@saillakeerie , my experience growing up was similar. Back in the '60s and '70s, our long time mail carrier smoked so my mother would buy him a large carton (20 packs, I think) of cigarettes at the Exchange for which he was very appreciative.(Makes me cringe now.) He’d bring our pup Milk Bones and always stopped to chat a moment with my grandmother.
Yesterday I heard my mailman saying “That M-F-!” loudly into his cellphone as he walked down the street to deliver mail. So, NO, he will not be getting a tip from us.
I used to give my mail carrier a card and cash fifteen years ago when they seemed courteous and professional. UPS though has been great (regular driver, knows my name). This thread reminds me that I SHOULD give him something.
These days, in my area, you don’t really get to know the carriers, USPS, UPS, or Fedex. In the past, they’d ring your doorbell for a package. Now, they just drop and dash. Except, we do know the Fedex guy because wine deliveries need to be signed for.
We know that the Fedex guy is here when we hear a splash! He has never missed the puddle in the channel in our driveway (can’t remove it as it is part of the drainage design). The UPS guy always stashes the packages behind the planter on the porch. The mailman puts them on the rug by the door.