for those of us who do a lot of online shopping

cinnamon fern

I have gotten a lot of packages from UPS this year, and sent a lot back via USPS. Should I be tipping the UPS guy and the mailman? If so, how much?

12 years ago

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17 replies

Latest reply was from deb

(website)

Veteran

I'm not sure . . . I think a gift rather than a cash tip would be better. But on the other hand, I've had my mail carrier actually say to me it gives him job security lol, so maybe it is just all in a day's work.

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

I think if you'd like to, no one is ever offended by a show of genuine appreciation.

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

My parents get a lot of deliveries and definitely give a cash tip both the UPS guy and the mailman very generously. They usually give a card with cash inside ($100, I think, but they really do get a lot of rather large deliveries). It is always much appreciated.

I do get my share of packages but I am almost never at home to receive them (my building has a secure front lobby area where packages are left) and send returns back by taking them to the post office/UPS store so I've never actually met any of the delivery people, thus I don't feel the need to tip them.

12 years ago

Kristin SF

Veteran

That's a great question, I never thought about that before!

Ah, holiday tipping. There was a great episode about that on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" a few years ago.

I will think about the UPS guy. We get a few different guys so it's hard to pick just 1 person to tip. We also seem to have a few different USPS mail delivery people, so again - hard for me to pick.

(On that question, does anyone tip the garbage man? I remember my parents used to do that when I was growing up, but I'm not sure anyone really does that anymore???)

12 years ago

RunswithDolphins

Active Member

I usually give a gift card for Tim Horton's or Starbucks. I figure everyone can use a warm drink and it fits easily into an envelope so if they're on foot (postal delivery) it won't weigh them down. I remember my mom in the 1950s used to knit gloves for the mailman.

12 years ago

(website)

Veteran

Kristin, I have a friend who gives the trash man a nice bottle of booze at the holidays. She has a lot of pets and the kitty litter, etc, is quite heavy I guess I should add that my friend is 55, so maybe it is a generational thing?

12 years ago

minimalist

Veteran

I tipped bf's UPS guy, but only a measly ten bucks. I don't live there and bf had never tipped. But this one UPS guy is always cheerful, and more importantly, knocked once when he was delivering to the neighbor and saw my keys still in bf's door. So when I happened to see him last week, I asked him to wait. 20 would have been better, but I had a 50 and two crumpled fives. I don't think he's hating on me for it

What about workplace mailroom staff, when you have lots delivered there? I presume cash is out of the question.

12 years ago

JulieinMI

Active Member

I do the same as RunswithDolphins for both.

12 years ago

Peri

Veteran

Wow, this never occurred to me. I'm not sure why we would be expected to tip someone for doing their job, but I guess I am a grinch. A waitress is different...lately people have been telling me that many waitress don't get any salary...tips only.

Since I am usually home when the UPS guy comes I have to say that I never see the same guy twice. So you may be tipping some random person actually...the one who happens to be there that day.

12 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Maybe this would be helpful:

http://getbuttonedup.com/2012/.....river-weig

12 years ago

cinnamon fern

Veteran

Thanks for the thoughts, guys! I work from home most days, so am sure it's the same UPS guys every day - they drive a regular route, arriving on my block around 10:30, when our dogs, and the neighbors' dogs, proceed to bark furiously.

Runswithdolphins, I think I'll go with your approach. Starbucks cards can always be regifted if necessary.

AmyK, I'm not sure. At my work we all pool money for a gift for our fiscal tech and admin assistant. (The gift is the money.) I would feel weird about giving them cash individually, but somehow en masse it feels OK.

12 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

I used to give our mail carrier homemade cookies at Christmas then she retired and I don't know the new one. A friend told me she gave her mail carrier a HUGE monetary gift because he helped her catch her puppy who had escaped from her yard. So I guess it all depends.

12 years ago

minimalist

Veteran

Thanks CF. I don't receive parcels at work, but bf gets gobs. He's been in the country a lot longer than I have, but seems to think I know these things. :roll eyes:

12 years ago

viva

Veteran

We always give our mail carrier $25 in a holiday card. We live in a small town and do it as a gesture of thanks. I've actually never thought about the UPS guy, and it's a good idea I would consider. We have a couple of them and I suppose I would be inclined to have a few Starbucks cards on hand and give them to whichever one shows up in the next few days. They are working particularly hard right now. I kind of like tipping hard workers.
But on a somewhat funny note, there is the matter of the NY Times. Now, we get the NY Times delivered once a week, on Sundays. But we have a terrible history with delivery! I guess there aren't that many people in our small town in Maine who get the Sunday Times delivered and there must be a lot of turnover in the delivery staff, I don't know, but I have had at least 12 missed papers this year, probably more. I have complained to the paper through email and phone, and they always credit our account. Well, for the last 8 weeks we have had our paper delivered promptly every Sunday morning early, so that when I come down for my hour of peace and quiet at 6:30 the paper has been there! When it was delivered last Sunday with a little Christmas card, I immediately sent one back to him with a $20 bill thanking him for being such an outstanding delivery person! Sometimes a holiday tip is more than just a gesture of thanks -- it is a plea for future good service!!!

12 years ago

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I usually give a $25 gift card to Amazon or something to my UPS guy since he's nearly always the one driving out here to deliver and it's quite frequent. The mailman doesn't deliver many packages unless they fit in the box (he leaves a slip and we have to go retrieve them) but I'm going to give him a gift card this year as well since I have had a lot of small packages.

12 years ago

Lisa

Veteran

I typically give the recycling and postal worker a tip of $25. I don't give to garbage pickup anymore because they never get out of the truck (the truck has an arm that picks up the cans). I've never considered tipping FedEx or UPS but I don't have to many items that arrive from these services.

12 years ago

deb

Veteran

The USPS person should not take money as they are a government worker. They could get fired. I do not know what UPS rules are. The bank I used to work for prohibited tips as does Safeway for their delivery people. Temptation has gotten many folks fired for breaking rules because they thought they would not be caught. The companies usually send numerous emails reminding employees at this time of year.

ETA - I just found this.

What can you give the mailman for the holidays?

By Ed O'Keefe

Looking to give a gift or tip to your neighborhood letter carrier or postal clerk this holiday season? Keep in mind that the U.S. Postal Service places restrictions on the types of presents they can accept.

Postal employees may accept gifts valued up to $20, but cannot accept cash, according to a postal spokeswoman.

Gift cards of up to $20 are also permitted, but the card cannot be redeemable for cash money and must be issued from a single company, not from a bank or shopping mall. Liquor and wine are also prohibited, according to USPS.

The restrictions stem from federal ethics standards that prohibit postal workers and all other federal workers from accepting large gifts.

12 years ago

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