Holiday gift to postal carriers

Brias3 wrote: Do you "tip" your postal carrier during the holidays?

For the past few years we've been here, we always leave a card with $25 in it in the mailbox. Am I way off the mark here with an appropriate gift/amount?

luvmykids replied: I think that amount is fine

Calimama replied: I have never even SEEN our mailman. If he comes to the door to leave a package he rings the doorbell and then leaves.

MoonMama replied: Sounds good to me.

We usually do pretty much the same thing. But a gift card for $20-30 to somewhere. We got a thing in the mail from the post office asking for people not to give cash.

sparkys2boys replied: We usually just leave a very nice card to ours, but it can be a diffrent person every week so I make sure it is good for male or female. But the gift card is a good idea and I think the amount is fine!

Brias3 replied: Ok, good. I was going to ask about the trash person too, however we do not have a regular each week for that like we do a regular postal carrier. The gift card is a good idea too. I don't know of any regulations in the area restricting them from accepting a cash gift, but I might switch to that this year, just in case. I know they have those Visa gift cards that are accepted anywhere.

jcc64 replied: We give our mailman $25 and the same for the garbage guys. I never see them either, but it's nice to be appreciated for doing a good job, which they do. And in return, they don't make me shovel my mailbox out to Post Office specifications, which is greatly appreciated when the snow banks are 8 ft high.

AlexsPajamaMama replied: We live in a small little town with a tiny little post office, we get our mail in a po box. The "post office lady" is sooo sweet to alex she gives him stickers every day we got get the mail.
I will definitely have to give her a card with a little something in it!! Thanks for bringing this up, it didnt occur to me until now

holley79 replied: We give ours a GC to a resturant usually. Between 20-30.

Kaitlin'smom replied: I just saw something about this earlier and I will find the link but I think the post office asks it not be over 20.....hang on let me see if I can find it

coasterqueen replied: I'm cheap. I give each of the service carriers in our area $10. So mailman gets $10, there are two garbage men so they each get $10, and newspaper carrier gets $10. I figure if they get that much from each person on their route they'd probably get a bigger bonus than I do.

Kaitlin'smom replied: here is one blurb I found

Know the boss's rules. Mail carriers aren't supposed to accept cash or gift cards that can be exchanged for cash. They can accept non-cash gifts worth $20 or less. For teachers, check with your school district's office or parent-teacher association. Giving cash to a teacher might be seen as a bribe. Instead, try movie-ticket coupons or join with other parents to buy a gift certificate for a local shop.

and a link info

I know there was another one I just dont ahve the time to find it right now, sorry

lisar replied: I have a diffrent mail man every week and they suck. And for my trash guys at home if they could actually pick up the trash on the day they are supposed to then I might tip them next year. And for my mail man at home, I have never even seen them. So I might tip them I have no complaints about them.

gr33n3y3z replied:
yep they can get in lots of trouble for taking money
I would chance it if all of you nice people were giving me that kind of money LOL

Crystalina replied:
I was going to point this out about mail carriers. Maybe the ones who are accepting money don't know?...although they should. We learned this after giving our mailman $25 one year and he politely put it in a card and returned it to us with a note stating it is against the law for him to accept money at all.

Mommy2Isabella replied: I have NEVER heard of giving your mail carrier a gift. Its a sweet idea though.

We have a different one all the time and we have like a somewhat apartment type mailbox so we put our outgoing mail in a slot, rather than our own individual box, I doubt they look through it to see who left them a christmas card you know?/

My3LilMonkeys replied: Our mailperson changes frequently, so if anything I give them a plate of cookies - I figure that way they can share.

MommyToAshley replied: We have a different mail carrier all the time too. If I left a gift, it would just be chance who got it...LOL.

Brias3 replied: Yes, that's how I feel about the garbage collectors too- we have a new one each week so I don't know how to recognize their efforts?

Anyhow, you've all got me thinking that I'll do a GC this year instead for the postman!

danahas4monkeys replied: As the wife of a postal worker I asked him what he thought and he said no they aren't "supposed to take monetary gifts" but that most did if offered and that if just left for them they didn't object. We give our carrier cookies because they do have to endure terrible conditions and they work super hard this time of year and lots of hours.!

Kaitlin'smom replied: I have not done anything for mine at home cause we dont seem to have a regular and I am never home when they deliver anyway, however I have at work, or I tried he had to refuse but when I baked him cookies he was happy to take those. Now we have subs as he just took a new route so i dont think I will do anything this year.