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Original poster

To ask if you still 'tip' the postie, bin men, etc at Christmas?

239 replies

kitnkaboodle · 20/12/2016 23:16

I say 'still', because it is kind of an older generation thing to do. Having not done it before, I gave our postie a box of chocs last Christmas Eve as I work at home and have quite a lot of chats with him. My mum would leave whisky for the milkman, etc, and I think some people used to leave money in the dustbin lids for the bin men. Now wondering if I've started a new tradition and I should get him something this year too.

It's obviously not anything that anyone would get offended by, and no-one's going to say it's a bad idea. Just wondering how many people did it these days.

OP posts:
1horatio · 22/12/2016 21:09

princes

That's so adorable. Aww :)

honeylulu · 22/12/2016 21:13

We tip our binmen £20 at Christmas. They have loooong memories! For that they put our bin back in the front garden each time. If we forget/put bin out wrong day/ wrong type of bin they come and collect from garden/ swap them over. It's one of a few times we have really seen better service as a result of a tip.
I'm a bit confused about why some services (taxis, hairdresser, waiting staff) should be tipped and not others. I've worked as a shop assistant and as a bar worker. Absolutely knackering and no tips.
I finished my laser hair removal sessions last week and gave the lady a Christmas tip. I thought she deserved it after all the time the poor thing had spent having to stare at my hooha and arsehole.

notagiraffe · 22/12/2016 21:17

I always tip the postman £20 because he's brilliant. DH and I work from home and he's always delivering heavy packages and ringing and waiting so they don't get left or damaged. Also he lives locally, is a really nice man and his dog helps him with his round.

Sometimes tip the binmen but they are so rude and aggressive I usually only do it if DH can't be arsed to go to the tip to get rid of the tree and extra wrapping paper after twelfth night. Hand them a tenner and miraculously they find they can take an extra bag of rubbish for you.

Original poster
kitnkaboodle · 22/12/2016 21:23

Ooh - this thread has got legs! Just made me realise that there is no gender neutral term for bin men?? BUT I personally have never seen a woman on the bins. Has anyone??

OP posts:
honeylulu · 22/12/2016 21:27

I think we are meant to say "refuse collectors" which I guess is also gender neutral.

Julius02 · 22/12/2016 21:29

We tip our postman - he's a regular postman and he's great. This year he's getting double what he got last year as he's been brilliant at finding good hiding places for parcels so we don't have to go to the sorting office.

We also tip the bin men - always good to keep on side. They do remember! And they have such a grim job and I appreciate what they do.

When I was growing up (a long time ago, in Ireland) people used to give the postman money and a drink on Xmas Eve. We were near the end of his round and by the time he got to us he couldn't stand up!

100milesanhour · 22/12/2016 21:33

I have not personally but my mum used to when I was little.

We have 3 or 4 different posties so not the same person everyday.

lilyb84 · 22/12/2016 21:35

honey having worked in retail I think it's standard not to allow staff to accept tips as they're generally handling money in the tills so it would open up room for dishonesty. I imagine it's probably the same for bar staff although lots of places I know will have a tip jar for all the staff that then gets shared out or used for staff parties etc.

bimbobaggins · 22/12/2016 21:42

I give my postie and window cleaner a tub of sweets. They seem very pleased with it

Mindtrope · 22/12/2016 21:51

bimbo I am cringing at the idea of giving your postie and window cleaner sweets at christmas time.

I hope they doff their caps in gratitude.

Archedbrowse · 22/12/2016 22:02

We have £10 to bin crew (same every week) they always come at school run time, wave to DCs and sometimes run ahead and move the bins out of the way so can get past with pram/children. Also will sometimes park our bin back up the drive for us if the mood takes.
No to postman as different ones, one of whom we had to complain about as he was making no attempt to deliver parcels, just shoving card through to collect from depot.
Window cleaner £5 extra
Cleaner £10 as she is much better than previous ones, very personable and very in demand, has a waiting list! So I want to stay in her good books Grin

Archedbrowse · 22/12/2016 22:03

Addressing your point I'm late 30s!

bimbobaggins · 22/12/2016 22:37

Not sure why you are cringing mindtrope, how rude. They don't seem to get anything else and always seem happy enough to accept them .

Seems to be a lot of people don't give anything so fail to see what is the matter with a tub of roses/celebrations or similar.

YorkiesGlasses · 22/12/2016 22:48

Just made me realise that there is no gender neutral term for bin men?? BUT I personally have never seen a woman on the bins. Has anyone??

Actually yes there's one in my area, but weirdly I only see her on the heavy rubbish collection. Then again our bins often get picked up before 7am when I'm not paying attention (because I just hit snooze for the sixth time).

1horatio · 22/12/2016 22:54

TBH, I'd feel silly giving our nightnanny a tub of sweets.

I value her more than that. It would feel a bit insulting, tbh... 🙈

Mindtrope · 22/12/2016 22:57

Exactly horatio.

Would you give your solicitor or physiotherapist sweets at christmas time?

It's patronising.

Lifeonthefarm · 22/12/2016 22:58

Postie always. It's a village so he knows us all and is so helpful.
He has taken my documents and taxed my car before, takes my parcels even if they need weighing and paying for etc. He is very very good to us.

Mindtrope · 22/12/2016 22:59

They seem very pleased with it

Probably the only sweets they have seen all year. Hmm

Good that they are grateful.

honeylulu · 22/12/2016 22:59

My mum's a podiatrist and her patients give her shitloads of choc/ sweets/ biscuits at Christmas. she's also rather overweight

Lifeonthefarm · 22/12/2016 23:08

SherlockPotter what not even in a restaurant for good service?

1horatio · 22/12/2016 23:09

Mindtrope

DM taught me that the amount spent on a Christmas gift (or bonus) for good staff working in/around the house should be between the salary payed for one workday and the average amount they get payed per week. But she isn't UK based, so not sure how that's here.

But that's what we did for our house woman and the nightnanny.

So, if a cleaner comes once a week and earns £50 then that would be the amount spent on the Christmas present for the cleaner. That could be a fruit basket, chocolate, a gift card, cash...

bimbobaggins · 22/12/2016 23:12

I'm still not sure why you are cringing at this. The op said in the first post that she gave her postie sweets and multiple people have said they give sweets / biscuits.

It's meant as a nice gesture.

EggnoggAndMulledWine · 22/12/2016 23:13

Iv always gave the postman a card with a tenner in. Gave it yesterday. He's a new young guy this year. Old one retired. So he seemed very grateful when I gave him the card alThough he didn't open it.

He's out there in all weathers and it was freezing and hail yday and he was still walking along with his earphones in singing away and smiling. Bin men I gave a box of beers last year. Haven't managed to catch them this year though.

ElaineVintage · 22/12/2016 23:44

I also agree that it's patronising.

Besides they earn a pretty decent wage, especially the bin man!

1horatio · 22/12/2016 23:48

I personally don't think it's patronizing to give anything to the post man, bin man, milk man or newspaper boy.

It's actually great. But if you employ somebody, like the window cleaner, then a cheap packet of sweets is in my personal opinion a statement about how much you value their work. Whereas it would be an ok gift for the newspaper boy...
But I'm foreign, so I don't think my opinion counts a lot in a convo about the UK, tbh.

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