Tipping supplements the income of people who earn minimum wage or less, usually because they work for an agency that takes your payment and doesn't share it out to the people you actually see. That's why you don't tip business owners: they set their own rates and keep the majority of it. "Tipping" trash collectors and postmen is not a tip, it's a holiday gift.

We could eliminate tipping by requiring employers to pay people a fair wage. But until then, tip people like servers, hotel workers, cab drivers. Tipping Amazon drivers actually does make sense given how they're paid, but I'm not sure how to accomplish it.

Anonymous wrote:i don't have a regular usps person.

i do have a regular ups guy who goes out of his way to make sure my deliveries won't be stolen.

especially given covid, i want to tip. but i don't know how much.

is $50 for a year of hazard pay excessive?

also, if i tip $50 this year, am i obligated to tip $50 every year henceforth and hereafter?

Is this EE Cummings? Or is your shift key broken?

Anonymous wrote:i don't have a regular usps person.

i do have a regular ups guy who goes out of his way to make sure my deliveries won't be stolen.

especially given covid, i want to tip. but i don't know how much.

is $50 for a year of hazard pay excessive?

also, if i tip $50 this year, am i obligated to tip $50 every year henceforth and hereafter?

How is delivering packages outside hazardous?

Anonymous wrote:Years ago I had a non tipper working for me. He did not give mailman or even his nanny a holiday tip. I was joking once as he was proud of it and said does that mean I can give your Christmas bonus to the other staff. He said no that is different.

I go how I pay you to work and the bonus is optional and an extra for good work. I stopped very quick went whoops don’t want HR in here.

But I still find it unusual non tippers and non bonus people demand they get there bonus

I see the difference. The guy who wants his bonus works for YOU. The bonus is not guaranteed, but is part of his calculation in whether he will work at your company. You are free not to give him a bonus and he is free not to work for you. Contract workers work for their company. When we go in and make large tips, we are subsidizing the ability of the company to continue to recruit workers at the same low wage level because people assume that their income will be larger anyway.

I understand feeling sympathy for the earlier PP making $15 out of $125 per hour, but let's be honest. That's pretty deceptive of the company, since most folks would assume that the worker is receiving a higher percentage of the price. I want the company to pay their workers whatever it takes to recruit and retain them, and then I will know the true price of their service before I hire them. Tipping skews everything about the economic model.

Anonymous wrote:Since covid, our favorite pizza place now automatically adds %20 to PICK UP orders. I am a little annoyed by that (we are all hurting financially right now, not just restaurants) Are we supposed to tip on top of that?

No don’t tip on top of that.

My daughter does Instacart and the people in Bethesda and Chevy chase are often cheap.

Fur instance on Saturday she delivered a small order to Chevy chase. It actually popped to while in supermarket already so she clicked without looking. Was a 3 percent tip!! House was on a block with no parking! Ladies car was blocking driveway and daughter has to park a block away

Meanwhile she did another house that day. Outer Potomac huge house circular driveway. But of drive but easy pull up. Women tip 20 percent and came to door and said thank you. Saw my daughters a college student and gave a nice cash tip on top of regular tip.

Bethesda and Chevy chase folks treat you like servants and won’t look you in eye. Cheap tippers.

Give some cash money as tips

I tip our garbage men $25 and our postal worker $25. I think it’s probably not a lot but I’m sure many of my neighbors don’t tip at all so many it evens out.

My parents have a very dedicated and personable mail person and a terrific newspaper delivery person who have delivered to them for years. They definitely go out of their way to do things like bring the newspaper into the vestibule entry when it’s raining vs tossing it near the door where it could get soaked. My parents tip $100 Wegmans gift cards to each. It’s a bit high for me but they feel they deserve it because they do such a good job. They are generous also with the garbage men. I’m sure their house is a bright spot on their routes.

Postman gets treats and a card. Newspaper delivery guy gets $50 tipped through the WaPo site. Will tip the pizza guy (~20%) if the order is relatively on-time and correct. Never used any other food or grocery delivery services. FedEx and UPS and Amazon drivers get 0 because these always change. Garbagemen get 0 because they brutalize everyone’s waste bins in the neighborhood.
Yard guy gets 0 because he’s lucky enough to sleep with me (my husband)...

Anonymous wrote:People often give $ to the postman or UPS driver at Xmas. This is not a new idea and should not be confusing. Just give them holiday cash if you would like to. You won't be the only one, so they will not be shocked.

Only in value up to $20. We gave him wine one year andhe had to get OK from his boss that the value of the wine was less than $20. So we got a giftcard this year for precisely $20.
*Civil servants are not allowed to receive cash tips. But if you wish to recognize your mail carrier, the U.S. Postal Service asks that your gratuity not exceed $20 in cash value.

i don't have a regular usps person.

i do have a regular ups guy who goes out of his way to make sure my deliveries won't be stolen.

especially given covid, i want to tip. but i don't know how much.

is $50 for a year of hazard pay excessive?

also, if i tip $50 this year, am i obligated to tip $50 every year henceforth and hereafter?

Anonymous wrote:Good grief. Tipping has gotten out of control.

+1000. How about our workers just get paid a living wage??

Even if you don't want to tip with cash or gift cards (which can definitely get out of hand), just showing simple kindnesses can go a long way. For example, when it's bitter cold, leave some hand warmers in your mailbox for the mailperson with a nice note. When I was working in the office, I kept some in my car and would give some to the security guard who checked my ID at the gate.

Anonymous wrote:Whatever you do, (once things are back to normal and people start traveling again), please leave cash for the hotel housekeeper. It makes a big difference in their lives and its physically draining, unappreciated work done by women living on the margins of society.

I so agree with this and usually leave a large cash tip for the housekeeper. My grandmother was a nurse's aide and my grandfather was a school janitor, so I know a nice tip can make a little bit of a difference for a person who's working hard, but not making much.

UPS drivers are teamsters making good money. Extending kindnesses to show your appreciation for them is a great thing, but you don't need to be giving them money.

Anonymous wrote:Since covid, our favorite pizza place now automatically adds %20 to PICK UP orders. I am a little annoyed by that (we are all hurting financially right now, not just restaurants) Are we supposed to tip on top of that?

To me if they add %20 for pick up, that's their tip. And they better be giving it to their employees who are probably struggling.