Tipping...

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This is the time of year when many people in service industries expect a gratuity from their regular customers. Newspaper and mail deliverers, sanitation collectors, doormen, and limosine drivers quickly come to mind as examples of people who "have their hand out" during the holiday season.

Without getting into specific amounts, I'd like to know if you regularly tip the people who provide services for you throughout the year.

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For Christmas, I tip anyone who may give a little extra service or at the very least good consistent service. For example, our mailman will ask if we received our packages and if it works o-k for us for him to leave the packages at our door. Our mailboxes are not at each door, but at the end of the street. We also receive lots of packages around holidays and during the kids' birthdays. He also asks if we had any problems with mail after his vacation. So we typically give him some cash each year. The newspaper carrier we have a tip added to each bill so I do not give an additional tip at Christmas.

There really is no other service provider we use regularly. But this morning our dry cleaner gave us a bottle of wine. We do have lots of dry cleaning and have been to this particular business regularly for several years, but it is the first time, they have given us a present.

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the only person we tip is the newspaper deliverer, and only because he slips us a stamped self-addressed envelope in with the paper...

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Quote:

our dry cleaner gave us a bottle of wine

Linkat, that's amazing!

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I tip the mailman too. He's exceptionally nice and
rings the doorbell when we have a package as opposed
to leaving it in front of the door. He fixed my mailbox
once without me asking or knowing. He's just genuine
nice and beyond his line of duty.

The paperboy does get a tip as well.

But I won't extra tip a vendor where I might buy coffee
or my groceries. I think that's a bit much.

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What amount do you guys tip?

Thanks for asking this RP, I've never really gotten a handle on this -- we're financially strapped and I just can't afford to give more than the minimum, but want to give at least that.

We've gotten self-addressed stamped envelopes from weekly NYT carrier, weekend NYT carrier, um phooey someone else too but I can't remember who, and the garbage guys have been especially friendly and while the mailman hasn't said anything he's one I genuinely want to tip.

Suggestions, please!

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Mailman, my mechanic.... my husband...
Shocked

did i say that out loud????

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sozobe,
I wouldn't tip a NYT carrier extra for the weekend delivery -
that's not right. Send one check and they should share.
If you're strapped then I'd give 5 Dollars only.

As for the mailman, I do give him 20 Dollars, and they're
not allowed to take anything above that anyway. 10 Dollars
will do just fine too - it's the thought that counts and showing
some appreciation, it doesn't need to be a downpayment
on a house Wink

Hm, I never see the garbage collectors, they come while
I'm at work and here they just drive the truck and the
garbage cans are collected with these foreclift arms and
automatically loaded into the truck. If one of the bags
falls out, they just leave it. So I don't think a tip is in order here.

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Two different carriers. One for weekday, one for weekend. Different addresses. $2.50/ ea? :-? (Prolly $5/ea, thanks for input.)

My dad's a retired mailman, I just asked him if something like homemade cookies would be appreciated or annoying. Will let you know what he says.

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reading along
tips - well I'm not getting out of the house much

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sozobe,
I wouldn't tip the paper boys separately, or if you'd like
to anyway: The weekend delivery guy has only 2 days of
deliveries, so I wouldn't split the amount evenly.

Homemade cookies are always welcome sozobe, unless
he's a diabetic Wink

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I leave boxes of tea for my delivery people.
My mail-woman- gets tea boxes, our yard workers get a big kraft of hot tea all the time and then a box of tea to go with them
Tea is a nice ( cheap ) gesture that says thank you, doesnt cost much and packs a good whop of consideration in thier diets, thier jobs ( because it DOES get cold) and it is personal.

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The paper people are both gals, actually.

Tea, huh. Nice idea.

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Yes, tea is nice indeed. I just bought a tea set for a friend of mine,
who loves to drink tea.

tea set

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shewolfnm wrote:

I leave boxes of tea for my delivery people.
My mail-woman- gets tea boxes, our yard workers get a big kraft of hot tea all the time and then a box of tea to go with them
Tea is a nice ( cheap ) gesture that says thank you, doesnt cost much and packs a good whop of consideration in thier diets, thier jobs ( because it DOES get cold) and it is personal.

I was thinking you should share your movies..... Cool

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Sozobe - my dad was also a retired mailman. I remember he used to get Christmas gifts - sometimes candy or boxes of chocolate and sometimes bottles of wine and sometimes money. I would have to guess it would depend on how many people give him homemade cookies. If 100 people give him cookies, I would imagine it would be annoying. If one person gave it to him, I bet it would be very appreciated. I remember him getting lots of candy and sometimes some bottles of wine. I look at it this way, you can never go wrong with money.

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This year one newspaper person who put the papers in the newspaper cylinder will be tipped. The other who threw the papers in the general direction of the driveway (after being asked not to) won't.

One year I received a letter from a newspaper carrier announcing that he deserved a large Christmas bonus and that his car needed a lot of repair work.

He didn't get tipped, either.

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I used to tip the paper boy when I had one buit now I only tip the Mail lady and my UPS delivery guy. They're both wonderful, friendly and pleasant. (The Fedex guy will get spit on if he shows up- grrr.. ).

Last year I gave both a wine/cheese basket. I hadn't even thought abou this year yet. Good thing you posted this thread! Very Happy

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Here's what my dad the erstwhile mailman says:

Quote:

I used to wonder about homemade cookies, because how could they know if I like that kind? (For example, I happen not to like peanut butter in cookies, although I like it otherwise.) So I always liked good ol cash. People gave me sometimes just like $2 (usually some old fogey who's cheap maybe, but maybe thinks it is still 1950) but I also got a lot of twenties and sometimes even 50 buckos from the rich and influential types. But dig: an awful lot of people didn't give me anything, contrary to popular belief. So any amount was appreciated. I give our carrier ten bucks, and she always seems happy with that in her thankyou card.

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Quote:

hadn't even thought abou this year yet. Good thing you posted this thread!

wasn't my intention, no sirree.
i heard it being discuss't on the radio this morning and thought it was good thread fodder...

i think we gave the paper"boy" (he looks likes he's about 45) $25.
that's 7 cents a day to insure a dry newspaper at the foot of the front door...

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