How much do you tip your postman

[TwigTheWonderKid]

Just realised we've got no cash and are isolating so can't go out

There's a fiver in DSs money box but is that an insult rather than a tip ?!

Not his fault though, is it?

In fairness I never said it was his fault. He does a good job but that doesn't mean I can't equally be frustrated that due to the lack of staff hired we are getting 1 delivery a week.

I don’t tip the post person anyway but currently I’m thinking of enquiring why they are the only delivery service which are not adopting safe practices. Three times in the past few days an unmasked post person has knocked, waited right on the doorstep and tried to hand something directly to me. Why don’t they step back and put it on the step like everyone else?

@Fredelliottisayfredelliott

This is not a thing where I come from, why would you tip the postman for doing his job? Where do you draw the line ?

A few reasons:

1—postal workers are part of the everyday landscape of our lives (fuck me, that sounds wanky);

2— ours deliver every day and go the extra mile with packages etc instead of taking the easy way out;

3—hush money for no judgment

We gave our postman £20 in a card this morning (suitably socially-distanced). He's our regular postman, he's delivered to us for years and we know him by name. We live slightly off the beaten track and he's kept going staunchly in this horrible year.

@Fredelliottisayfredelliott

This is not a thing where I come from, why would you tip the postman for doing his job? Where do you draw the line ?

It used to be that well-off householders would tip or “give a Christmas box” to the tradesmen. It was very much a class bound practice. The working classes “give a drink” (cash) to each other when a favour calls for it.

Now we’ve all got muddled up and the butcher is often better off than the university lecturer. You can’t tell as much from where people live, either.

Nothing, he earns more than me

Nothing

I don't get the fascination of tipping postmen/bin men etc at Xmas? They get paid to do a job like the rest of us. The conditions are not onerous. My post doesn't get delivered before 3pm daily so hardly up at the crack of dawn and they are unionised to the hilt so generally have better employment protection than a lot of other people 🤷‍♀️

Mumsnet is a different world. It has never occurred to me to tip the postman or give him a present or biscuits, wtf. It's never even the same person who comes.

Have ours a fiver because we had nothing else in the house. He seemed pleased so I hope he didn’t feel patronised.

£10 in a card. He's been lovely this year.

It's nothing new it's customary in some trades.
20 plus years ago I had an evening job in a taxi office. They got the best tips at Xmas.
Pubs would send crates of wine or a few bottles for the "girls in the office"
Regular customers sent treats and chocolates.
Towd dears home made baking.
It was brilliant.
I fall into the WC buy a drink catagory.

Agh, ours seems lovely and I feel terrible about today.

He knocked on the door with a package but I was holding a screaming baby, all I could go was say Chuck it on the mat please.

He was in Santa costume and everything, I didn't even say happy Christmas

I literally did this a few minutes ago - because the last few years I have felt like I should do it and never had cash on me/he never had to deliver anything the last couple of days before Xmas etc.

So he came a few mins ago and I remembered I had a tenner in my purse, grabbed it and thrust it at him, don't think I even said Happy Christmas, I was all flustered! 😂

I do think postmen have been great this year, they have had loads to deliver and also going to hundreds of houses every week in COVID must be a little unnerving, especially at the beginning when they didn't really know as much about transmission etc (remember when people were scared to touch a gate/sit on a bench on a walk etc?!)

@ivfbeenbusy

Nothing

I don't get the fascination of tipping postmen/bin men etc at Xmas? They get paid to do a job like the rest of us. The conditions are not onerous. My post doesn't get delivered before 3pm daily so hardly up at the crack of dawn and they are unionised to the hilt so generally have better employment protection than a lot of other people 🤷‍♀️

Aw, the good old Christmas spirit

I fall into the WC buy a drink catagory.

I fall into both. That’s probably why I don’t like it. My dad’s family would all have been tipping my mum’s family, way back when. 😏

£30

£20 in a card every year. Our postie is brilliant and definitely goes the extra mile to make sure we don't have to drive to the sorting office to collect things. I don't think he is just doing his job. He goes to extra effort to deliver things when he could just chuck a card through the letterbox.

£20 here.

@wowfudge

Something's better than nothing. We give ours £20 but we have a long steep drive and our postie goes the extra mile to make sure we get things with minimum hassle.

That sounds about right. This year there has been no regular postman (in previous years I've always known them), so I sent £30 to the delivery office for them to buy treats. It has been a funny old year that's for sure.

I have known many postpeople and they love the amount of tips they get at Christmas. It's not patronising, it is just a personal token of your appreciation for their efficient service.

If all you have is £5, give him/her the £5, they will be pleased. Otherwise go to the ATM and give it to them next week.

We dont usually, but at the start of the year we got a new postie and he is so great. Hs rounds must have taken him double time during lockdown as he stopped to talk to all our elderly neighbours every single day. Always with a smile and cheery wave and a little chat.

We gave £10. I have never done so before but wanted to recognise the fact that he kept going out and doing his job while we had the luxury of staying at home. And he’s always nice and friendly

I had a fiver waiting as he is really nice and always delivering my parcels (I'm addicted to eBay)! But I missed him. It was just a fiver but if a few houses have a fiver

When did this become a thing? Never heard of tipping the postman

My Nan used to do this some years ago! Didnt know it was still a thing TBH

@KatherineJaneway

When did this become a thing? Never heard of tipping the postman

No idea. It would never occur to me to tip a postie. No tip here. Although i'm usually at work when the post is delivered, so i'm not sure how i'd tip even if it was something i'd thought to do.