Do You Tip During the Holidays?
Reader, Karrie, emailed with this question:
Now that Christmas shopping is underway, do you or any other readers have any suggestions on what kind of frugal gifts would be acceptable for people like our local postman, paper delivery person, hairstylist, teacher exc. I just read an article where it says to tip them but was wondering if we would save our pockets by making something homemade or going through our stock pile or something?
What are your thoughts on this? Do you give your Mailman a huge tip this time of year (and they definitely do a lot of work for all of us that love to request those freebies! 😉 )? Or do you bake cookies and other yummy treats for your Hairstylist/Teacher/Mailman etc…? Please share any creative and frugal ideas you may have to show your appreciation for these special people. Thanks!
So sorry to hear that. Did any of your packages get ruined? And did u report him. That is just not acceptable.
I put together gift baskets of freebies/cheapies for the people I, or my kids, have a personal relationship with. Teachers (school and church), bus drivers etc. I don’t rely on many other service providers other than my chiropractor, and he gets home made Christmas goodies (cause I know he eats them!) Maybe I will leave something for my paper carrier this year – having to haul 6 papers to my door step every week could build some real muscles (maybe I am really doing him/her a favor ;))
We have a paper carrier that does as little as possible. Throws the paper and it lands somewhere at the very end of our driveway or near the neighbor’s driveway. Some days it never shows up at all. I think I’ll leave him/her a lump of coal. 🙂
Maybe the wind blows your paper to the next drive or someone kicks it going down the street or a dog grabs it. Delivering papers is a everyday job with no days off and the weather is what it is and you hope your car runs well that day because you do not want customers complaining because their paper was late or in the wrong spot.
I give a present to the service manager at the car delaership that I take my car to that takes care of me when I take the cars to get serviced.
I ALWAYS give gifts to my children’s teachers! They are people whose names come up everyday in the conversation I have with my boys on the way home from school/work. Their teachers are very important to them and me and I want to make sure the teachers know it. I try to make mental notes when I see them (i.e. drinks coffee, wears scarves or wears big earrings, likes lotion) so I can make sure to get them something I hope they like. I would NEVER give them school supplies as a Christmas gift. I stock up on those in August and give them throughout the year ‘just because’.
I am a nurse, and while we are not allowed nor would it be acceptable in my opinion to accept cash tips. But it is so wonderful when someone brings a bag of candies, a plate of cookies, a good pen, an encouraging book. It makes me feel like I really do make a difference. I would imagine no matter what job the person performs, it would make them feel the same way. Especially when it comes from someone that I already went above and beyond for. I always “do my job,” but there is a huge difference when my heart is in it, and usually those are the ones that do bring something special into the office for nursing staff around the holidays. It’s a wonderful feeling to be appreciated. No one should feel obligated to GIVE anyone anything, that destroys the whole meaning behind a gift.
I think eating homemade anything sounds a little risky. My mom is also a nurse and had a nice patient that just had a baby come and bring them a plate of cookies. All the nurses were enjoying them until the lady said how she thought breastmilk really made the cookies taste more rich………YUCKI!!! Needless to say they don’t eat anything anyone makes for them anymore unless they really know the person.
LOL! Yuck-o!! As a rule, I don’t eat anything “homemade” from anyone that I don’t know VERY WELL. I guess I have seen too many episodes of Hoarders 😉
Cash.
If they want cookies they can buy them with the cash gift I give them.
I think it is the most useful gift for anyone, not that I give so much, but it is what I would want.
http://www.gaynycdad.com
I think cash is great but I don’t have a lot of cash to give so for me it would be insulting to give only $3 cash when I can turn $3 into awesome baked goods or other things I have saved on.
I always get the scratch off tickets… for all the teachers.. mailman.. newspaper delivery man.. kids bus driver.. i love to schratch there off and you never know ONE of them might get lucky and win big!!!!!
Did that once and had them returned b/c the person was in recovery for a gambling addiction. Oops! (I still love getting them!)
I don’t tip my mail man. I do give my trash man (Bob) cold bottled water in the summer. I don’t tip my cashiers but I do bake the Wags and CVS girls cookies. They are very coupon friendly and always take care of me. They let me know when they are going to clearance at 90% off. That saves me tons of money! It’s not an obligation. It’s my little way of saying thank you. The cashiers there don’t make a lot of money. Something small to say I appreciate you is the least you can do. Also, I wanted to add that I was a maid. If you leave a tip for your maid she will go out of her way to do extra on your home. To the commenters above who said “No one tips me when I do my job.” Wouldn’t it be nice if someone did? It’s the season of giving.
I always give gifts to my kids teachers and bus drivers. I usually stock up on school supplies at the begining of the year and then put someof those in a basket along with some of my moms homade chocolates. Sometimes if I haven’t the supplies I give them a gift card. But the teachers REALLY look forward to my moms chocolate. Since I have kids in consecutive grades (right now 6,5,and4) when the youngest leaves the teachers are sad that they don’t get any more chocolate, so my mom ends up giving them some too. Luckily w and only have only have 1 teacher per grade!! (We live in a small town and kids go to a school that is K-8 and each grade only has one class) The bus drivers usually get a coffee mug with chocolates. I usually give my hairdresser a little bigger tip than normal (and I always tip about 20%) and if I go out to eat for a nice dinner I usually also give them a little more. After being a server for many years I know how much those nice unexpected tips can be.
When I was waiting tables at Bertucci’s in 1999 around the holiday season, a man handed me a $100 bill for a pizza and a couple sodas for him and his wife. I didn’t see the bill as it was in the billfold, so I asked if he wanted change, and he said, “No. Have a nice night.” I went back to the kitchen to cash it out and nearly fell over. I ran over to his table and didn’t make a big deal about it so not to embarrass him, but wanted to double check that he hadn’t made a mistake. He just winked and said, “Merry Christmas.” I will NEVER forget that random act of generosity. It was so appreciated.
A couple of weeks ago, we got a coupon for the BOGO Logan’s Q’s…. I gave all my extras to my waitress and she nearly cried…. went from a server who hardly looked at us to telling us about how horrible her night had been and how this was going to help her tips tremendously….. over and over and over. Makes me think about all those restaurant Q’s I don’t use, if I have time, I might stop and drop ’em off in passing to help someone without spending any extra money…… Little things sometimes make such a difference.
As a server, I’m always surprised that my average percentage of tips goes DOWN drastically during the holiday season. I’ve always assumed it’s because people are spending a lot of extra money (buying gifts, hosting parties, etc) and are looking to save money where they can (Although there is the occasional table or two who will leave extra, but they are in the definite minority). I know it’s not my service that changes, because I have been doing this for 8 years, and it is always just around the holidays that it happens. No one’s obligated to tip anything specific, but I find it pretty inconsiderate, to be honest. I miss holiday parties and time with my family and everything else to go to work and serve people meeting up with their friends during the holidays and to be tipped poorly is kind of disheartening.
I bake small loaves of Amish Friendship Bread wrap them in plastic wrap and tie them with ribbon. Last year I gave them to the mailman, trash collector, hair dresser, teachers, principal, art teacher, music teacher…everyone! It was inexpensive and appreciated!
I am a first year bus driver for special needs children. Just seeing their smiling happy faces, every day is a “gift” enough. I wouldnt expect or want cash, a great drawing or some sort of home made Christmas ornament would be AWESOME!!!
Thank You! We need more bus drivers like you!
I’ve been wondering what to tip my childrens school bus driver. ? He’s an older gentelman and always has a smile on his face when he picks up and drops off both my children. I also make it a priority to be out there with my kids to meet the driver and THANK him EVERY time I see him for an awsome job he does.
Thank you for what you do and God bless you and every bus driver out there !!
Mom of 2 😉
Just because it was stated on Yahoo, doesn’t make it so.
I give gifts to the people I have a close personal relationship to – like teachers. I tip people throughout the year that work for tips – hair stylist, waiters, etc, as I receive their services.
I don’t do the “NY style tip everyone” at Christmas. Seriously, tipping the garbage collectors and mail carriers just seems strange to me.
i agree i send a small gift basket to my sons teacher (only if they are good and helpful with me and my child) the bus driver gets some candies or some other small thing. everyone else gets what they would normally get all throughout the year. around christmas i wanna put my effort and money into my children and family not someone i dont really even talk to other than small talk, if that!!!
I totally agree. Tipping someone just because it is Christmas just seams strange to me. Yah your garbageman or newspaper carrier may not have the most pleasant jobs, but it is the jobs that they chose? I don’t tip the person who takes my order at mcdonald, my womens dr, or my kids coach. I do like the idea of writing a note of thanks. And before people start to think that I am unkind…I saw a homeless man outside of a restaurant yesterday. We asked him if we could buy him something to eat and he said no but that he was cold. So my husband and I went and bought him a coat, gloves, blanket, and sleeping bag (and if you are thinking we are rich and it wasn’t an ouch to the wallet, that is definetely not the case :). I want my kids to know that if there is someone in need we need to help them.
It is often a risk to the homeless to have cash or nicer things which can be stolen from them. There are some very interesting public policy studies with statistics about homeless and panhandlers, some of them bringing in $200 day tax free, and many suffering from addiction or mental problems that giving them cash or expensive gifts exacerbates. I would suggest that volunteering at a soup kitchen or shelter might be a better way to teach your children to help the less fortunate, as well as helping these underfunded refuges stock their supply of items needed to do their work. We take the kids to host family days at some of the shelters that have lots of children and always direct homeless/panhandlers to the nearest shelter rather than giving them cash or anything that can be converted to money.
My mom used to make a thing of bread for teachers, bus driver, etc. (like a loaf cranberry bread)
Absolutely tip them…. I cannot afford a lot, but I do get $5 gift cards from either Subway or Starbucks so they can be treated to lunch etc. I give it to the garbage men, newspaper boys, and mail lady. Their jobs are very difficult, especially at this time of the year, so it is great to show them that they are appreciated.
In our neighborhood is a local restaurant were a lot of the mail carriers gather for lunch. So I always buy my mail carrier a gift certificate for that restaurant. My mail carrier always leaves me a Christmas card and a thank you note. I used to buy my childrens teachers a gift card for Barnes & Nobles but this year I think I will buy them a gift certificate to a local office supply company since so many teachers are having to buy supplies for their classrooms.
I think some people are “over-thinking” this and sounding a little “Scrooge-ish”
Christmas is the time for giving – and I am a firm believer in paying it forward – & blessing others.
I think if anyone – no matter who it is – makes an impact on you – OR – you feel appreciation FOR them – it doesn’t hurt for you to do nice gestures or “tip” them (if you can). I am a giver – and giving is just in my nature…. there are a million ways to show grattitude! A simple hand-written note can brighten anyone’s day (whether they make a wage or not)…
A candy bar and small gift card tied with pretty ribbon are my favorite (esp. for the teachers)
I recently gave the school nurse a cute tote (Target $1 spot) FILLED with some candy and all of those FREE band-aids and mini first aid kits we were all able to score for free recently. She loved it SO much because they only get the plain band-aids! I
Ditto.
My mail carrier goes above and beyond the call of duty, my stylist makes HOUSE CALLS. My husband’s secretary, our Pastor and His wife, all of these people bless me all year long. I don’t go above of my means. My mail carrier and hub’s sec. is getting a gift bag w/ a thermos and a handful of coffee and tea samples that we got for free through sites like Hip2save. My stylist is getting VSecret’s lip gloss set that I got for free with another order. I’ll be adding a few batches of cookies and truffles and viola…for pennies all these people know we appreciate them.
That’s priceless.
This was so well said I just wanted to tell you THANK YOU:-) I am like you& today was running around giving out coupons for freebies in Target-lol.Giving makes me feel good-whether its a big thing or little thing(depends on the person)it helps to brighten someone else’s day(and mine).Just think about how great the world could be if we all just went one step further-Pay It Forward(and hopefully not just on Holidays)!
🙂 You are so welcome – That’s what it’s all about –
Merry Christmas season you you all – and here’s to saving more money and blessing many more in the new year!!!
Take care
Donna
I usually give the mailman a giftcard for a restaurant and the paper delivery person money, although now we’re on an OT route for the mail, so we don’t have a regular mailman. Looks like the paper delivery person might get a little extra this year. 🙂 I also get something for my kids teachers.
TIPPING THE MAIL CARRIER-
I always wondered about tipping our mail carrier. I looked it up several years ago and found that they are not allowed to receive cash gifts. What they can accept is a non-cash gift that is $20 or less. Upon learning this, I’ve always bought a gift card from places like Target, Kohls or Walmart and enclosed it in a Christmas card with a nice greeting from our family. What is great is that our mail carrier always sends us back a thank you note!
I have never tipped or given gifts to any other service person beyond school teachers or Sunday School teachers in the past. This year we have many other teachers (preschool, gymnastics and dance) that will get small gifts as well. I appreciate what they do for my children and each one is amazing at what they do. Also, we have moved and our mail-lady now is amazing! She is really friendly – always talked to my kids if they were playing outside in the summer, plus she talks to and pets my dog. I’ve had previous mail people that wouldn’t deliver my mail if my dog was out, even though he is insanely friendly. I plan on making her a small gift basket (since she has to carry it til her route is done) of lotion, lip balm and probably some hand warmers that slip into gloves. For the trash collectors I plan to catch them with a couple cups of hot chocolate this winter if possible since they are city workers that rotate trash collecting duties (very small town, haha).
I’m planning to bake some treats for my daughter’s teachers. Around my area, parents usually give baked items, handwriting “thank you” card by student. I will pick recipes that really fancy and gourmet. They are not pre-made nor easy-to-find kind. I read some posts that some of people prefer gift card instead of home baked goodies but hopefully her teachers will enjoy some of my special treats. 🙂
I always tip with either cash or gift cards! I usually have a lot of gift cards so this is a good way tip some people. 🙂
I gave my UPS man an Amazon $10 gift card a few days ago because he is here almost everyday LOL….he was so happy and said he never gets anything.
That’s funny I did the same thing! They really do get so happy
I cant even get to the door fast enough for my UPS driver to give him anything lol. I have tried for a week now . He is in the truck before I can open my door . Drop and run
Haha! I know! I want to give my UPS something because he delivers to me practically everyday! But he’s so flippin’ fast that by the time I get to the door, he’s gone!
Some of these comments have made me sad. I do not give gifts because others “deserve” them or based on what they make. I give gifts because it gives me joy to give someone a gift. I will say I give extra for great service but I try to remember that everyone has bad days and still tip (waiters, etc) because I have not walked in their shoes. Remember your mail may come late to your town which means your mailman has no choice but to deliver it late and he/she would probably rather be home at 7PM then delivering the mail!
Thank you for saying that! I agree that some of this is a little sad. Very interesting to read others opinions! I, too, think you should give for the joy of giving not just give to those whom you believe “deserve” the gift. It’s definitely the thought that counts.
I give my Mailman and Trash man homemade treats and a 5 dollar gift card form McDonalds or Sunbway….thant way Lunch is on me!! I also give them treats like candy during the year!! Happy Holidays!
Mary,
I have read many of the comments on the sight today and I was wondering do you leave the treats for the garbage men out for them to pick up or do you try to hand deliver it to them? I am a teacher and leave before they usually pick up and would like to do something for them. I’m a little grossed out at leaving the gift, especially food, on top of the garbage cans. Thanks!
I do leave them out if I will not be home but I put them in a special box near the trash can or on top of the recycling bins with a note to the garbage men and recyclers. If I am going to do this then usually I will leave $10 walmart giftcards in individual christmas cards for each man. I know it is alot of money for some but it comes once a year and I want them to know I appreciate what they do!
Being a paper carrier myself, I might encourage those who receive the paper daily to think about that person who delivers their paper everyday. Your carrier never gets a day off- most papers are delivered every day of the year. The pay is very small. I have 80 customers and make about $400 per month. That comes out to a big paycheck of $.16 a day for each customer. They certainly deserve a tip! Hope this helps!
I was a carrier as well and loved when I would see a $1.00 tip every now and then on my printout. You can write a message and it says who its from…its great to see when someone takes the time to thank you, its not about the dollar but if you think about it, at .16, that extra dollar is another 6 papers you didnt have to fold and throw. I loved the job and would do it again if it wasnt an every single day job. I worked for 9 months straight.
I would say nothing expensive and should not be money. Mail people are not suppose to receive money, although customers insist. Something about favoritism if you know what I mean. I agree some mailman or woman do work hard, especially rural carriers, cause I used to be one. hee hee.
I do not tip the mail carrier or other salaried persons such as the meter man. They make a decent living in our area and as most workers are not allowed to accept cash. I do tip at restaurants that serve food to your table and my hair dresser – people who make low wages and provide service. We put together gift baskets for teachers, cookies for our favorite dentist or cashiers, give as much as possible to charities, etc.
i do the same plu i neverhave the same person
I give my postlady a candle every year and she loves it!!
I use to work at a Credit Union and one of our members would buy lunch for our whole office around this time of the year, every year!!! I couldn’t believe it when he did it and kinda stole that idea from him. Usually once a year I buy lunch for my mechanic(s). I feel great doing it and they really appreciate it too!!! Any gesture of good will is always appreciated whether its a teacher, a hairdresser or whomever!!!
Oh, I like this! My mechanics are always good to me. I think maybe I’ll add them to my lsit.
Here’s a great article that explains the rules associated with tipping folks at the USPS:
https://www.couponsherpa.com/ask-coupon-sherpa/holiday-tipping-for-those-who-cant-accept-tips/
I’m thinking I should cover this topic on my Suddenly Frugal blog!
Leah
When my oldest daughter (of 3) was about a year old and me pregnant with my second, she was VERY interested in the sound of the garbage truck pulling down the alleyway of our apartment complex. She would run outside with me close behind and wave to the driver. He would wave back and stop and chat with us. We lived in the apartment complex for the birth of my first through third child and every time that truck grumbled down the alleyway, my kids would run out to wave and chat with the driver. Every year for Christmas, the kids picked out a gift (usually chocolates…something they probably wanted for themselves) and gave it to him for Christmas. He was a very nice elderly man who took the time to acknowledge them and was always very friendly. Now that we live in a house, I do believe that I will be tipping not only our garbage truck drivers but our postman as well. I always smile and greet my postman whenever I am out there when he delivers our mail and he has told me several times that I am probably the only person one his route that takes the time to acknowledge what a wonderful job he is doing.
insted of spend some bucks and time on differents gifts …I am planning to give a little basket for the teachers with some freebies from this year, it can be a body wash, hand soap, a chocolate and may be a candle, all this items were free…!!!
I will be tipping my recycling guys, they are awesome with their service and special things they do to accommodate us…the trash guys not so much. They take what they feel like and throw our cans down and leave the lids thrown another direction…except for the month of December. Incredibly every year, the lids land very neatly on top of the upright cans replaced right where they belong and we will be left a Christmas card made with construction paper and their home address neatly printed inside. Good service…rewarded, poor service…ignored. I never thought about tipping the mailman and love the idea of tipping (with a small token gift) the Rite Aid and nice CVS workers. You all know it can’t hurt to be on their good side 😉 These posts have inspired me to think beyond the usual folks here, I’m thinking the chocolates or Tim Horton’s certificates for many community people that GO OUT OF THEIR WAY to be helpful.
I have a similar issue with the trash collectors–almost every week, I come home to the trash can blocking my driveway. So I have to stop, get out of the car, move it and get back in to pull in. Then go back and drag the thing up.
I’m wondering if I *do* provide some sort of tip, whether I’d get better service… Maybe I’ll try an experiment this year! I don’t have their addresses, so I’m not sure how that would work… But we’ll see!
in the past when I’ve moved I’ve gone out to meet the garbage men I tip them and explain because of my only having one arm, it’s going to take me quite awhile for me to unpack, so there wil be more than one pick up of my boxes(in my area you’re supposed to unpack everything and then put your boxes out at once!) The men are always thrilled to get the $$ and I get great service, I just realized I didn’t do that this time and I’ve “los”t most of my trash can lids!! I guess I might tip them for christmas!!
I put together a basket of Avon goodies. Everyone of ALL ages love it, Women, Kids and Men, and it’s inexpensive.
i live in NYC I tip all the workers in the building. I am sure I would get shot if I did not give cash.
I only buy a gift for the teacher and tip my hairdresser.
https://www.nycsinglemom.com
As a teacher, I am always grateful for gifts. Where I recently taught in a wealthier part of New England, I would literally get $50 gift cards from parents (I am a Special Educator in a self-contained classroom).
Where I teach now (and taught my first couple years) in a very poor area, Title I school near Jacksonville, Florida, I’ll be surprised to get anything at all.
I say this because although we may throw out baked goods or not appreciate dollar store coffee mugs, it’s the thought that counts.
The greatest gift for me would be if my parents were more involved with their children’s education and maybe showed up for meetings. Then we ALL win! 🙂
Well said!
My mother has been a hairstylist for over 40 years. I know the gifts she appreciates most are cash or gift cards, or even something “thoughtful” (not to say that all gifts aren’t thoughtful, but those that show that a client really put thought into the gift are greatly appreciated.) Homemade candy and baked goods abound, but never go to waste.
I usually provide an annual gift to my letter carrier and the pet/house sitter. I see my chiropractor and his secretary every 3 weeks (even after 5 years) and they are wonderful to me so they get small gifts, as a token of my appreciation. I also take a big basket of baked goods, fruit and beverages to both of the veterinarians’ offices because I appreciate them greatly all year. (I also usually give the vet I see a small gift too.) I don’t have a regular hairstylist.
This year, I think I will also include the folks who collect trash and maybe the parking attendant where I park each day and the newspaper delivery person.
One note: If your mailman travels on foot, consider giving anything lighter than a card well before, or sometime after, Christmas.
I give boxed chocolate or Fancy nuts to the mail lady, newspaper guy and the garbage guy. I also get some type of gift for our kids teachers. I don’t have a hair stylist. I am not real creative ….yet!
While I didn’t read through all the comments, I’d like to post a teacher’s thoughts on gifts.
Teachers spend 6-7 hours a day with your most precious possessions. We spend countless unpaid hours bringing work home, so we can provide the best education for your children. Yes, we love what we do and get paid but so do hairdressers, postal carriers and waitresses. Don’t you think your children’s teachers would enjoy a nice token of your appreciation? Let’s just be honest….. Gift cards are the best. Even if the card is for $5 to Subway, Blockbuster, Starbucks…. it is appreciated. Much better than baked goods or leftover freebies.
Shouldn’t it be the thought that counts? Aren’t we getting a little picky by sort of requesting cash or gift cards? I appreciate teachers for all they do. I appreciate lots of people for what they do but I don’t think it should be a necessary thing to tip. Stay at home moms work really hard and don’t get tips! If you get anything, be happy that someone thought of you and was gracious enough to give you anything. Don’t get persnickety because it’s not cash or a gift card.
I’m just sayin…. just because something was a “Leftover Freebie” doesn’t make it cheap… I sometimes get sad parting with some of my awesome deals, even though I know I have my own in my shower or wherever….. And I’m a teacher, too…. honesty is fine, but it’s totally the thought that counts. My favorite “gift” is when a child (or parent) recalls a small bit of info from weeks or months ago that they heard from me. That makes it all worth it!
If it is the thought that counts, then are you basically saying – “I looked around my house for something that I got for free to give to you” or is it that you knew what that person loves and scored it as a “freebie”. Just think about what the thought actually is before you give it.
I agree Rebecca, looking around the house for “freebies” does not seem like someone put a lot of “thought” into the gift. Teacher’s put a lot of time, energy, and “thought” into what they do everyday for our kids. They deserve more than us just throwing anything we find laying around the house into a basket as a gift.
EEK … don’t like that “leftover freebies” remark. You could have worded that better.
Ok this is somewhat on the topic. We have a wedding this weekend and money is very tight, were we can’t buy anything. I am making a gift basket with some Wine we have, candles and holders I found around the house and I am going to make pumpkin bread to put into the basket. I also have a movie and was going to put in some popcorn Is this a good gift to give at a wedding?
I think it could be a nice gift. Especially if you could find a poem about celebrating love or something as your items seem like they would make for a good celebration. I would skip the bread though. I know for my wedding we left for the honeymoon pretty quickly and barely had time to open all the gifts.
I’d love that!
Sounds really good to me, except the Bread… I agree with Ashlee.. lots of newlyweds leave for the honeymoon right away, and the bread might never be used.. ;(
I would suggest throwing in (if possible) bubble bath, and such items that both bride and groom can even take with them on their honeymoon to relax 🙂
I have taught for years in middle school and I think school supplies make AWESOME gifts. Many teachers spend hundreds of dollars on supplies out of their own pocket. So school supplies are a welcomed gift!
I’ve never given gifts to any people like this, I have no children in school though. I don’t remember ever giving a teacher a gift growing up, but especially as I got older I would often give my favorite teachers a Christmas card and a candy cane. I’m thinking about getting the mail lady a small gift card, but really not sure. She only delivers the mail about 2/3 of the time, the rest of the time is split among about 3 other carriers. I would only want to get one gift, but I would feel bad not getting them all something!
Ok..I have never left a comment on a blog before. But, I must weigh in. I’m a Mailman (that’s Fe-mailman actually) We love our customers and the thought but, we don’t like home baked stuff. Especially if you have cats or dogs. Frankly, we get a gut load of that candy and junk. Think of over 600 to 2000 deliveries on one route. And while the thought is extremely nice, most of it gets put in the garbage. Sorry bakers. We like cash. A gift card for a restaurant that’s in the area we can use for lunch is also very nice.
And, yes we are allowed to accept cash. The Post Office just doesn’t want to condone it. Our cash tipping customers get the best service.
Happy Mailing All
Good to know ! Thank you !
Shouldn’t you give good service to all your customers regardless of what cash they may or may not have given you? Some of us don’t have money to give…which is the main reason we’re couponers in the first place. Do we really need to bribe people to give us good service? I’m all for showing appreciation in what ways we can but does that have to be cash?
Uh yes.. I agree with you! Shouldn’t we all get the same service!??! Hmmmm
Lori writes “And, yes we are allowed to accept cash. The Post Office just doesn’t want to condone it. Our cash tipping customers get the best service”
This is why I don’t tip extra at the holidays. I tip, where appropriate, during the year as I go along. But this country has become so “compensation crazy” and I think that some people expect a tip. A tip should always be optional, no strings attached either way.
The mail carrier is tricky – my neighbor and I have left baked goods in the mailbox for her, she has been grateful and actually leaves us thank you notes. She did explain one time that they are not allowed to accept cash tips. But I think even just a card expressing gratitude goes a long way.
My garbage collectors are AWESOME! Again, my neighbors and I have cold waters in the summer we often offer up. They will pretty much take whatever two men can haul away. They even told me if I miss them to just put my trash on the other side of the street and they’ll get it on their way down and put my barrels back in front of my home. I tape 2 Dunkin Donuts $5 gift cards to my barrel for them with big letters “Happy Holidays”.
As for teachers….ALWAYS. My kids classes lately have been coordinating gift cards. We take a voluntary donation of $5 or more if parents would like and one mom gets a gift card. I love the idea, the teachers get a great gift and it was no more than $5 out of my pocket.
I also ALWAYS bake for the school nurse. If your child is a frequent flyer to the nurse like mine you know what I mean when I say I really appreciate her. She will check ears, throats, etc and let me know if anything looks suspicious saving me a trip to the docs just for a check, clumsy kids, asthma kids, allergy kids, you moms know who you are. Bake her a bread, buy her a coffee, write her a card, just don’t forget her.
The big point here is that it doesn’t have to be big. A simple card expressing your gratitude lets people know they are appreciated. If you can do more then fine, but if not a few words of kindness go a long way.
I put together gift baskets for the teachers along with a Starbucks gift cards, and since I dont know the mail lady very well, I tip her gift cards only.
This year at McDonalds spend a minimum of $10.00 on a gift card and receive a calendar full of coupons for FREE. One coupon a month is to get something completely free, and the other coupon is for something free with purchase. Coupons are valid within each corresponding month.
I was trying to think of what to get the mail carrier, and this sounds like a great idea.
I truly don’t have extra money, but for personal reasons that I’m mostly not sharing because I know some will have awful inappropriate comments, I will NOT neglect giving something to the mail carrier.
I know toooooooooooo many people will say get another job, and some other nasty things, etc, but really think about their job and the conditions they work in. If anyone knows, related to, or is a mail carrier, I must assume you know all the things I’m talking about.
Any of that aside, how about thinking where any of our FREE samples, coupons for FREE stuff, and so much more would come from if the mail carrier didn’t bring them to us.
My mother was a mail carrier, and I remember how touched she was by all of the thoughtful gifts and tips she received around Christmas. She always wrote a thank you to each one, and I enjoyed hearing her personal comments about many of the people she served, as she cared about people. Now that I am an adult, I realize that we children often received Christmas gifts because of the cash tips mom received, since as a single mother, money was always tight. I grew up thinking how nice all those people were that she served. If it is in your power, bless people. I’m thankful for all the people that blessed us. 🙂
I have been a stylist for 20 years I always appreciate anything from my clients…money, gift cards, food treats, etc. In fact I recieved my first gift of the season today and it was a lovely scented hand soap/lotion gift set….
I also want to point out that I always give my loyal customers freebies, etc….I read a comment that said …I’m a loyal customer I think my stylist should tip/gift me), any good and loyal stylist will do that for you, and express her/his appreciation to you for your buisness =)
I made pint size mason jars of pumpkin butter with the pumpkins from halloween. It was super easy and I didn’t have to buy anything but a little ribbon to tie around the top!!
I think if you want to tip service providers or give gifts to special people that is fine, but my newspaper carrier sent me a Christmas Card today with a self-addressed envelope enclosed.
Any opinions on this??
looks like we have the same newspaper carrier
🙂
Mine too. lol
I don’t like it when they are looking for something. We have a horrible paper carrier. We’re lucky to get our paper and if we do get it, it’s at the very end of our driveway or near our neighbor’s house. We have NEW service with them, so they have made a horrible impression from the beginning. Yeah, he/she won’t be getting anything from this lady.
LOL… i am sorry but that is funny… LOL
At our school the parents pitch in for the teachers gift. She normally ends up with a $100 gift card other than a bunch of small, useless gifts. Giving gifts to teachers, bus drivers, ect is great…..dont forget the Lunch Lady!! She works hard for your kids too!
Please be careful on how you phrase this if you are talking to people. Many of those “small, useless gifts” were heartfelt gifts from the students, or the best someone’s family could send. Things don’t have to have a large monetary value to be valuable-in fact, I have seen quite the opposite many times.