I believe that gift cards are ok. I give our mail carrier a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

How about a ten dollar gift certificate from Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds?

They're allowed to accept monetary gifts--my sister's a 'mailman'. BUT they're supposed to be under a certain amount (think it's $20-25, maybe). If their gifts excede the 'allowed amount' they're supposed to put them in a pile at the distribution center, then they all pick and choose what they want. Makes no sense to me, but that's what Sis says is done.

I only tip GOOD mailmen. Had one once who used to ALWAYS put my mail through the slot, always came the same time every day, ALWAYS rang the bell and waited if he had something too large to fit through the mail slot (and if I wasn't home, he'd put the package on my back steps. He was pleasant and polite. I used to get him a $25 gift certificate to one of the local restaurants.

I wouldn't tip the assorted carriers we've had lately. Some of them show up early--9:30-10; sometimes they don't deliver till after 5. Often they either leave the mail hanging half in, half out of the slot; or they just drop it on my front steps, and they never ring the bell for packages. Actually, last package I had delivered by the USP was half open (but luckily the stuff inside was all there, and not harmed.)

No, azzalea, cash is not allowed by regulations. You may have misheard your Sis?

They can get gift cards for up to $20, but they cannot be redeambable for cash.

The value of the gift cannot be over $20.

Are you kidding? Our mail service on this route has never been worth a darn. They deliver mail to the wrong house, etc. I have never tipped mailmen even when they were good. They make a good salary and have great benefits.

We usually give gift cards, this year it was a Subway card. I have done food gifts before, always get a thank you note.

I give mine a plate of home made fudge - his request.

Since all the mail goes to the PO in our small town, am not sure. We do have a very good Postmaster(woman) and she deserves a gift. Not sure if she would accept it. She goes by the book, which does save trouble for all of us.

This is the first year I have ever given a gift to my mailman. He replaced our mail lady who had been delivering our route for 20+ years. Not only was she lousy at delivering mail, she was also the neighborhood gossip. She did more talking than anything else. Our new guy goes above and beyond the call of duty. I gave him a box of See's candy.

I don't. The reliability of mail delivery on my street is horrible and has been for many years in spite of many complaints to the postmaster.

I don't even know who our postman is, or if we even have the same one every day. Our mailbox is our by the street, so I never see him/her. Whoever it is doesn't shut the door on the mailbox, so you gotta get out there soon if it's rainy, which hasn't been a problem in Texas for a long time. LOL You have to draw the line somewhere. You can't tip everybody. We receive 2 newspapers a day. Our friends in San Antonio said that their lady that throws their paper includes an self addressed envelope w/ one of their papers, and everyone understands you are to mail her a check for a bonus, and she doesn't put a stamp on the envelope. LOL I had never heard of such a thing, but they say it's accepted and done yearly. There just have to be limits.

Haven't had a real regular delivery man this year.
We use a local post office a lot so always give the counter and behind the counter nice boxes of candy.

We usually give him candy, when I had my office I gav that carrier a gift card and some candy.

Not sure how many knew this but not all postal carriers receive benefits or great pay for that matter, even those that are full time. I have a cousin that just started with the post office. He says his pay is ok for the rural area he's living in but he is NOT receiving insurance and he is fulltime. I thought that was strange. I would have thought that they were all treated the same at least as far as the benefits were concerned. He also does not belong to a union and there's no chance to be in the union. Again, I thought that was strange.

I do not give a gift to our postal carrier.

one of the ladies I met at Weight watchers has been working for the postoffice for over 3 years now... maybe over 4. She is still ranked as a temp employee, usually working over 40 hours and because they keep her as a temp, (or whatever fancy word they use) She does NOT get ANY benefits.

oops forgot to add that she gets pretty good hourly pay, which is a LOT better than a lot of people my son and I included!

One of our tv news stations did a story on how underpaid the the sky caps are. They interviewed one of them and he was demanding a LOT more hourly wage.. He said that his $8(and something) hour was only 20% of the money he makes. he said that he makes more tips and that his hourly rate should actually be more than his tips. it was a pity party with he and the lady reporter. Uh, excuse me. . . If you get paid over $8/hour and that is only 20% of your income, sounds to me like you are making over $40.00 an hour and I would say that THAT is a miraculous amount for such an inskilled job. And I wonder if you actually report ALL of those tips to the IRS! lol I should go apply!

thanks, so much, everyone for all your thoughts on this subject. it gives me an idea of what i should do this year!! ;)

I don't understand why everyone feels they are entitled to tips. Especially people who make more than many they supposedly serve. Considering what they make, what they do and now they'll be working even less (yeah, I guess it IS possible!) I'd be much more likely to tip a burglar.

I won't go so far as to say it couldn't happen that I'd tip one. But should the plumber be tipped too? The doctor? The lawyer? Who next?

The kids that are working at the gas stations and other stores this time a year are far more deserving of a tip IMO. Have you ever seen the look of their face when you pay for your gas and drop them a $5 or a $10 bill and say thank you for your work? Gives a nice warm feeling. And they appreciate it instead of expect it.

I have never even considered tipping our mailman. We do get the self-addressed envelope from the fellow who delivers our Chicago Trib and we happily send him $25. Our reasoning: he certainly doesn't receive the nice salary the postman does, and he's out their delivering newspapers at 4 a.m. ~ certainly not a hugely desirable job.

Please...mail CARRIERS. Many women carry the mail and they are not mail MEN.

I don't think that I read anywhere that Lindalou's mailman felt entitled to a tip, Cynic. Mine has never felt so, yet I always felt that he does a good job and so I want to remember him at holiday time. Jim takes good care of us, we live in a rural area and tho we have an oversized mailbox there are times that there is a package that is too large for the box. Rather than leave a note and taking back to the PO he drives the quarter mile to our house to leave things on the porch.

We also gift our garbage men each year.

I don't see a reason to tip. I work hard for the money I make, and I try to put it to the best possible use...

Moni

Nor did I tip the two newspaper deliverypeople, who were invariably late, tossed paper into snow banks and rain puddles.

THEN, they have the gall to demand a tip with a Christmas card and self addressed return envelope - not stamped !

We solved our delivery problems with signing up for the e-editions at 1/4 the delivery price, and zero aggravation.
No more climbing snow drifts, waiting for morning paper, waiting for a sopping wet paper to dry out on a rainy day.

I'm finished my home print of my crossword puzzle at least an hour before the neighbor has their paper delivered !

As to the Post Office, I avoid them like the plague....all possible correspondence with us is by e-mail, not the Post Office.
95% of the contents of our mailbox is junk mail, and gets tossed right into the trash.

And, neither my laptop or printer demand a tip !

I know my mail lady personally and she often brings our large packages to the door. We have a row of mailboxes at the entrance to our "forrest" of houses in our community, that are well hidden and she goes out of her way to accomidate us as most of us are senior citizens. She has been with us for at least 10 years so we think of her as "ours." I make her candies and cookies, and drop in a package of starbucks breakfast blend also for her to sip on these cold mornings. I hope she knows she is appreciated.

I really like my mailman. He does drive up our driveway to bring large items to our door. I'd trade jobs with him any day. :0) Never tipped him or considered it...or the cashier at the grocery store or the attendant inside the gas station or the meter reader....

I got a job at a local grocery store awhile back working the customer service desk for $7.41hr...then I paid union dues on top of that! :0) They expected me to be on call in addition to my regular hours, no benefits and I never got a tip. :0) My choice....I quit. :0) I'm absolutely sure I made less than the postman....good thing I saved my money when I was well employeed. :0)

My husband was a mail man and his pay was lest than mine.I worked as a cashier and at retirement the sociel security took my pay scale rather than his.I worked for thirthy years for a food chain and he worked for thithy years in the post office.I don't know their pay scale now but I know my devorced husband is recieving my pay scale now.I have a good mailman now and I tipped him $5.00 I don't have much money but I love my mailman and he is not my ex.MyRetail union local 1272 saw that we got good benifits and penions is why I need nothing now.Mail men have a secured job but the pay scale is not what you think.

I've had the same mail lady for several years and she brings packages to the door for me, and often the mail when there's a lot of it. I always get a Christmas card from her, and I give her a box of candy, which she says she loves. She's a jewel and I just want to let her know she's appreciated.

I am not part of this list but love to read it when I have the time. Had to stick my nose in on this because I don't think giving your mail carrier anything has to do with what they earn at their job. I feel it's something you do just because you want to if they provide good service. We are rural, our carrier has been our carrier for many, many years - he brings things to the back door if they are to large for the box; he puts large envelopes between the storm and regular door. Although I can't call him a friend, I certainly appreciate him and how good he is at his job. We always put $10.00 in a card for him at Christmas. And I also do the same for our garbage man - we have a dumpster and this fellow has been on our route for a long, long, time, too. Very courteous, takes extra stuff without any extra charge. I always give him a card and cash for Christmas.

A very Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you and my best for a Happy New Year.

Jan

Bob is a wonderful mailman... he gets a $20 gift card to a local restaurant. I'd give him more, but wouldn't want to get him in trouble.

No, never thought about it before. I also suspect that he has swiped the Netflix movies that I put in the mailbox to be mailed back. They only seem to disappear when I do that. Never when I put them in the mailbox at the post office.

I don't tip mail delivery people. They get paid, probably pretty well. Let others tip if they wish. My service is so-so. I often get mail meant for neighbors. I have to leave a note and set it out for the next day. I think there are several different carriers. Sorry if I sound like The Grinch.

I don't tip either. I have seen him only a few times to speak to. Service is adequate but does that deserve a tip? Where does it end? My mailman hasn't done anything beyond sticking mail in my box. He barely has to break stride doing it walking down the sidewalk.

I do like my mail lady (I worked with her years ago), but I don't give her a holiday tip of any sort. If I were moving I'd probably give her a gift to thank her for doing a good job over the years.

My brother is a UPS driver and has a commercial route. He says he gets a lot less holiday gifts from the businesses he delivers to than he used to. He still gets some nice gift baskets and other things.

I've never tipped my mailman and don't see the need to do so. He/she gets paid for doing their job and paid quite nicely I might add! With benefits, holidays and a pension plan!!!!!

I don't see the point of tipping anyone at all. I mean - I know you are supposed to tip as a way of rewarding good service, but shouldn't rewarding good service be the job of the employer? If the waiter (for instance) is seen by the employer to be doing a great job, and maybe people comment on how good he is, then the employer should give him a raise and/or a promotion. If he does a lousy job, he should get fired. Same as with any other occupation.

(yes, I do tip people that rely on tips as part of their wages - hairdresser, wait staff, etc. But I wish tipping wasn't part of the "deal". But no, I don't tip our mail carrier.)

No, I don't tip the mailman (who isn't the same person every day) or the trash collectors. Sometimes I feel like I should tip the trash guys, but I just don't want to get started on that. Once I left an envelope on the trash can with $10. The guy who emptied my can took the $10, threw the envelope on the ground and I know none of the other guys on the truck got a dime, or even knew that I tipped. Phooey with that.

I do tip the hairdresser, although I kind of resent it. I tip her well all year and pay a small fortune for her services. She should tip me for being such a good customer. She just had a baby so I will kill two birds with one stone (holiday and baby gift) by tipping her with a gift card from Baby Gap.

Enough is enough.

Jan2 that was a really nice post.

I wanted to chime in that I always tip my mailman. He is so friendly and has been our carrier for 13 years. He brings our packages to the door and stays to chat. I would not think of not leaving him a holiday tip. He goes above and beyond as a mail carrier.

I do not tip my mailman. I never see him and he never has packages to deliver to my house. I have a large mailbox. We live in the country and delivers the mail at the box on the road.

Sue

A friend and I were talking about this topic, she remarked that her mailman is an important part of the community, he chats with most everyone on his route. He's alerted her to illnesses, births and or deaths in the neighborhood and saved a life two years ago when he noticed that one of the folks had not taken in their mail from the previous day. She said she would not ever consider not including him in her holiday gifting.

It's interesting to see how different the mail carriers are.

I don't typically... but on occasion I have given containers of home made cookies.

I guess our mailman was ticked off at having to deliver a package today.
He drove up and put the regular mail in the mailbox, which sits on the street, then walked up the drive (about 100 ft), up to the deck, and plopped the very light cardboard box into the only puddle on the large deck - deliberately walking extra steps to the "other side" of the front door.

I give mail & newspaper good box chochlates ,it does help they want to go the xtra mile for you.

Our mailman is very nice and has always taken extra care when leaving our packages safely situated if we weren't home, so every year we gifted him with a card and some homemade treats--same as we gave to all our neighbors. But this year I didn't do any special baking or candymaking, so simply gave him a bag of Cutie Clementine oranges. In return, he left us the nicest and most appreciative Thank You note in our box today.:)

I agree with jan2 and was going to write exactly the same thing before I read her post. I tip my mailman because of the extra things he does for me, as a way of saying thank you, not because of what he does or doesn't earn. We are on a rural route and behind a gate with a row of 20 or boxes. The boxes were not always secured behind the gate and he started calling me before he left the post office to see if I was going to be home so I could meet him rather than him leaving the card for me to have to drive into town and pick up. He has done this for 10 years. When there is something too large for the box now he calls to ask if someone can meet him or if it's okay to leave the package beneath the box. He does this many times during the year and has saved me the 16 mile round trip many times. My $20 (max. allowed) in a card is a small thank-you in my mind.

I remember my mother baking homemade cookies for our garbage men. They (two of them) would stop for a moment or two to break open that box and munch on the cookies with relish! Great fun and a sweet memory.

Skimming through the comments.... I just would like to say... No matter the pay, and no matter the benefits, wouldn't you like to feel appreciated for your job? Giving a Thank you note and/or a gift is a positive wonderful thing to do for anyone. We need to show one another more love and appreciation, and be kind. It could change the persons day, week, or even their outlook. +pay it forward+

This is a very old thread and the beginning of summer but will be Christmas sooner then we think. I do tip my mail carrier as well as my refuse service. Sure my mail carrier makes good money and the refuse service charges a fortune. However, they both provide a service.

We have a regular mail carrier and what I did last year was buy gourmet chocolates (Toberlone, Godiva, Ghirradelli) and a card with a note of thanks for her going out of her way. She could just leave packages out at the box but she brings them to the door and actually waits for us to answer unlike the Fed Ex guy who knocks and runs, if he even bothers to get out of the truck.

As a side note, on Christmas Eve last year a substitute carrier had a package so he came to the door with it and our mail. DH said there is a gift in the mailbox, thinking we'd give that to him and replace for the regular carrier. The substitute didn't take it. I thought that was really nice that he figured he only delivered once and wouldn't take away from regular carrier.