<p>I have been reading all the articles lately for “proper” holiday tips. I can underatand tipping your regular hairdresser or babysitter, but the mail carrier? USPS pays pretty well for the job they do, and their salary is not dependent on tips. Who will you be tipping this Christmas season?</p>
<p>our newspaper is delivered by an adult driving a car at around 6 AM - they change frequently - usually right after the Holidays -but always include a letter in the paper at this time of year letting us know who they are - for “gift” purposes - but this year we have had laughably terrible service - I didn’t get my Sunday Times for 5 weeks in a row - so I cancelled my subscription - and then got the paper for 4 weeks! I would put a vacation stop - and still get all the papers delivered - plus the vacation package at the end etc etc…</p>
<p>The letter this year said - gee, I know the service has been terrible and you haven’t gotten a paper or got a wet paper etc - anyway - Happy Holidays! Wow- honest. So, do I tip or not??</p>
<p>I have the same thoughts as gamom2. I usually put a card and fudge in the mailbox, but I’m trying to cut back on some of my efforts. Our mail carrier is surly and not so friendly, plus well compensated by the USPS…so I’m waffling.</p>
<p>As for newspaper delivery, I did that gig between ages 12-14. If the service is decent, I tip them very well. For the experience you have had, I would not tip.</p>
<p>My hairdresser owns her own shop and I go for color/cut every 4 weeks. I don’t tip her, but always wonder if I should.</p>
<p>We tip our trash pick up guy very well. He comes like clockwork, never complains about our home/business/farm trash (lots of it), and is an employee making $8-9/hr. I really appreciate him!</p>
<p>Who else do other posters tip? I don’t have a lot of other service people. I do make large amounts of choc and peanut butter fudge for the teachers’ lounge at school.</p>
<p>LOL, memphismom. I think in that case my tip to that carrier would be along the lines of “stay out of dark alleys”.</p>
<p>I think many of the guidelines that are still published in various magazines and newspapers are outdated. A ten-year-old paperboy on a bike- yes, a grown adult driving in their car - not so much. Maybe the mail carrier years ago when they walked for miles carrying the mail on their shoulder, but our mail carrier changes often and NEVER leaves their truck.</p>
<p>We have a great newspaper guy; he delivers on foot and is actually a cop in town so I feel like I’m getting security at the same time! Also, he has two kids at private colleges and I appreciate how hard he works to pay for it. Happy to tip him. </p>
<p>USPS employees are not supposed to accept cash tips; I agree that they are well compensated. I will give my guy some homemade biscotti.</p>
<p>What about the Culligan man? After about a year of really unreliable service (and many phone calls to find out when I will finally get a delivery) he’s finally gotten a little more dependable. $20?</p>
<p>We get a letter every year from my husbands golf course asking us to give money to the company so they can tip everyone. Umm…no. We tip the bartender who is our favorite. They don’t contribute to a fund for holiday bonuses for my employees after all…
I always tip my hairdresser and manicurist even though they are the owners. I would never want to do their jobs. I don’t get tipping your mail person or trash pick up. No one tips me for doing my job everyday…maybe I’m just weird but I don’t seem them in the same light as a hairdresser.</p>
<p>My newscarriers (daily and weekend) are like kids being good for Santa. They are MUCH better about getting the paper right at the door (vs. in the bushes) in December! I will tip them this year, service was pretty good (we had a really awful carrier for years, but I noticed he always got even worse if I didn’t tip him). But I think these guys deserve it.</p>
<p>We get the NYT and the Financial Times, so we got nice holiday cards from 2 newspaper guys with their home address stamped on the inside of the card, so I guess we’ll tip both of them. But they must think I need exercise, because the paper is always a few feet away from the door…</p>
<p>We have started tipping the garbage man (even though there are quite a few of them). We always tip the mail guy (he’s super nice and this year, I’m sure he’s been groaning under the weight of all the college brochures we’ve been getting.)</p>
<p>When I get gas, and it’s freezing cold out, and I don’t want to take off my gloves to fill up the tank, I pull up to full serve. I always give the guy a few bucks. He saved me from getting out of a warm car.</p>
<p>I’m with you, ebeee, I’ve read those guides in the newspaper and they seem NYC oriented, dorm man, etc. But I cannot really think of anyone in the service industry that I feel the need to tip…heck I work on commissions, often times even when I do my job, i don’t get paid! Perhaps if I had a higher income or if I had someone who I interacted with weekly, like hair dressers in the olden days when ladies went weekly.</p>
<p>My trash, mail, propane, and paper guy? Our paper delivery person also changes often and service is perpetually spotty. Mail, that’s their job, probably with better retirement and health benes than I have, trash, too, I think. Perhaps I should check? Or is it really an east coast or city thing?</p>
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<p>Wow, there are some regional differences here. I don’t think I should tipping our garbage folks - Waste Management pays them very, very well (northward of $60-70K plus paid vacation and holidays, medical benefits, etc.).</p>
<p>I have Waste Management also - didn’t know they were paid that well. Are there any mail carriers, delivery people etc people out there to comment? </p>
<p>I’m a little hesitant to leave baked goods for people I don’t know well. If I were on the receiving end, I’m not so sure I would be willing to eat that food if I didn’t know the person who baked it very well, in addition to not needing the calories 
</p>
<p>[Holiday</a> tipping: How much to give - Liz Pulliam Weston - MSN Money](<a href=“http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/Advice/weston-holiday-tips-when-to-give-when-to-skip.aspx]Holiday”>http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/Advice/weston-holiday-tips-when-to-give-when-to-skip.aspx)</p>
<p>This is the link to the story that started my question. At the end, there is a list of suggested tips for different services. Does anyone actually tip UPS or FEDEX? I know they get some sort of bonus from their employers. I shouldn’t have to tip to ensure efficent package delivery when I’ve already paid the stated shipping fee.</p>
<p>There was a garbage strike in my neck of the woods, and the local papers spilled a lot of beans about WM employees’ compensation. I do not even see my garbage pickup guy (or gal?) - s/he never comes out of the truck which does all of the dumping. :)</p>
<p>Interesting info on WM. I don’t see my pickup employees either, but I sure do hear them at 5:30 AM.</p>
<p>I leave boxes of satsuma oranges out for the waste/recycle guys- they are pretty friendly and helpful.
I cut my own hair & we don’t have a paper delivered- I am writing cards for the grocery store clerks & other local shops I frequent.</p>
<p>My paper delivery person will get a tip again this year. He delivers about 600 morning papers - ours shows up before 5am. If it is pouring rain, he double-bags. Really bad- the paper goes on the porch. He apologizes for the sound of his car engine. Honestly, he’s the best we’ve ever had. Rain, sun, snow - the paper is always there.</p>
<p>I tip my hairdresser; I’ve been going to her for several years and she’s terrific. Ditto my house cleaner. Mail delivery or garbage collectors? Never. Both done from a truck and they’re paid better than lots of people around here. Anything extra for pickup has to be paid for in advance. No freebies.</p>
<p>Where I live people in some areas contract privately for trash collection and are served by small companies whose employees do not make much more than a living wage. In that case, I would tip. My trash is collected by city employees (as it was when I lived on the west coast) who are fairly compensated and receive better benefits than I do. I pay a lot of taxes and do not feel the need to tip them.</p>
<p>My hairdresser owns her own shop, but I still feel like I have to tip her. I wish I didn’t.</p>
<p>I’m not tipping my paper guy this year- the paper is always smack dab under the middle of the one car we have on the driveway and I have to move it to get the paper. USPS are not allowed to accept tips, plus ours changes frequently. I will leave some fudge for him. I do tip our gardener well, as he is really inexpensive and does a great job. No extra tip for hairdresser- she already over-charges and my hair takes no time at all. Trash guy never leaves his truck and I’ve never seen him. Half the time they spill trash all over and I have to pick it up.</p>
<p>I love my hair stylist, she has a no tipping policy for the entire salon. She charges a fair price and that makes it easy</p>
<p>I haven’t tipped my mail carrier either, but was feeling a little guilty about this of late. We’ve lived in our current house for almost 9 years now and have only left her a card. Leaving an envelope with cash, baked goods, etc. in our mailboxes for pick-up, must be violating some law I’d imagine. I think any incoming or outgoing items must be official mail that has to have postage on it. I wonder if supervisors know this goes on and, if so, just turn the other cheek for the holidays?</p>