To ask if you ‘tip’ your postie/bin men etc at Christmas?

[FiveFarthings]

Just wondering if people do this and if so, what do you do? Cash in a card? Box of mince pies/chocolate?

My parents are in their 60s and I remember they always used to leave cash in a card for the postie/bin men when we were kids but I don’t know if people do this now?

I’ve never done it as where we used to live we always had loads of different posties so never gave anything, but in our new house we have just the one regular and he’s really nice and friendly, always has a chat and always makes a fuss of the dog, was considerate when DD was born and left the parcels inside the gate rather than ringing the bell etc

I’d like to give him something, just not sure what the done thing is now days? Thoughts?

I also gift my regular coffee shop £50 at Christmas towards their staff night out

Blimey, wish I had that amount of money spare at the end of the month just to splat at my coffee shop workers, chocolate and wine to lollipop crossers and carers..
How the other half live indeed eh lol

No I don't, my BIL is a postie, he gets paid all his overtime (used to get a lot of it at double time) and also used to get a fortune in these tips at xmas. Seriously some years hundreds and hundreds of pounds in total plus vouchers and wine and chocolates. He also recently cashed in some rotal mail shares to the tune of several thousand pounds.

The whole gifting thing just seems like archaicmiddle class posturing to an extent when there is no personal relationship or no personal favour done. I love BIL to bits but he earns far more with overtime than my DP who works a lot harder, for a lot longer and has a lot more responsibility.

Leaving a parcel in the dry and being polite is basic courtesy and responsibility, I would prefer to make a donation to the food bank or homeless shelter or take tins of chocolates to a care home for residents.

Ah man, I always put a fiver in a card for the postie, folk put £20 in! I feel like a cheapskate now.

"I also gift my regular coffee shop £50 at Christmas towards their staff night out.*

Jesus, where does it end? 😅

No, ours is always different so

The average post round is at least 500 houses... if each house just gave £1 it would make the posties Christmas!

Yes I do.

No...we never get the same post person on any given day, so that wouldn't work. And as for the bin men, not a chance! They are rude and leave the bins anywhere they like, blocking driveways seemingly deliberately, so you have to get out of your car and move half a dozen bins before you can drive onto your drive! It is awful round here on bin day 🤬

Also...why? Why would you? Very archaic notion to tip complete strangers who are being paid probably more than me for doing their job!!

Hell no, the bin men leave rubbish all over the place and can't be arsed to return the bins to the right place. It's not like the old days where they came round the back of the house and had to lift and return the bins. It's all wheelie bins now. They get paid well too 🤷🏼‍♀️ The post people have changed so often and wreck parcels that there's no chance of ripping them either. They must be raking it in at Christmas with all these tips!

Blimey, wish I had that amount of money spare at the end of the month just to splat at my coffee shop workers, chocolate and wine to lollipop crossers and carers..

Like I said, we don't use a lollipop person and the care home is past tense, so thanks for that

How the other half live indeed eh lol

Oh yes, I'm just cutting about in my mansion with all my range rovers parked outside

No wait, I'm actually a lowly self employed mum of 3 under 18's - 2 of which are autistic, one who is quite severely affected to the point where I often have to leave work to deal with schooling issues. Neither of them get DLA but my disabled DH does get PIP. I get carers allowance. We struggle through and do our best, but I don't begrudge the staff in my local coffee ship a tip. The £50 works out at less then 50p per visit over the course of the year. You have no idea how precious that coffee time really is to me. How every single member of staff knows me, and the other regulars, and are always friendly, kind and helpful. I have a pretty tough life day to day, it makes me happy to give a little something to people who smile at me and help me through it.

Generosity is one of my biggest faults, but I always think, there could be worse things.

Multiple posties here so don't. Bin men get a case of beer on the bin on the last collection before Christmas.

Average postman salary is supposedly £23k
Average dustman salary is supposedly £20k

I earn barely more than the dustman.

So,, no, I shall be tipping neither.

No, they're paid well so there's no need.

Even if they were on minimum wage I wouldn't at the moment. We have a few different posties anyway. The last regular one we had refused to open the letterbox with his other hand before putting anything in it, so all letters would arrive squished in half. It was for that reason that I didn't contribute to the retirement gift someone in our street tried to organise, she was most offended at the time. But I'd asked him twice not to fold everything in half to shove it through the letter box and I was ignored, so he didn't deserve any appreciation in the form of a tip because he didn't do his job very well.

Always give a present to the Postie for his little girl and the Binmen get a box of hot chocolate sachets, 6 cans of juice and homemade cakes, L.A Gardeners who keep our village looking fantastic get the same when they do the Autumn tidy. Our L.A warns us that we are not allowed to give presents to the binmen or Gardeners but to hell with them

Penguinsonparade- the Royal Mail dont employ seasonal workers.

No they earn more then i did. Binmen leave rubbish all over the street here and i never see the same postie twice.

I'm too poor to tip but if I wasn't I wouldn't tip our binmen - I have a wide driveway but still every time they manage to strategically place my bin so I can't drive onto it despite my having a bin area more conveniently located (for them) further down my drive.

If you do give the binmen gifts, like my parents, especially food then bear in mind to put it in a bag. They won't want to touch it with mucky hands.

No, but I don't tip anyone.

I like give postman £5 in card would be more but can’t afford! I live in flats and he’s goes extra mile to bring things up not leave red cards or parcels downstairs. Just a token to say appreciate he’s always a cheerful face.

Not sure they'd prefer to touch a bear with any kind of hands Lannister

I don't tip. My parents have never tipped. None of my grandparents tipped.

QuintoConyo not even Paddington or Winnie the Poo? But they are so snuggly!

Polarised views here, so to add to my previous post
The bin crew go the extra mile on my street. They bring bins to and fro the really elderly if one of the residents hasn't already. They bring treats for all dogs on the street, they dont leave a mess, they bring bins in pairs back to the correct gates.
I dont know about the whole street but I am appreciative and if I could give them more I would.
The postie, have recently lost my postie of 20 years (hes moved to an easier round cos hes getting old like me) i would bung a card and some money his way, again nice fella, went the extra mile, knew who to ask to take parcels, always pleasant.
My hairdresser gets a tip every time I get my hair done, plus wine at Christmas and an extra tip if I can afford it. But she really goes out of her way for me. So far beyond her way you wouldn't believe. She is well worth it.
School crossing guards used to get a card and fiver. I don't use them any more.
When I used an accountant they got alcohol off me.
The only time I used a solicitor for more than a one off issue I got them fancy chocolates and alcohol.

In employment contracts for a lot of these professions it is often stipulated that they must not accept gifts from customers.