GC and others no. USPS has no for GC so I put the link. They still take them, though

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I updated my post because some say yes on GC and others no. USPS has no for GC so I put the link. They still take them, though

we won't tell anyone if they do

 

[luvnwdwgal]

Nobody

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I chose Other because we take homemade cookies and candy to the fire station.

 

[Micca]

I don't think we gift any service providers. Maybe something for the Grandkid's teachers?

 

[nw6675]

I chose Other because we take homemade cookies and candy to the fire station.

Awesome!

 

[RedAngie]

I give my hair stylist an extra holiday tip in addition to tipping at each visit. My cleaning service gets a holiday tip but not weekly unless they do something extra on my request. Lawn/yard service the same.

 

[Meriweather]

We never see package delivery people, trash and recycle people or mailman.
We tip hair and pedicure people at time of service.

We do tip yard maintenance people and pool cleaner at holiday time.

 

[fla4fun]

I selected other because the only person I tip is the man who mows my lawn. Our trash is picked up by an arm truck, so they never get out of the truck. Our mail is delivered to a cluster box, so there isn’t a place to leave a gift really. I never see any package delivery people, and there isn’t anyone else I interact with that would fall under typical holiday tip/gift guidelines. I do tip my lawn guy with cash.

 

[barkley]

not one for us-only 'service' folks we use we either NEVER see (garbage is automated trucks so the drivers never exit), don't see near holidays (yard service ends in fall/starts in spring, pest service was just done for fall/winter-won't see again until spring) or on a revolving door (we have a revolving door of postal carriers, fed ex...). no more young kids in school so the teacher train has left the building. hair? revolving door at place dh/ds use, mine grows so sloooooooooowly i only go once a year or so.

 

[newski_mom]

I just checked youth leaders as I used to always gift our kids teachers and their youth leaders at church. We are past that point now, but did with teachers until they were in high school and felt funny giving gifts and did with their youth leaders and Sunday School teachers until they aged out.

My mom is a very generous tipper, especially at Christmas time. Starting in December, she tips every time she goes through the drive thru. She said she figures they have extra expenses this time of the year and probably could use the extra money. Personally, I wouldn't mind tipping in that instance (especially if it's an adult working the window), but honestly, it just makes me feel kind of odd, so I never do.