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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask who you tip at Christmas and how much?

208 replies

ChocolateCinderToffee · 17/12/2023 17:52

Inspired by another thread.

Postie?
Hairdresser?
Cleaner?
Window cleaner?
Gardener?

Anyone else? Do you tip people who are in any way friends even if you pay them for a service? Do you give gifts rather than money?

OP posts:
ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 17/12/2023 19:17

This seems to be about how much money people have. 50 quid for bin men! How do people afford this?!

LaChienneDesFromages · 17/12/2023 19:17

I’ve never had a Christmas bonus as I worked in the public sector and now work freelance. DH has never had a Christmas bonus (law firm, now partner.) We don’t tip with money anyone who provides a service for us as it’s not a practice I especially like.

I do buy a decent bottle of fizz/chocolates for our dog walker, tutors, teachers, handyman and cleaner and write a nice card. They all charge decent rates for their services which we pay promptly.

Our cleaner is legitimately employed by us for two days a week. In previous roles, she’s been expected to be ‘self employed’, which sucks. She gets sick pay, holiday pay and other benefits of employment. This feels fairer for her than a couple of hundred quid stuck in an envelope at Christmas.

saraclara · 17/12/2023 19:17

Only my cleaner, who gets an extra session's pay. My bin men are as grumpy as hell and the postie changes every few weeks.

I've stopped tipping my hairdresser because she and her DH have money to burn and every time I go she's boasting about something else they've bought or spent money on that I couldn't afford in a month of Sundays. Oh, and she not so subtly puts down my budget choices. Fuck that.

muddlingthrou · 17/12/2023 19:18

Dog walker and childminder - £50 each. Whether you want to call it a bonus or a tip 🤷🏽‍♀️

Chimmo · 17/12/2023 19:20

I don’t tip.

Maireas · 17/12/2023 19:21

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 17/12/2023 19:17

This seems to be about how much money people have. 50 quid for bin men! How do people afford this?!

Dunno. It seems a bit random, though. Some people never get tipped. Bin men and posties seem to do well. Cashiers and shelf stackers not so much. Maybe the bin men tip the shelf stackers?

F1ymetothetoon · 17/12/2023 19:21

@Flamesatmytoes Thank you! Fortunately I'm retired from all that now. Happy Christmas to you and your family 🎄

TheChosenTwo · 17/12/2023 19:25

Window cleaner - a tenner but only because they came yesterday, I don’t usually see them and it’s different people every time but I was just sorting some cash out for godchildren and thought I’d take it out and say thanks.
cleaner - £100
hairdresser - tip £10 every time I go, don’t make a specific Christmas trip.
binmen - £10 taped to a box of beers to say thanks for taking our extra rubbish 🫣

No Christmas bonus for me!

TheChosenTwo · 17/12/2023 19:26

Oh, and I don’t tip the postie because I don’t see them! Since Covid we get post twice a week now and one of those days is when I’m in the office.

zigzag716746zigzag · 17/12/2023 19:27

Hairdresser - £50 (I’m too awkward to tip at any other time)
Bin men - £5 each
Postie - £10
Milkman - £5
Evri and DPD regular drivers £5 each
Recycling centre - box of chocs
If we had a cleaner or gardener I’d give the equivalent to whatever we paid per week

Now that I think about it I’m not sure why I give different people different amounts.

Lizzieregina · 17/12/2023 19:29

I tip my hairdresser every visit (6 weeks) double the tip plus chocolates at Christmas.

GC for coffee place for my personal trainer(s).

I think that’s it 🤔 our bin men make $50 per hour plus great medical and pension, so I don’t usually tip them unless I put something out that requires a lot of extra effort.

I used to supervise the car park at my kids school (thankless job!!) and there was one mum who used to give out little containers of hand lotion at Christmas. It was a very small token and I really appreciated that she thought of me (and the other women that did the job).

StrawberryWater · 17/12/2023 19:32

The only person I tip is the cleaner.

Edit to add I give her an extra £25.

VeganNugsNotDrugs · 17/12/2023 19:32

Dog walker £20. I don't know her well enough to buy a gift and as a teetotal vegan I know the pain of receiving lovely gifts that can't be used. I don't care if she buys herself wine, chocolate or uses it on the weekly food shop. It's just a small token of appreciation as she's reliable, trustworthy and worth her weight in gold.

Perhapsanorhertimewouldbebetter · 17/12/2023 19:34

Nobody.
Nothing.

I really dislike tip culture.

I do my best to show support for workers who are forced to strike for better pay and/or conditions though, even if it is creates an inconvenience for me.

Alchemistress · 17/12/2023 19:36

We tip our postman as we have a lot of deliveries and he goes out of his way to make sure they are left safely/ with neighbours etc.

Also bin men because it's a shit unsociable job which I wouldn't want to do.

I tip my hairdresser whenever I see her, so not specifically at Christmas.

I take chocolates or flowers to a few local businesses that I use every day to say thank you.

I work in retail and i think it skews my attitude a bit. People in service industries ARE being paid for their labour, but generally not very much and are doing jobs that a lot of people wouldn't want to.

I have the money to spare and am happy to pay it forward.

Today at work a regular customer brought me some biscuits and another one a cup of tea. I appreciate it hugely.

theconfidenceofwho · 17/12/2023 19:38

Tinytigertail · 17/12/2023 18:37

My cleaner gets the equivalent of an extra session in cash. I don't tend to tip my hairdresser through the year, but will tip £25 at Christmas. I also get the dog walker a present - usually chocs and booze

This is me exactly, minus the dog walker as don't have a dog!

Hottenan · 17/12/2023 19:40

Cleaner and hairdresser. I always give my cleaner more because she struggles financially and is such a hard worker.

Ethylred · 17/12/2023 19:40

This is what Boxing Day is for.

Kinneddar · 17/12/2023 19:42

Absolutely noone. They're doing the job they're paid to do.

TheShellBeach · 17/12/2023 19:43

We just tip the Evri delivery man £30.

Nobody else.

Bumble84 · 17/12/2023 19:44

Nursery I give cash to (they’ve told me they got a lunch for everyone from it so I think that’s quite nice)
hairdresser if I go but I would tip them anyway.
Binmen get a few cans of beer (this might be a regional thing)
toddler group I go to we do a collection for.

2dogsandabudgie · 17/12/2023 19:53

Window cleaner £10
Dog groomers Box of biscuits and chocolates to share
Hairdresser Tip every time I go
Don't tip the postman because we have loads of different ones
Don't tip the bin men because they always drop rubbish when emptying bins and don't bother picking it up.

eldorado02 · 17/12/2023 19:56

£50 for cleaner (equivalent to a weeks wages)
Tubs of chocolates taped to the top of each wheelie bin
Tub of chocolates taken to RM sorting office

muddyford · 17/12/2023 20:01

Bloke that delivers our newspapers and our two post persons.

Lifeasiknowitisout · 17/12/2023 20:02

Flamesatmytoes · 17/12/2023 18:41

Do none of you not get a bonus at work?

I’m shocked. I give my cleaner a big tip - months money, and time off.

I also do the same for our gardener, but pay summer rate, not Winter.

I then give my team a bonus of the same, including time off.

Without these people I couldn’t function.

Do you not see a difference between these people that you pick and choose to have working for you?

The equivalent would be the council giving the bin men a bonus.

If you are so passionate that people get bonuses from their employer, start petitioning for it.

Not try and pass the responsibility on to other people.