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Original poster

Christmas Tips - Who do you tip?

19 replies

BarkHorse · 23/12/2023 09:56

I’m getting some cash out later for Christmas tips and wondering firstly how much and who?

For example do you tip the bin men? I never have but wondering if that’s “off” (that said they are crap and tend to fling the bins all over the road).

Postman? We do tend to have the same one and he’s nice. How much to give? Is a tenner ok?

The cleaner I was going to go with the equivalent of an extra clean - does that sound right?

am wondering what other people do.

OP posts:
NoTouch · 23/12/2023 10:07

I dont and it has never crossed my mind to tip salaried people like bin men, post man. My hairdresser owns the salon and probably makes more than me!

I tip delivery takeaway drivers/waiting and bar staff as they are usually young adults working PT on minimum wages and very busy just now not getting much time to spend with their own family and friends over Christmas.

Ds(19) is at uni and his Christmas break is mostly working until after new years, including Christmas day. He worked until after 2am this morning at a Christmas party and was back in at 10am this morning. He is tired, needs a rest but they are struggling to find staff and are so understaffed he both doesn't want to let them down and wants to keep the job the rest of the year as the hours suit uni.

RepetitiveMotion · 23/12/2023 10:08

Cleaner - bottle of nice vodka and a weeks wages
Postman - box of biscuits
Hairdesser - naice candle
Binmen - £10 in a card

Theforeverhome · 23/12/2023 10:29

We only tip the postman at Christmas but have a dilemma this year because of the changes to the round that means our regular postie (7 years as the main man) appears less often and we might have another regular postie but I wouldn’t swear to be able to recognise him yet - and he told DP that number 1 postie is off sick currently.

So which postie do we tip now? Or do we split the tip between the two of them? If we don’t tip postie number 2, do we leave the note to postie number 1 on the post box asking him to ring the bell and postie number 2 will know that he’s not getting a tip?

We are quite generous through guilt as we live up a hill that means a 10 minute detour if they have post for us (and DP has small parcels delivered far more than his wardrobe can handle).

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Original poster
BarkHorse · 23/12/2023 10:41

Theforeverhome · 23/12/2023 10:29

We only tip the postman at Christmas but have a dilemma this year because of the changes to the round that means our regular postie (7 years as the main man) appears less often and we might have another regular postie but I wouldn’t swear to be able to recognise him yet - and he told DP that number 1 postie is off sick currently.

So which postie do we tip now? Or do we split the tip between the two of them? If we don’t tip postie number 2, do we leave the note to postie number 1 on the post box asking him to ring the bell and postie number 2 will know that he’s not getting a tip?

We are quite generous through guilt as we live up a hill that means a 10 minute detour if they have post for us (and DP has small parcels delivered far more than his wardrobe can handle).

Maybe use the example above and give postie two a small gift and then postie one a tip when you see him?

OP posts:
hby9628 · 23/12/2023 11:02

I give my hairdresser a bigger tip than usual
Dog walker a gift

Fynoderee · 23/12/2023 11:19

Won’t Christmas be over before you see these people again?
I wouldn’t worry about it now.

BTW - I’m a cleaner and have never been given the cost of a clean for Christmas despite the general consensus on here. I get a bottle of wine at most.

Saggypants · 23/12/2023 11:23

Nobody.

I'd probably leave a cleaner a gift but I don't have one. I'm not seeing my hairdresser (and haven't since November).

Bin men, postie, no. They get a wage.

Original poster
BarkHorse · 23/12/2023 11:27

@Fynoderee I will see all in the “in between” time so feel it’s still appropriate.

I think that’s pretty shit of your customers to not give you a Christmas tip. I’m so grateful for what our cleaner does and am sure money is preferable to wine

OP posts:
ohtowinthelottery · 23/12/2023 11:35

We don't tip the postie - we don't get that much post tbh. Nor the binmen - as they only have to move our bin about 2 metres from where we put it and often fling it back outside the wrong house.
We have, however, been careful to tip waiters/waitresses generously when out for coffees/meals recently as I think the lack of carrying cash must have impacted on their tips and most of them are youngsters no doubt on minimum wage.

MissMoo2222 · 23/12/2023 11:50

DH tips a lot of people at Xmas as he works a job that also gets a lot of tips and he thinks we should show our gratitude just the same as people show him. So, he will tip his barber, the binmen, the window cleaners, our regular delivery man, the guy on the petrol pumps who does the petrol so we don't need to get out of the car in the rain and any food deliver people that we get regularly.

I tip my hairdresser and nail lady that's it.

It might sound a lot but it's £5/10 and like DHs tips, they all add up!

luckylavender · 23/12/2023 12:17

Cleaner, hairdresser & window cleaner. Don't ever see the postie or binman.

Fynoderee · 23/12/2023 12:38

Hmmm
maybe it’s because I’m not cheap. Perhaps they think I earn enough throughout the year! 🤷

DustyLee123 · 23/12/2023 12:40

I give the hairdresser and beautician a bottle of fizz. That’s it.

IncompleteSenten · 23/12/2023 12:40

I'll be giving the Tesco delivery driver a tenner this afternoon. That's all.

HelpMeGetThrough · 23/12/2023 12:43

Don't tip anyone.

Bin men - They are crap and don't bother collecting everything and throw bins and seagull sacks all over the place.

Postman - what's one of those, haven't seen one for ages.

Cleaner - that's me.

tomatoontoast · 23/12/2023 12:44

I don't tip anyone.

gingercat02 · 23/12/2023 12:47

Fynoderee · 23/12/2023 11:19

Won’t Christmas be over before you see these people again?
I wouldn’t worry about it now.

BTW - I’m a cleaner and have never been given the cost of a clean for Christmas despite the general consensus on here. I get a bottle of wine at most.

I left a week extra in cash in a card for our cleaner who is great but she didn't come on Thursday! So I'll be keeping it (and cleaning too)

gingercat02 · 23/12/2023 12:49

No one else gets a Christmas bonus/tip. Hairdressers get a box of biscuits and a bottle of fizz. The cleaner at work gets a gift card and a bottle of wine (NHS outpatients dept, we all put into it)

headcheffer · 23/12/2023 12:58

Cleaner gets a weeks wages, and wine. Very part time nanny gets gifts and £100. Dog walker gets a gift. I don't tip bin men or postie.

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