Tipping your garbage guys and mail delivery

[Anonymous]

First, my garbage men aren't government employees - they are contractors. Second, they tote away feces, both animal and human, rotten food, broken glass, etc. I can afford to give them a small tip for dealing with that stuff all week. Just like I appreciate people who give me (a teacher) a gift of appreciation for working with their child day in and day out. I get paid, but it's nice to know someone cares about me as a person, not just a faceless cog in a wheel.

[Anonymous]

I'd also like to get an appreciation gift for the countless number of people I have helped while doing my job. But that's not going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Bunch of scrooges.

[Anonymous]

I tipped my newspaper delivery guy three years ago - handed him a $50 bill. Since then, every day, I find my paper neatly placed at the foot of my front door under my front porch, rain or shine. That same year, I gave my garbage men each $20. Since then, it doesn't matter what I put out on the curb (authorized or not), they will take it. These guys (women) really appreciate you recognizing the work they do every day. I feel really good about tipping them. Starbucks tip however? No way.

[Anonymous]

Why not Starbucks? Is it because you do not rely on their service or you feel they charge too much or they make too much? I'm trying to get a sense of how ppl make tipping decisions.

[Anonymous]

Different poster here. I tip based on importance in my life. The day care teachers most of all, because they are critical. The cleaning service next because having someone clean my house gives me more of my limited time to spend with my kids and husband.

Next, I tip people who have been helpful, above and beyond what they need to do in their line of work. I tip the Dunkin Donuts folks, for example, because they have my "large iced coffee, skim milk only" made and sitting on the counter before I even make it up there to pay. They don't have to do that. I tip them daily and give a bigger tip in the tip jar around Christmas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, my garbage men aren't government employees - they are contractors. Second, they tote away feces, both animal and human, rotten food, broken glass, etc. I can afford to give them a small tip for dealing with that stuff all week. Just like I appreciate people who give me (a teacher) a gift of appreciation for working with their child day in and day out. I get paid, but it's nice to know someone cares about me as a person, not just a faceless cog in a wheel.

Well said. I'm a teacher too, and don't expect gifts... a nice note is cherished. But as for garbage men... these guys put in hard physical labor. The gross and dangerous stuff in the trash (not to mention rats), and the absolute necessity of them to do their job well if we want to live in a safe environment and a civilized society, is reason enough to show some appreciation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Government agencies, including USPS, supposedly prohibit employees from receiving money as a gift or gratuity.

They accept giftcards though. I collected nearly $400 once from our playground after we visited a fire station. I used it for giftcards and gave them to the fire chief.

I tip:
garbagemen
recycling guys
mailman
NYT delivery guy
cleaning ladies
car parking attendant at DH's office (this one is esp. appreciated and gives us a special parking spot all year!)

I give gifts to:
teachers
asst. teachers
college-aged babysitters
hair stylist


And lots of wine and candles as hostess gifts.

[Anonymous]

For federal government employees, gift cards are considered the same as cash. They're not allowed to accept cash gifts, but may accept gifts valued no more than $20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For federal government employees, gift cards are considered the same as cash. They're not allowed to accept cash gifts, but may accept gifts valued no more than $20.

Well, my firemen and garbagemen are not federal government employees.

[Anonymous]

The USPS is no longer a government agency.

I agree with the principle of tipping for service that goes beyond the basic call of the job. In this light, we contribute each year to the town fund for our public works guys. They are not only the trash collectors but the sidewalk clearers, road plowers, tree trimmers, and leaf rakers. They have hauled away all kinds of stuff from our house and yard and helped in getting things out to the curb when they were too much for us to manage alone. They also slept in town hall last year in order to plow around the clock during the blizzards; as a result, everyone in town could get their cars out to get to work or to the store when needed. So yes, we contribute to their holiday bonuses and I also make cookies and drop them off at town hall for them. We do the same for the town police, who watch our house when we're away and have patiently helped us deal with problems on our block.

I don't usually do anything extra for the letter carrier, as s/he doesn't really do anything extra for me. I am considering making cookies for the UPS drivers this year, as they have carried things into the house for me from the porch when I've been pregnant or with a new baby. I believe UPS has a rule about things collected en route, though, that they are required to bring everything over a certain size/amount back to the office to be shared equally among the workers (since they rotate through driving and being in the warehouse, I believe, and warehouse people have no opportunity to collect tips or gifts).

All of these jobs are blue collar jobs that require long hours and lots of physical labor. Yes, they are better paid than minimum wage, but minimum wage is poverty level: $10,000 per year. I wouldn't want to do their jobs and I appreciate that they provide these services for me. I expect that I'll give gifts to my child's teachers, too. Yes, they have benefits and are also not minimum wage jobs, but they are educating my son so I don't have to home school him and I appreciate that.

[Anonymous]

And in terms of Starbucks, I tip when the kid behind the counter has my regular drink ready by the time I through the line because he saw me come in the door and remembered what I drink, even though I only go there every other week or so. Other than that, I don't tip for counter service in the food industry as there's very little opportunity or need to go above and beyond.

[Anonymous]

Well it's nice that you all feel so appreciative and all that jazz. Good for you. Enjoy your giving, and your ability to give, and leave the rest of us alone without the name calling. A lot of these professions pay more than you are giving credit for, but even if they didn't it's not my job to go around dropping money like the tooth fairy.

I have my own family to worry about and when I feel like being charitable, I'll give to a charity or to an individual who I know for sure needs it.

[SAM2]

Anonymous wrote:This is just nuts. Im sorry but I do not beleive in tipping people to do their job - exception only for those who make the majority of their income from tips, waitstaff for example. Government employees do not need tips.

Don't think of it as a tip -- it's not like you're tipping these people every time they pick up your garbage, deliver your mail, etc. It's just a once-a-year holiday gift, just like you probably give to various neighbors, co-workers, and your kid's teachers. If you don't believe in giving gifts, I don't know what to say.

[Anonymous]

How about policemen? No tips for them? Police and firemen are government employees, municipal, state, and federal security. How about tipping TSA agents?