Don’t Forget To Thank Your Mail Carrier…
If you’re like me and have done the majority of your Christmas shopping online this year, then don’t forget to thank that important person that delivers all of your online goodies (and freebies!) right to your door… your mailman or mailwoman! You can see how I’ve shown my appreciation previously by watching the end of this video. 😉
Also, check out the email that I recently received from reader, Kelsey…
First I want to say thanks for all you do! You saved my family so much this holiday season and you are always posting great freebies! This is the time of year when my mailman works the hardest. Delivering packages, free samples, and coupons! So I decided to put a package together for him. I included razors, shave gel, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and some homemade goodies! When we gave it to him on Saturday, he was so grateful. I think it would be a good idea to remind couponers to give their mailman something little for Christmas!
(How are YOU going to thank your Mail Carrier? Will you make them a sweet treat, leave them a special card or give them a gift? Let us know what you will be doing to show your appreciation! 🙂
I baked cookies for our mail carrier! He always has a treat for our dog and never rings the doorbell (he usually comes when it is my son’s nap time.)
They really are some of the hardest workers out there … especially when the weather is cold and snowy like it is here now. I received a $20 Starbucks card in the mail a couple weeks ago from my bank. I don’t go to Starbucks, so I think I’ll pass it along to my mailman tomorrow 🙂
thats so sweet. a recycled gift someone is sure 2 love!
I gave my mail lady a “Mail Truck” Christmas tree ornament!!! She LOVED it!!!
Man you guys must have good carriers. I can’t get them to stop delivering wrong mail to me after 8 months, they leave stuff out, iven had mail stolen and damaged.
I’m with ya there, Janel. Sometimes my mail is in my mailbox, sometimes it’s on the ground underneath the mailbox, sometimes it’s in my neighbor’s mailbox, etc. :/
Where we use to live we had great mail carriers and always thanked them throughout the year. Where we live now they are HORRID. The mail does not come to our door—the group of mailboxes are over 1/2 mile away (not good after surgery) and every few months a lady down the street brings us our mail that she has gotten. She just collects it for several weeks and makes one trip.
My mail man lost my work permit & starting blaming me & the sender…. second time i requested it to be sent the local postal services didnt scan it at all….had to mail the DC Postal services to give me a letter.i lost around 3 months to get it & now it is the holiday season so no work till next year..all thanks to the mailman & the local postal services… i wish i had a good mailman….
I am in the same boat! I have had several packages stolen because my mailman has left my packages in front of my building (where numerous people can walk by and take it) because he is too lazy to walk up the stairs to my apartment!
I gave to my sweet mail lady & my UPS man! They are both regualr visitors to my house 🙂
OK who spiked my egg nog..seems I cannot type tonight lol!
LOL! Starting the party early, huh? 😉
I guess so since I didn’t even state what my gift was! I gave my mail lady a Christmas themed loaf pan with a box of muffin mix & a wooden spoon inside. I wrapped it in cute snowflake cellophane. We are also leaving her a small bag of candy & a card tomorrow. My UPS guy came with a HUGE delivery while I was baking cookies and he was excited. He said he loved cookies of any kind so I made him a tin of them to take. He was super sweet and brought all of my packages into the kitchen since it was raining!
We gave ours a gift card to a restaurant! He’s awesome 🙂
I run an eBay store, so my mail does a lot for me all year. I noticed he always has dunkin donuts coffe Cups in his car, so I got him a gift card there.
Hi Chryssa, I run a small ebay store out of my house. And I often ask my mail lady for a pick up. And I did 100% of my Christmas shopping on line, so my mail lady did a lot for me. I bought her these lovely boxes of David’s cookies from HSN ( which she delivered to me .. LOL).
Note: I think I read somewhere that mail persons cannot receive money by law as a gift.
Why would that be a law?
Possibly the same reason bankers can’t and can only receive gifts that value up to a certain amount? Not sure why, I just know that we’ve been told that at the bank that i used to work at.
It is a policy. Nothing greater than $20.
Martha is correct. As a former USPS employee, The U.S. Postal Service forbids mail carriers from accepting cash, and says gifts must be under $20 in value. A gift card or a basket of fruit, nuts or chocolates that could serve as an off-duty snack is acceptable.
My mailman only wants cash, and he gives us s card saying so.cash or gift cards appreciated…I can not accept food items or other gifts. Woe, they can accept gifts?
I think it’s strange that he asks for gifts…. Especially cash!
We had a mail carrier that always gave us a Christmas card before Thanksgiving with a self addressed envelope inside with a note that said “thanks for the cash tip you are giving me this Christmas”. That always earned him a card with a note thanking him for his service.
As for those that don’t want food items——I have a child that has a list a mile long of things he can not eat so for some I understand, but to blatantly ask for cash is rude.
Our newspaper carrier always puts a card in our mailbox with an envelope for a tip — and I always think “how ironic that for that you walked up to my door to put it in the mailbox, but my paper is always way out in front of my house on the sidewalk, clearly just thrown there”;). And considering he often missed deliveries…no, I didn’t tip him:(
I definitely give gift cards to mail and UPS guys though — they bring us LOTS of packages. And when we lived in a 3rd floor apartment with no elevator and our UPS guy cheerfully delivered everything and commented on how big our baby was getting, etc — he definitely got as nice a tip as was allowed by the rules!
Kitty, he gives everyone in the neighborhood a Christmas card with the written note at the bottom. I have lived here a long time…and all of the mailmen / women have given us a card. Never with a note saying he can’t accept food or gifts, but gift cards or cash is okay. Strange…and he gives me the wrong mail all the time.
Mail carriers cannot accept cash — federal law. So he’s asking for trouble:(
Yes, you should report him to the Postmaster.
I find it really balsy that your mailman would give you a card stating outright that he wants cash, and honestly, that would put me off ever giving him anything.
My best friend’s husband is a mail carrier, and he’s said that he finds it uncomfortable when people want to give him gifts, as he’s simply doing his job. That’s an attitude I appreciate, as there are plenty of people who work extremely hard in often unforgiving jobs who are never tipped and barely thanked for their service. It doesn’t seem right to me to single out certain people for tipping, gifting, praise, appreciation, etc and not others.
Just my two cents.
Oh gosh, so glad you said that. We have about 4 different carriers each week and I feel they are lucky to have such a good job with such good benefits. Doing that job with pride should be reward enough. In fact, since the postal service is seeing volumes dropping like a rock, perhaps they should give us tips for continuing to get things delivered via USPS (just kidding about that!). I appreciate their work, but don’t feel they need/deserve a tip. They are federal employees. I woudn’t tip a congressman, so why a mailperson?
You make such excellent points, Laura! I can’t count the number of times that I’ve tried (and failed) to make sense out of America’s “tip for service” conventions when international friends have brought it up. It comes across as truly bizarre that so many of our service-based professions are poorly compensated to the point that workers *rely* on tips to eek out a living. But when it comes to federal employees or really any position where a full (if often inadequate) salary is paid, tipping/gifting should NOT be expected or required.
Your mail carrier is breaking the rules: “Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer per occasion, such as Christmas. However, cash and cash equivalents, such as checks or gift cards that can be exchanged for cash, must never be accepted in any amount. Furthermore, no employee may accept more than $50 worth of gifts from any one customer in any one calendar year. ” But, even if they could accept cash, a person should never, ever ask for it. You should forward that card to the local postmaster. His distributing it makes all postal carriers look bad.
I gave my mailman a $5.00 Dunkin Donuts giftcard. I wish I could do more, my mailman is great!
I gave ours a Ghirardelli Peppermint chocolate bar that I got with my $5 pin from JCPenney’s. I wanted to give him more but that’s all I had because times are tough. He seemed annoyed like that wasn’t enough to give him. Oh well it’s the thought that counts.
It is definitely the thought that counts. (I think that’s a great gift, btw!) Maybe next year he’ll like a lump of coal instead. LOL! 😉
Don’t worry about his response… his reaction is his responsibility. You gave to him out of kindness and that is what counts. Merry Christmas!
That was a perfectly worded reply, Renee! Exactly what I was thinking! 🙂
I made these cute things from Pinterest called “snowman poop”..blue & white tic tacs in a little book form that say, “I heard you have been naughty so here is the scoop..all you get for Christmas is snowman poop”! Maybe that would be good for next year lol!!!
Ghirardelli and chocolate in the same sentence sounds like a million dollars to me!!!
Poor thing! Next year, skip him and share your great Christmas spirit with someone else.
You can share with me anytime—I’ll be appreciative!
We gave him a $10 Dunkin Donuts GC 🙂 he was very grateful. I had my bf give it to him since he always says I’m too nice giving all 10 of my sons teachers gifts and neighbors and so on. He felt real good after seeing the mailmans reaction
I wish I could give my mailman something but I don’t have a regular mailman. I get mail late. I got a Lord and Taylor F&F notice from black Friday yesterday! USPS is on my naughty list.
UPS man is getting a giftcard next time I see him. He is really cute too … I wonder if he is single lmao
You get the award for BEST POST….Luv it!
As a mail carrier myself, this post warms my heart. It’s a stressful job but when you have great customers it makes it a rewarding job. We are out there everyday, doing our best to get things delivered correctly and timely. It’s not always easy and we are only human but we do what we can. Thanks to all who take the time to recognize our efforts! And I’ll be putting a Dunkin Donuts gift card out for my mailman tomorrow. 🙂
My mail carrier is mad at the world ALL THE TIME! He is mean and hatefull. I’m soooooo happy to see that this is pretty rare. The USPS says they are aware of the issue, but do not have the “means” to replace him. Maybe a little gift will warm his heart and change his attitude?? LOL!
No…..the cutest ups man is my husband. Oh an gift cards are something he really appreciates receiving. As a small hint it does help the ups guy go more out of his way for you when you show your appreciation in any way. ; ) this time of the year he has been getting home about 11 pm. They work really hard. Everyone enjoys being appreciated!
To the people who asked above, legally they aren’t supposed to accept monetary gifts/gift cards over $5-10. That doesn’t mean some won’t, but they’re not supposed to (my dad & bro are mailmen). I don’t personally think I’d give anything to one who dictated people only give him money!
That being said, I always make ours baked goodies, even though she isn’t always on top of things. They do work very hard, especially the walking ones!
Mail Delivery is a tough job, and could you imagine doing it Pregnant too!? Our Mailman is a Lady and she just had a Baby!! Thanks to Hip2Save I was able to make her a big gift basket for the new baby. I purchased the Johnson’s Bathtime Essentials Gift Set for 11.19 from Amazon and also got a Free Bodysuit from Gymboree for Her. I am thankful for my Mail Lady 🙂
I gave my mail lady a gift bag filled with goodies and while giving I asked her what kind of shampoo & tooth paste she use, she said any. Then I went back home and gave her another bag filled with shampoo, body wash,deodorant and other stuff. She loved it, they r hard working people and I was over whelmed as my mail lady is old and she is still working.
I used to give my mailman a Christmas gift until it dawned on me that I actually pay his salary and his fabuous pension through the taxes taken out of my paycheck. So I’ve already given him the best Christmas gift……a job…..and a pension!!!!!!!
The post office does not run on your taxes. Check your facts, they are an independent agency running on their own.
Lynda is correct. You do not run on tax reveunes. They only recieve money by the sale of stamps and packages.
We keep the mail carriers in a job by requesting samples & coupons. We then pay them with our tax dollars. Somehow they keep wasting our money by operating in the red. Why do we need to tip them? It’s a tradition from when government workers didn’t make much. Now government workers make as much as 40% more than the private sector. I don’t see the point in tipping the USPS. What about the people at the shipping counter who have customer service positions & get yelled at all day. Where’s their tip?
No you are wrong. Why would there b
Sorry, comment before got cut off. D you are wrong. Our tax dollars do not pay the carriers, the post office is run on postage sales. Despite what you think about the way they are run, they are the better alternative to privatization of the mail. Where do you get your 40 percent stats. Silly. Why would you discourage people tipping anyone in the service sector. Tisk tisk.
Amen to that. The USPS is hanging on by a thread and can’t seem to keep pace with the outlandish pensions and benefits that have been promised to employees and retirees. Despite that, they continue to exponentially raise postage rates while declining in service. I do my part in keeping them employed with my mail orders. Yes, they work hard. But so do a lot of other people in many other fields of work. If you have a carrier that goes above and beyond, then I guess that’s your perogative if you choose to give them a gift, but I certainly don’t think it’s expected, nor should it be the norm.
You couldn’t have said it better, D!
There are many and varied thankless jobs wherein people make an insubstantial income and are never tipped or gifted upon. Many mail carriers are hard working and deserving individuals, but as you said, so are the ones who work at the mail counters. And for that matter, so are the retail workers who’ve had to put up with all the harried, last minute shoppers this holiday season. And so are countless others who work hard and often get little or no thanks for their contributions all year long.
My mail lady lost her husband this summer and I truly feel for her since this will be her first holiday season without him..there are exceptions out there.
Why do you tip them? Simply because you are a unique customer who generates a larger amount of mail than the average customer. You request freebies, samples, and consume more than your neighbor. You therefore expect more of your mail carrier. Showing appreciation to any human being who is going above and beyond for you in this manner should be something you want to do to make them feel special. You are right about others in the service industry and giving them a little something extra this time a year is also a great idea. Mail carriers are not asking for anything extra and they do not crunch the numbers for the company so they should not be punished because of your analysis of the operations of the business.
Except you’re not really tipping them, you’re giving them a gift as a gesture of appreciation. The USPS is not federally operated and does not receive tax dollars to run nor does it go to any of the employee’s salary or benefits. All their revenue comes from selling stamps, having people/companies mail you, renting out PO boxes, shipping packages, etc. It works the same way like when you’d give your child’s teacher a holiday gift or for Teacher Appreciation Day or something. You’re not obligated to give to your postperson a gift (just as you’re not obligated to give a teacher a gift), but if they’re delivering a bunch of mail for you everyday in a timely manner and sending out the mail that you have so that you don’t have to drive to the postoffice to deliver it, then a small gift (even a “thank you” note) would bring a lot of joy to them for their hard work.
Well, I do agree with your statement that we should also be tipping those people at the counter. 😉 When Krispy Kreme donuts had their B1G1 dozen donuts sale recently, I took my regular post office the free box to thank them. They are very kind and as much as I am there (I own an eBay business) I see firsthand all that they deal with. I don’t think anyone should feel guilty for not being able to afford tipping everyone who deserves it. Times are tough. But, with all of the great deals that we all find, thanks to this site, there is certainly a frugal way to do what we can.
Don’t forget the paper carrier! They deliver on Sundays and all holidays including Christmas! Most carriers also have other full-time jobs and deliver papers to supplement their incomes. I will be leaving a little something for our paper carrier on Christmas Day to show my appreciation for delivering all those great coupons!
I delivered papers before and it is seriously the crappiest job out there! I would have to get up at 3:30 am and drive around for nearly 3 hours. Once I did the math I ended up making like $10 a day, gas not included!!!!! When I got home delivery, I still tipped my carrier even though half of the time I didn’t get a paper. I got tired of it and just cancelled altogether. I feel too bad for those people to not leave a tip 🙁
I am a mail carrier. I love when customers leave presents in the box. I love all of it. Money, gift cards, homemade brownies, candles. It’s nice to feel appreciated especially this time of year when we are out driving in the ice and snow. Thanks for remembering me!
Aw that’s nice to hear. I stressed over what to leave for my mail lady. We don’t have piles of money, but wanted to thank her because she’s great! We left a box of sugar cookie tea, a sugar cookie baking mix that came in an oven mit with a cookie cutter and acard. I felt bad that it wasn’t very much but hoped she would see my appreciation for her.
I give my mail lady a pretty Christmas can full of homemade fudge her son loves it, and I also give her a few treats during the year. She is the best mail carrier ever.
I guess i can see the point that some are making that we are already paying them and giving them a pension. And yes there are many other jobs where people work hard and are rarely thanked. But that does not mean that you don’t need to be appreciative to your mail carrier because other people are not thanked.
I run an etsy shop and my mail carrier comes right to my door several times a week to pick up packages for me. He is great and definitely goes above and beyond and has made my life easier. So in this particular case, i definitely feel like i want to thank him in some way. I was thinking a starbucks gift card….better run out and get one in the morning! Haha!
If someone in a service-oriented position goes truly “above and beyond” their usual duties, then some kind of appreciation (be it expressed in a gift or otherwise) would make sense and hopefully be greatly appreciated. Still though, what you’re describing is your mail carrier’s job – so if you decide to give a gift, just understand that you, as the postal customer, are going “above and beyond” yourself.
I also would like to add garbage men to the list…w/ a baby in diapers, & 2 older boys, I wouldn’t know what to do w/o my garbage men…I don’t care how much money they make, it isn’t enough as far as I am concerned…it has to be one of the most thankless jobs I know of & people who buy cheap trash bags or throw things out that they shouldn’t don’t help either…I also think that letting people know that you appreciate their efforts more than just once a year is nice…a few times a year, I tell my mail lady & garbage men “Hey I really appreciate the great job that you do”…a little compliment goes a long way 🙂
I agree. I know when I use to work retail, the compliments I would receive every now and then really made my day. Sometimes, it would come just in time (after a rude customer). For those who rather not give a gift, at least leave a note to show you care.
My mailman is kinda skeevy and gives off a very distinct creep factor. I don’t want to encourage him in any way. 0_o
I literally just lol’d
Me, too! Hilarious!!
HA! He used to ring my doorbell w/ packages and WAIT there for FIVE minutes for me to come to the door just to talk to me. It got to the point I would turn off the TV or anything with noise so he wouldn’t think I was home. He really creeps me out. I always wait now for him to leave before I get my packages he drops at my doorstep. Once he gave me a flier to an event at his church and asked me to go with him. NO NO NO!!!
LOL…you poor thing! I would be creeped out too!
I see both sides. I don’t think we need to tip. From what I just looked up online, carriers make just over $25 per hour, plus 10 paid holidays, 14 vacation days and 13 days of sick time as well as retirement, medical and life insurance. Many, many workers earn less than this and don’t get tips or gifts. But, if you have a great carrier, by all means, tip and gift gifts. But I don’t think everyone should nor should anyone feel obligated or bad if they don’t want to or can’t.
Our mail carrier left US a treat in our mailbox the other day. She wrote a nice little note thanking everyone for their patience while she learns the route (she took over a few months ago after our previous mail carrier left after having a baby). She admitted she had mad a few mistakes. But she was still learning how our mass mailbox is set up at our neighborhood entrance. She attached a candy cane to the note. I thought that was sweet. I know she works hard because I am at the mailboxes often to see her hard at work while waiting on my sons school bus to run, I will help her our by telling her where houses in the neighborhood are when she delivers packages. I wish I could show her just how much we appreciate her hard work but things are just too tight. Here is hoping 2013 is a lot better than 2012!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year EVERYONE! =)
from the USPS website:
—– Employee tipping policy
All postal employees, including carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer — no cash, please.
Gift cards are permitted at $20 or less with two caveats: 1) the gift card cannot be redeemable for cash money, and 2) the gift card must be issued from a single establishment, not bank or mall issued.
here is a more current one from 2012:
Employee Tipping and Gift-Receiving Policy
All postal employees, including carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer per occasion, such as Christmas. However, cash and cash equivalents, such as checks or gift cards that can be exchanged for cash, must never be accepted in any amount. Furthermore, no employee may accept more than $50 worth of gifts from any one customer in any one calendar year period.
i gave a $15 gift card. i was going to add a few glade oil diffusers and other small items, but i think he was happy with just the gift card 🙂
Just to clarify…. we are not paying the postal workers or their pensions with our tax dollars. The USPS is a self supporting entity… it is only controlled by the government, which is probably why they are struggling. The government tells them what they can and cannot do, but they don’t help them financially. And as for the cost of postage… could you get something to California or anywhere else in the U.S. for 45 cents. And as for raising rates “exponentially”, I don’t consider a penny at a time a huge burden. I don’t see why they didn’t just raise postage 5 cents and get it over with. It would help them so they can continue to deliver my mail. As for tips, I think most of them work hard. It’s up to you whether they deserve a small token of appreciation for service 6 days a week… rain, sleet or snow. Merry Christmas!
well said. My mail lady has been great and we have only lived in our new house since Aug. I will be getting her a small gift card to say thanks. I was going to just give cash (because I would rather cash lol) but I want her to be able to keep it and not have to give it back because of a law or something. Some people’s attitudes toward tipping are just rude and heartless. Who cares how much money they make…they are providing a service. Would you not tip your hair stylist because she only cut off half an inch and the person before you gave her a large tip?! It’s Christmas…the whole point is to think of others.
So, according to your statement, you must tip EVERYONE who gives you some sort of service. The bag person at your grocery store? Your garbage man? Your plumber? Dental hygienist? Doctor? These folks aren’t doing you a “service” out of the kindness of their heart. They are getting paid for what they are doing. It’s called a
j-o-b.
people give their drs. treats all the time…can’t tell you how many people i know gave the person delivering their baby a thank you gift (cookies, cake, card etc). and yes…if I had the same bagger every time I went to the store, or had a plumber I saw more than once every 3 years, I would totally tip them. The mail lady delivers my packages every day….UPS comes at least once a week. That’s at least 50 times a year they stop and 200+ the mail lady stops. They deserve something. And YES, you should totally do something nice for your garage men
Wow. You must be rich. When it comes to tipping any person I come in contact with or feeding my family, I’ll chose feeding my family. Sounds like you are tipping them enough for everyone.
lol because I gave my mail lady and UPS guys a tip I am tipping everyone and I’m rich? Hmm..and I am a stay at home mom. So, yup…guess that makes me rich. We all know how much SAHMs make. Guess you are right though…we must be because I’ll never have to chose between feeding my family or giving a $10 tip once a year to our mail carrier. And I never said tip every person you meet…you tip for a good job and to say thanks. It may be their “job” but everyone deserves something nice here and there and I can afford a $10 tip once a year to someone who comes to my house every week through out the year. Christmas is about giving to others and that is why a lot of people have posted that they do.
I gave my mail woman bag of sweets and bag of coffee. Even though she never delivers my mail to the door 🙁 she just leaves the card and I have to get it at the post office . Which is annoying with my husbands schedule and theming car we have it’s weeks before I can pick it up 🙁
i was planning on putting some cookies in a cute baggy and putting it in my mail box with a note. hopefully my normal one’s not on vacation when I put it in!
I have an Etsy shop. I am at the post office a lot. After standing in a long line of impatient people on Friday, my 2 year old daughter and I handed over a batch of chocolate chip cookies. The poor lady got misty eyed and said that was the nicest thing she had ever seen done in decades of working the counter. (Which is sad, because they put up with some grumpy people and are super nice and helpful.). I also gave cookies to my mail carrier and he surprised us with a really nice thank you card. I think we each have a different story and should just trust our hearts on who to give to and gift what we feel we should. I’ve really enjoyed reading about the kind things going on in this Hip community!
I don’t want to sound like a grinch, but why on earth would you tip your mailman? They are federal employees that make a living wage with no special skills or experience needed. Plus, they get great benefits. In San Antonio we have banks of mailboxes, so we don’t even see our mailman. If we get a package that won’t fit in the little lock box, it just get thrown on our front door. I can see giving a greeting card and some homemade goodies if you see your mailman and have a friendly back and forth, but a gift card or money? Why not get up early in the morning and tip your garbage man? There is a hardworking and under appreciated person. We have private companies here and their job sucks. If I am able to catch them tomorrow, that is who will get a special thank you from me. Or why not the local firehouse down the street. Those guys are on duty for days. They miss time with their families to save lives. The same thing with police officers or military. Especially the kids manning the gate. My I laws are part of a group that on Christmas morning hosts a breakfast and present give away to a women and children’s shelter. When that is over they spend the next 24 hours hosting Christmas dinner for on duty police. That is something that I think is great and truly appreciated.
I guess not all parts of the country are the same..I live in North Georgia out in the sticks. My mail lady backs into my driveway & brings the packages to my back door or puts them in one of our vehicles if we don’t come out to greet her. She doesn’t knock or honk because she knows my husband works nights. My garbage man is my daddy since our local landfill is only a few miles away…Your inlaws are doing wonderful things and I am sure it is greatly appreciated. My outlaws took us to Christmas dinner yesterday; there were six of us…my MIL left a $5 tip!! I slipped my hubby a $10 (all I had) and told him to leave that for the poor girl too!
It’s not really tipping per se, but more of a “thank you.” Like what Jenna (a few comments under) said, it’s kind of like giving a gift to your child’s teacher. You’re not obligated to give them anything, but you do give them a gift as a gesture of appreciation, thanking him/her for teaching your child and their hard work. Some people opt to give their mailman/mailwoman giftcards, some give them something homemade.
I don’t really know our mail lady, since we just moved to another route. Before, mail would get lost or stolen, so I ended up getting a PO box. So I got some fudge for my mail lady, from our local sweets store. (They had opened one Saturday for a Christmas sale- normally they’re only open in the summer) It wasn’t that much, but I figured I was supporting small business as well as giving a nice gift. Plus, if she couldn’t eat it, it was all wrapped and ready for regifting! She really appreciated it, even left a thank you/ merry Christmas card! That made my day 🙂
Plus, the first package she had to deliver, she came all the way up the driveway to my door, instead of just leaving the pickup ticket.
And yes, I also give my son’s teachers gifts. But they have always gone above and beyond to help my son. I don’t give gift cards, but usually homemade cookies, which they love. One teacher he had couldn’t have sweets, but she said she loved the cookie plate because she was able to have them out when her grandkids came to visit. It doesn’t cost much more than my time, if I plan my cookies by the sales and coupons.
As for the comments that they receive a good wage, that is not the point. I don’t feel compelled to tip them, I see it more as a Thank You. I appreciate the wreath that my employer sends every year. I am paid a good wage also. But it’s nice that they think of me and thank me.
Well said Jenna.
Christmas is about giving and showing others you care. Not about how someone does there job. I know people like to base whether a person gets a gift on how well they had done their job, but just think your gift may change that person for the better. It also may make their holiday more special or the best holiday ever.
oops their job
I wrapped up one of the Toyota travel mugs we got free from HSN and several packs of hot chocolate to give to my mailman. Here in Utah it is ridiculously freezing and i am so grateful that i’m not standing outside for 12 hours straight!!!
My family gave our mailman a $20 Krispy Kreme giftcard. 🙂 Yeah, you’re no obligated to give a gift, but if they truly give exceptional service then why not give them something small? You don’t even have to give the anything of monetary value, a simple thank you note will suffice too. If they’re doing a great job then I think they deserve some sort of gratitude or “thank you” back (and like I said, just a small note of appreciation is ok too). It lets them know that you care and are grateful for their hard work and it’s also a “feel-good” gift too.
Gave our mail carrier hand warmers and a copy of the movie “Funny farm” ( Chevy Chase and a crazy mailman )our note said that we were grateful we have them for a mailman and the fabulous job they do all year long
I spent about $12 on each of my son’s teachers and about $15 on my mail lady, $15 to the self check out lady at the grocery store. It doesn’t matter what they make for a living. U give because u want to show appreciation. And it really isn’t a lot when u think about it. I don’t mind passing up a few hip2save deals for myself so that I can give to others
Best post here. I love logic. Have a great Christmas!
I leave a tin full of mixed candy (individual wrapped reese’s, m&m’s, ghiradelli, dove, etc) and a card. I also do the same for the trash collector’s and recycling pick up people. I don’t consider it a tip. I just consider it being friendly and passing on the holiday cheer. The joy my 4 year old had waiting on the sidewalk with me to give the trash man his treats (it was way to windy to try to leave it on top of the container) was so worth it. He was as excited as the garbage man. I just think this time of year is yucky weather, and stressful and sometimes getting a treat can turn a person’s day around. I feel no obligation to give, it makes me feel good and hopefully them feel good. I think someone “asking or implying” they should get tipped is poor manners. I think it is an individual choice. It is not required, and should not be expected. But for some it makes the giver feel as good as the person receiving. When I was a pediatric therapist I worked with some children for 5+ years. I had about 25% who gave a card, some type of gift or just a picture their kids colored. I never expected anything, but I must say it warmed my heart to get a homemade ornament, even a card. I was paid a salary by the hospital, no tipping was ever implied or even expected in any way. A small percent did it, it was nice, I always was grateful no matter what, and for those that didn’t I really didn’t think twice. So I say if you don’t want to do something for someone you don’t have to have a reason or justifaction- just don’t do it- no biggy. If you do want to then go ahead.
We have about 4 different carriers that come to my house. Every day it seems like a new person. Not only that they always seemed ticked off at the world and at me! I run a business at home so I get a lot of supplies that need to be “signed” for. Man do they ever get mad when they have to get out of thier car/truck to knock on my door! If looks could kill, I’d been dead a long time ago! And the weather here is georgous, so it’s not like they tread thru snow to get to my door. It’s 80 degrees here today! Had to turn on the AC! LOL!
Anywho, my mail person won’t be getting anything, but the SUPER nice ladies at the post office itself will be getting a basket of goodies from me Wed! I love them, they are like family, so kind!
I didn’t do the mailman/mail woman – however I did do the school staff – my daughters teacher , the principal – the cafeteria staff , the Librarian , the nurse , counselor , cleaning crew – some of which are forgotten but will play a role in my daughters life at school – we also gave to the police officer who has been on campus due to the CT school shooting
Revere Pine Jar Candles ….
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We love our carrier. He’s battling stage 3 cancer for the 2nd time, so sometimes our mail is early, sometimes late depending on his chemo schedule. But he knows all of us, looks out for the neighborhood. Plus, he puts up with all of my freebies and packages and with a smile. He likes Starbucks iced tea, so I always get him a gift card. We give him another at Easter too.
Hi, this is totally off topic but has anybody received their free santa hat yet from the freebies before?
it was a scam…both the website and their FB page have been pulled.
see here for more:
https://mommywantsfreebies.com/2012/11/fake-freebie-alert-free-santa-hat.html
My husband is a letter carrier and he thinks it is so kind and thoughtful when someone would even think of giving anything at all to him as a mailman. It’s a hard job working out in the heat and cold everyday and they are under tremendous pressure to hurry, hurry, hurry. Thanks Colin for thinking of the postal carriers. I’m grateful for my mail lady (as well as my own personal mail man that bring home the money! 😉
I love my mail carrier, and my UPS man is wonderful, but they both make more $ than we do. I give Edys frozen juice pops during the hot summer. I would NOT give homemade cookies to teachers or anyone who do not know us (ours are appreciative but germaphobic and I know they throw out anything homemade by anyone). Personally… I would run you over for a frosted sugar cookie, but I know some nice looking well kept people who have less than kept houses and cars.
I’m the same way about homemade treats, LOL. =) I gave my mailman some of my favorite packaged dry soup mix (chicken tortilla and creamy potato).
I didn’t read every post….although I read quite a few. My postman gets paid by the post box…I once apologized to my mailman by saying…”I bet you hate me for getting all those sample boxes, don’t you?” He told me that he gets paid for each item of mail he puts in my box…so don’t quit getting them. I didn’t realize that. I live in a rural area…so maybe it is different here….but my mailman WANTS me to get a lot of mail. I treat him to something every year although I wait and put a note on the mailbox to make sure the substitute isn’t delivering that day.,,,and ask him to come to the door to get it. Out in the country I imagine it is better than the city. My newspaper delivery person actually gave me a card asking for a tip also….I ignored it.
You must give with your heart….or don’t give at all. If you don’t feel it, don’t do it….because it won’t mean anything. Merry Christmas to everyone! Thanks Collin….for all you do for us!
My friend delivers mail but does not work for the post office. They are on a hiring freeze and she makes 1/2 of what the “real” post officers make. and has no insurance. She has to take her vacation when they tell her too not when she wants to. Not all mail carriers are paid equally. They have found a loop hole to get workers for hardley nothing.
My mailman likes to dump everybodys mail at my house and make me go deliver it. Just a day ago I recieved somebodys heart medication and another neighbors letter,and they recieved my parents Christmas presents! If anything, I would put a mad smiley letter saying “You are the WORST mailman ever!
happens to me all the time – I got someones bank statement and work check!