Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
TuftyFinch · 19/12/2011 11:41

Folkgirl we live in a small village and have the same binmen every week and they really are nice. We moved from south London although our binmen there were good too, they would always wave to the kids and our bin mostly came back to the same spot. We tipped them too. We're just lucky with binmen. Xmas Smile

TroublesomeEx · 19/12/2011 12:25

So it would seem! I suspected as much, tbh.

I would say "just make sure you appreciate it" but clearly you do. Xmas Smile

TimothyClaypoleLover · 19/12/2011 12:26

The world has gone mad. Where do you draw the line?

TroublesomeEx · 19/12/2011 12:43
TuftyFinch · 19/12/2011 12:49

TimothyClaypole you draw the line where you draw the line.

I am good at drawing lines.

Tipping is not a new thing.

MorelliOrRanger · 19/12/2011 12:56

DP deals with all this. I know for certain he tips the delivery guys as he has his own business and they come out at all hours to make sure he has the equipment he requires.

We got a window cleaner this year and I was going to send him a £5 extra as he left his bill as I wasn't in.

Not sure what we do about the postman. We have the same one, so I'll check with the man.

We don't tip the bin men.

NoMoreWineForMeThen · 19/12/2011 13:00

We tip our postman. He's lovely and always goes out of his way to be friendly and helpful. Worth a fiver a year if you ask me.

howlongwilltheynap · 19/12/2011 13:05

now, see our postman lives opposite us, so tipping him just feels wrong somehow, patronising. Obviously he does a particularly good job in this close, but I also see that he gets to pop home for a cuppa at 10am and is home finished by 2pm, plus I am always taking in his deliveries for him.... hhhmm...this has been bugging me for a couple of weeks actually!

I might tip the binmen this year as a one off seeing as we have 2 in nappies at the moment.

hormonalmum · 19/12/2011 13:08

I will only be tipping the ones who have given me good service through the year.
Postman - will be getting homemade fudge & chutney. Also wine as a leaving gift as he is fab but he is starting new round next year.

Hairdresser - chocs from the dc as she is fab with them and always squeezes them in to rectify when they have been playing hairdressers... Hmm
Mechanic - bottle of wine / whisky - always fits us in where he can and doesnt remind me when I have not paid my bill Blush

Have tipped bin men previously with beer but this year we have had new crew who are not as helpful as last; so I will not bother this year.

TimothyClaypoleLover · 19/12/2011 13:18

Obviously tipping is not a new thing but some examples given in this thread are tipping people for doing their job and for which they get paid a very good wage. If you are going to tip everyone that darkens your doorstep over the course of a year you may as well tip the checkout girls, the bank tellers, the train and bus drivers etc etc.

FrillyMilly · 19/12/2011 13:20

I don't tip anyone except for waiters/waitresses who have done a really good job. I don't have a milkman, cleaner, window cleaner or paper boy. Binmen and postman don't go above and beyond what they receive their wage for. Binmen earn more than me and no one bothers to tip me at Christmas.

naturalbaby · 19/12/2011 13:28

i may treat our bin men then, i was wondering how much to give and how they split it if i put £5 out for 3 of them so maybe chocolates or beer would be better. they can do a 3 point turn to reverse up a hill past cars stupidly parked on the bend on both sides of the road, without bashing into any of them so i reckon they deserve something for their driving skills!

WillbeanChariot · 19/12/2011 13:42

I tip the postman because he is great, polite and helpful and leaves my parcels out of sight for me if he can. I tip the milkman because I hear him deliver at 4:20am and I reckon he deserves it. I put cards out for them with £10 in.

I don't tip the bin men because there are two separate lorries each week and there are loads of them.

I used to earn £2.40 a week for my Sunday paper round, the Christmas tips made it worth doing at least that week!

shinyblackgrape · 19/12/2011 13:50

I'm interested in this. I give our cleaner an extra week's wages and a bottle of champagne. I've never done the bin men as I'm not sure how I would get the money to them as the bins are at the kerb. I would have dash out in a towel as they always come when I'm in the shower and I'm sure that's a site they would want to avoid!

Haven't ever done postie as he is always a different one as far as I can see. I suppose I could do the window cleaner but I pay by direct debit and I suspect the window cleaner wouldn't actually get the money as the person who seems to own the company doesn't do the window cleaning!

People have mentioned about tipping supermarket delivery drivers. I've never done this and now feel a bit mean Xmas Blush

Tineh · 19/12/2011 13:51

Thanks OP for raising this. I too received a Christmas card from the milkman. So despite that I'm paying a premium already to have the milk home-delivered, and then another premium on top of that to get it in a reusable glass bottle (save the planet!), now I have to tip as well? Argh!

My parents always left a bottle of beer out for the dustmen and for the milkman, so bowing to popular opinion, I will tip the milkman a fiver.

I work in a very busy administrative position, but no one tips me. Boohoo. Envy

Aworryingtrend · 19/12/2011 13:58

I tipped the window cleaner a bottle of wine, mainly out of guilt as we never have enough cash to pay him so end up giving him cheques for stupidly small amounts.

I would like to tip the dustbin men but never see them as we leave for work before they come- how do others get around this? I'm worried if I leave cash in a card it will get stolen.

Cankulzof · 19/12/2011 14:02

Part of the reason that I'm such a grouch about this is that I worked for a long time in an industry where one sector of staff would get tipped and the support staff never saw a penny, despite working just as hard to make customer's lives easier.

RE bin men.. How about also tipping the customer service staff who deal with the complaints when the bin men have missed a road. Or the poor bugger who cleans and services the bin lorries. No...?

Ephiny · 19/12/2011 14:04

We tip the cleaner as she does a great job, I don't know what we'd do without her. Box of chocolates for the dog's hydrotherapist, as again she does a fantastic job and is just so, so good with him, bottle of wine for dog walker, he's been an invaluable help to us and we're lucky to have him. That's about it really.

Never occurred to me to tip postman/binmen etc, we rarely see them for one thing.

grovel · 19/12/2011 14:07

Postman - £10
Cleaner - half a week's pay in cash plus a bottle of champagne.

Aworryingtrend · 19/12/2011 14:07

Cankulzof, I can see where you are coming from, but for me the reason I would like to tip the binmen is that they are out doing heavy physical work at the crack of dawn in all weathers. Whereas the customer service staff you are referring to presumably work regular office hours in a nice warm office? I think for me thats the difference.

SecretSparkle · 19/12/2011 14:07

This reply has been deleted

The OP has privacy concerns about this post and so we've agreed to take it down.

TheSmallClanger · 19/12/2011 14:08

I don't tip anyone. We don't have a milkman. Because we live somewhere rather obscure, the binmen and any delivery people (inc post) use any excuse they can to give us bad, late or non-existent service.
We do hire a window cleaner from time to time, but not around Christmas - never get round to it.

Santageekmum · 19/12/2011 14:21

This thread has me worried. The Sainsbury's delivery man will be here soon - I have never tipped before, should I do so now? I have a different guy most weeks and have to ask them to take it through to the kitchen. Will he be expecting a tip?

Ineedacleaneriamalazyslattern · 19/12/2011 14:22

Dh is a postie. He gets a few tips each year from people he got one today in fact from a lady who grabbed him last week checking when his day off is this week.
He doesn't expect tips and is very pleased when he does get one. He sometimes gets the odd box of chocolates or biscuits from customers who know he has a family to share them with.

perceptionreality · 19/12/2011 14:25

I won't be tipping anyone who works for Yodel!

Swipe left for the next trending thread