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AIBU?

To have no clue about tipping the postman!

103 replies

Izzy82 · 19/12/2014 17:00

Is this the done thing? I heard a woman in the post office today saying she tipped her postman and her bin man! I've never in my life tipped the postman, in fact, up until a few months ago I had never even laid eyes on him. but I'm on maternity leave now and have done all my christmas and baby shopping on line so speak to him regularly. Today he delivered my post, saw I wasn't in so came back an hour later with my packages. Bless him!
So, are you tipping your postman and if so, how much?
Xxx

OP posts:

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Boredshitless · 19/12/2014 21:05

Gaia81 do you work for Royal Mail?

JuxaSnogUndertheMistletoe · 19/12/2014 21:06

Our post people are great so I tip them. They tramp about in all weathers, are always friendly and helpful and cheerful. They deserve it.

The binmen are crap so I don't. My mum used to tip the paper boy and the milk man. It can all get a bit expensive!

Gaia81 · 19/12/2014 21:09

No, this was in a local authority. The rules were the same whether you were a bin man, planning officer, customer services etc

Boredshitless · 19/12/2014 21:18

Gaia to you have no idea about Royal Mail then?.

Boredshitless · 19/12/2014 21:19

So you

MonkeyAllen · 19/12/2014 22:27

Someone else asked up thread but I can't see a reply - how do you tip the bin men?? Mine are brilliant so would like to but agree on what do you put? "To the bin men"? Also how - I can't afford to give much money so was thinking a box of chocolates but leaving it on top of the bin seems really insulting and dirty!

Mehitabel6 · 19/12/2014 22:38

We tip the postman because he is a regular one and very friendly and helpful. I can't see why he should declare it and hope he doesn't- it is a gift for him.

Mehitabel6 · 19/12/2014 22:40

We don't have a paper delivered anymore but we always used to tip the paper boy/girl.

MiddleAgedandConfused · 19/12/2014 23:03

I tip our postie because he so helpful. But do not tip the binmen who I do not know.

GazpachoSoup · 19/12/2014 23:21

I'm with Saucyjack on this one. They're doing their JOB. So they give great service, Well, yes, so they should. As I said, that's what they're supposed to do!
Seems weird how some jobs people tip but other jobs they don't.

Moanranger · 20/12/2014 00:20

I now have a great postman who I tipped - except on holiday he is a " regular" - dog loves him as he gives him treats, knows where to leave packages safely. Different story in London, they changed daily, so tipping pointless.
My bin men on the other hand.....They are so flipping particular - if your bins aren't in exactly the right spot, they won't take, bags must be just so. I call them fairy princesses & am tempted to gift them Barbie dolls!

pippahooper · 20/12/2014 00:21

To be honest i never see the Postman even if i wanted to tip them! They are way too early for me. We must be like first on their round or something lol x

Rockinghorse123 · 20/12/2014 00:30

Oh gosh I've oh heard about tipping the binmen last week and have been stressing about logistics of getting the beer (done thing on our street it would seem) to them all week. Now I discover the postie needs chocolate and /or money. This is all adding to my christmas stress

GemmaTeller · 20/12/2014 08:27

Season of goodwill and all that then SaucyJack.......

I give the postman his £10 tip, he puts it in his pocket before he's got to the end of our drive, and who's to know he didn't buy the bar of chocolate when he was out and about?

What happens on the lane stays on the lane ....

Hatespiders · 20/12/2014 09:23

Goodness me Pippa! You lucky thing! Postie as early as that? Here in the absolute sticks, we don't get our post until 2pm.

Iggi999 · 20/12/2014 09:40

In theory teachers have to declare gifts too - all those home made cookies and smelly candles could be bribes. In practice (up to individual employers) a degree of common sense is engaged - small value things fine, £50 in the hand not fine.

MillieMoodle · 20/12/2014 09:57

Our post lady is great, she will sign for parcels on our behalf and stick them through the letter box if they fit as she knows we're at work. Otherwise she'll drop them at the village post office instead of back to the sorting office, as the sorting office is about 15 miles away. If she puts the "we called but you were out" note through the door and we can find her in the village, she'll give us the parcels from the back of the van. She definitely goes beyond what I would expect and it makes our lives easier!

Hatespiders · 20/12/2014 12:23

Our village postman saved the life of a very old lady in her nineties. It was in that terrible winter of 2010, in the snow. He comes in the afternoons, and near her house he heard her feeble cries. She'd fallen while putting stuff in her bin behind the high gate, broken her femur and had lain there for ages. He broke the gate open, called an ambulance, put his coat over her and stayed until the ambulance arrived. She recovered luckily, and still comes to church every Sunday. She would have died of hypothermia in a few more minutes. He's our hero!

Mehitabel6 · 20/12/2014 18:30

Teachers don't declare gifts. I never have and I don't know a single one who has. If anyone thinks they are giving a bribe they are wasting their time!

TalkinPeace · 20/12/2014 18:41

With my pedantic legal hat on,
Under the recent bribery and corruption legislation, all employers should keep a record of all gifts received by their staff - no matter how small, due to the "pattern" aspect.

Public sector employees (council staff, teachers, NHS staff, emergency services) are not technically supposed to accept gifts personally

BUT
several years ago HMRC took the view that a de minimis was acceptable
but they did not define it
and many employers are in breach of the law if they do not keep logs of gifts

and yes, that DOES include chocolates for teachers!

Iggi999 · 20/12/2014 18:47

There are more teachers than you know, then.

Mehitabel6 · 20/12/2014 19:09

Strange that of all the teachers I have known, over 40 yrs, that not one has declared a gift.

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TalkinPeace · 20/12/2014 20:00

meh
chances are that somebody in the school admin has done the "de minimis" forms without their knowledge as when I was auditing schools I saw them

crapcrapcrapcrap · 20/12/2014 20:08

Always tipped the postie until this year - the new one is a pain in the arse

The bin men get beers. The milkman will get some fudge (he's also a PITA) but I don't have to talk to him as much as the postie because he comes in the night

Mehitabel6 · 20/12/2014 21:27

They must just make it up then - they are not there when they are opened and they wouldn't have time to see them properly.

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