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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not know about christmas tipping and want to know if you do

182 replies

Lambzig · 19/12/2011 08:21

Yesterday our milkman sent us a christmas card. Was going to send one back, but just got off the phone to my father who tells me it was a little hint for a christmas tip in a return card. DF tells me I should also be tipping the bin men, the postman, the grocery delivery man (we always get the same one) and anyone else like that, and is shocked I have never done this. We live in outer london suburbia (in case thats relevant)

Is this something everyone else does and all these people have been staring at our house in hatred at the meanies who live there for years or is Dad (who does live in a small more rural community and probably bumps into everyone) being old fashioned. Am also worried how I am going to afford it.

OP posts:

MrsCampbellBlack · 19/12/2011 08:26

I tip the dustbin men, postman and regular delivery guys

Don't have a milkman or paperboy so don't tip them.

My mother always gave out 'christmas boxes' so I do the same.

dmo · 19/12/2011 08:26

I always give post man £5 in a card to get himself a beer, i get milkman a box of chocs and window cleaner some wine

Rudolfsgottarednose · 19/12/2011 08:29

You no longer tip the bin men ot the post personel, because their wages are now pretty good, with the companies now being privatised.

Milkmen-possibly, grocery man-depends who he works for. A fiver will do, if you do decide to tip anyone. At one time it was customary to tip nearly everyone who delivered anything to your door.

cwtch4967 · 19/12/2011 08:29

Always give something to my postman, we have lots of parcels and he is fab.

Cupawoman · 19/12/2011 08:33

I tipped the online grocery delivery man a tenner. Not high earners ourselves, but they deliver great big heavy crates every week with a big smile and polite service. They can't earn that much.

Original poster

Lambzig · 19/12/2011 08:35

I am mortified. Is a fiver or tenner the normal amount?

OP posts:

naturalbaby · 19/12/2011 08:39

i was thinking of posting this - i remember my mum doing this and always feel guilty that i never do. i should really tip the milkman as we've had the same one for 6yrs.

i have a cleaner this year and am not sure whether to do 10% or a £5??

Meglet · 19/12/2011 08:40

I only tip my paperboy (£5).

I never see ther bin men and rarely see the postman.

pingu2209 · 19/12/2011 08:47

I always give £5 to our postman, we get lots of parcels and he is wonderful in signing for them and hiding them etc. I tip our bin men too. We also tip the Sainsburys guy who delivers as he is pretty fab - last year not only did he deliver but he helped us put our tree up too.

However, we have 2 different postmen so really that is £10 (£5 to each) and we give £10 to the green bin men and £10 to the black bin men.

cakeistheanswer · 19/12/2011 08:50

I tip bin men, recycling men, 2 regular posties and a couple of parcel couriers who work all hours at Xmas to get my Amazon shopping here. (there's quite a lot of it!)
Also window cleaner, garden help and whoever delivers the replacement for whichever home appliance decides to pack up in Xmas week.
Have always done it - I think it just shows appreciation for the dedicated service which has been given throughout the year.
I used to give £5 each, but mostly upped to £10 last year - as £5 doesn't go very far nowadays.
I think that anything at all is hugely appreciated though. I know people who give the bin men a bag of sweets to share in the lorry, and they seem most pleased.
It's good to share the lurve at this time of year...

ZeldaUpNorth · 19/12/2011 08:51

I only tip the milkman (this is the 1st year too as last one had young boys to help and £5 wouldn't of gone far whereas now its just the milkman) Dont tip anyone else can't afford it as we get a different postman all the time and again £5 isn't enough to go round 3/4 binmen so dont bother.

mrspepperpotty · 19/12/2011 08:54

I tip my cleaner £40 (she is fab) but no one else.

Don't have a milkman or paperboy, never see bin men, delivery man different every time.

Now feeling a bit guilty about the postman though. Maybe I'll give him a fiver.

MrsCampbellBlack · 19/12/2011 08:56

I give my cleaner an extra week's wages as she is utterly fab.

I give the binmen £20 as they take an awful lot that they shouldn't really and so save me trips to the tip.

BellaVita · 19/12/2011 08:58

I tip the window cleaner a tenner every year.

We never seem to have the same postman/lady so I don't bother.

I never see the bin men as I am at work.

DesperatelySeekingPomBears · 19/12/2011 08:58

Heh, this makes me think of the incident with my nana, who had two toddlers and a baby at the time, being in the middle of all of the christmas prep only to be interrupted by the binman knocking at the door for a tip with the line 'I'm the man that empties your bin'. My nana's stressed demeanour at the time meant her response was to bellow 'And I'm the bugger that fills them' before slamming the door...

To her credit, she did feel very guilty once she'd calmed down and gave him a handsome tip next time she saw him.

gitinora · 19/12/2011 09:14

My son is a paper boy and he has had been tipped £5 x4 £10x 2 and on saturday £20 by a little old lady. He said to the lady this is very kind but i cant except it as its too much. ( he wasnt sure if she thought it was a £5 or maybe her eye sight wasnt good) however she insisted and said he must have it as he always has a smile for her in the mornings and closes her gate properly. He has wrote her a thankyou card and has delivered it this moring.

We were shocked at how much he has got £60 from 7 houses thought he may get the odd £1.

Feel bad now as i never tip

HappyMummyOfOne · 19/12/2011 09:25

I dont tip the bin men and we have different posties every day but do get a bottle of something for the window cleaner. I do buy for school staff though as they have an enormous influence on my DS's daily life and I like to say thankyou.

coraltoes · 19/12/2011 09:32

Pack of beer for bin men, same for recycling lot. 3 weeks salary for cleaner. Hadn't thought about postman...might buy some chocs for him. Bloody wish I had thought of it yesterday as m&s had some good ones for about a fiver.
We don't have a paper boy or milkman sadly. Do you tip ocado?! Oh man... MINEFIELD!

spottyscarf · 19/12/2011 09:50

Blimey some of you spend more on your binmen than I spend on each of my nieces and nephews! I never tip anyone apart from waiters/waitresses- though our binmen are quite grumpy and come when I'm at work anyway, and we seem to have at least 2/3 different posties. And we're not rich enough to have a cleaner/gardener/window cleaner etc.

Onlyaphase · 19/12/2011 09:59

I used to tip everyone but this year the binmen aren't getting anything as they didn't do the bins on strike day (fair enough I suppose) or collect anything extra the week afterwards (really annoyed me).

Our usual postman has been ill and I won't be tipping his random replacements as I've had to go to the sorting office a few times because of them (25 mile round trip taking an hour). Our usual postie used to open the door, sign for anything if we weren't around , leave the post on the stairs and give the dogs a snack.

Milkman will get £10 as normal. Nothing for windowcleaners. Newspaper man gets £10.

OldGreyWassailTest · 19/12/2011 10:01

Never see the bin men as they are at the top of the lane, but I do tip my Postman a bottle of wine as he is very good at knocking and delivering parcels. Also give a box of biscuits to the girls at the Doctors (I am there quite a lot) and a bottle of wine to my GP (who is great).

Yankeecandlequeen · 19/12/2011 10:07

I never tip. They get paid a wage like everyone else don't they? They're expecter to provide a top class service so why should they be tipped for doing that very job?

AMumInScotland · 19/12/2011 10:07

Our binmen arrive while its still dark in the morning, and we never actually see them or meet them to speak to. I don't even know if it's the same ones regularly or not!

Our regular postie always gets moved to a different round by the start of December - I think our round must be quite an easy one to give to temps, so I'm not tipping them.

We don't have a milkman or a cleaner....

And delivery guys round our way have usually ignored our parcel in the back of their van for several days, while putting "customer was out" onto the computer, as it's too much effort to actually bother delivering it, so they're more likely to get a piece of my mind when they finally turn up than a tip!

SnapesMistressofMerriment · 19/12/2011 10:10

I have a dislike for posties so never tip them. I would the bin men and the milk man though.

pigletmania · 19/12/2011 10:10

Wow you guys have a lot of money, I am a bit broke so don't I am afraid. Yes bin men are paid very well round here more than me.

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