Time to Tip Your Postal Worker!

[iart]

It's about time to tip your postal worker!

Very few of them expect tips but they're always appreciative.

We have the best letter carrier. He picks our stuff up every morning, scans it before putting it in the truck. Treats our items like they're made of glass - even if they're books. Brings us post office shipping supplies when we run low. And even leaves notes to take good care of us for the people taking over for him when he's on vacation.

He's almost like an employee. And we tip him very well. We consider it profit sharing.

If your letter carrier works for you, give them a tip. If they don't, maybe a tip will help.

I'm sure some people will disagree and that's fine. But we'll continue to take care of the good people who take good care of us.

(And no, we are not now, and never have been, employed by the US Post Office, lol).

[pburn]

Quick story about my regular carrier.

One day last week, I happened to step out my front door to see a neighborhood cat wandering around. I called to him, but he pretty much ignored me.

My postal carrier was parked across the street getting her mail together, and there goes the cat, crossing the street and going right for her. She bent down and petted him. As she came to my house, I said something to her about the cat, and she said, "Yeah. His name is Bond, and he's Tim's cat (a neighbor on the corner). He knows I have treats for him, so he comes to meet me every day."

You think I'm going to tip her? Darn right.

[emerald40]

My mail is delivered down the street as we have community boxes.  It comes at 7 PM at night in the dark and chances are the mail in your box is not yours.  Boxes too big are left on top of the box where they usually slide off into the street.

I think I will pass.

[ads*and*ends · Accepted solution]

I love and admire postal employees. Some of the hardest working, most dedicated people in the country. They are the most essential link to any small seller's success, and they understand the importance of their job.

Tipping is a great idea, or even a basic, sincere thanks every now and then. I wish people would go a step further and educate themselves as to why the postal service struggles with their budget in the first place. I can not stand when people say "they don't know how to budget" or complain about the postage pricing increases, completely unaware of the 2006 Postal Accountability Act brought forth by Congress (via lobbyists) who want the postal service to fail. No other industry, no other business..not one...has been required by law to pre-fund retirement accounts for 75 years into the future. I've always known this was a step towards eliminating an essential public service in order to bring about complete privatization. The irony...once a Constitutional right for Congress to establish a public service that benefits all, only to be targeted by Congress in the end.

I'm amazed at all the dedication I see every single day, knowing that these people are literally targeted by Congress who make it unfairly difficult for them to exist, and want them to fail.

[emerald40]

Do know there are limits as to what a postal worker is allowed to accept

Employee Tipping and Gift-Receiving Policy. All postal employees, including carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer per occasion, such as Christmas.

[atikovi]

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@emerald40 wrote:

My mail is delivered down the street as we have community boxes.  It comes at 7 PM at night in the dark and chances are the mail in your box is not yours. 

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You must be a neighbour of mine as my mailman comes from 7 to 8pm lately. Wonder what happens at UPS so you can set your watch by how the guy comes every day at 3:30 like clockwork.

[muttlymob]

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@emerald40 wrote:

Do know there are limits as to what a postal worker is allowed to accept

Employee Tipping and Gift-Receiving Policy. All postal employees, including carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer per occasion, such as Christmas.

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In addition to the portion you have posted, cash gifts are not allowed in any amount.  Here is the full policy:

All postal employees, including carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Exec­utive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer per occasion, such as Christmas. However, cash and cash equivalents, such as checks or gift cards that can be exchanged for cash, must never be accepted in any amount. Furthermore, no employee may accept more than $50 worth of gifts from any one customer in any one calendar year period.

[buyselljack2016]

My carrier got a bag of apples last month (seasonal neighbor brings us 50+ pounds when closing camp) , and will get a holiday sprout next month.

[escuintla]

I get to talk to my mail carrier. For about 6 years we have known each other. In the beginning, he was shy, barely saying "sir" to everything. Little by little, the jokes, the politics, the economy, the talk of town about x person, or that ugly president, etc. came to be our daily routine. 

He is so busy lately, he is praying to God to make 2 years go by to retire. He doesn't mind the overtime, the perks, etc. But eventually everything piled up on top of his shoulders have worn him down. I have seen him stressed about putting all the Valentine's day, Mother's day, you name the holiday or event, by his own mandate,  he has to sort out the advertising, and that is something worth to watch since it is not only one advertiser but many. Elections? God! Each candidate is sending one of its own begging postcard and each one has to be added to each neighbors pile, and then loaded into his small pack. 

He has taken whatever package I threw at him, but lately, we have developed a good friendship to the point I can see in his eyes the stress, and I am capable of knowing he won't want more of my mail going into his truck. I ask him if he wants it, when he says no, I know it's no. So, I go by myself to the post office. 

Do I tip him? Yeah! Besides using my bathroom once in a while, to offer him cold or hot drinks, I tip him every December. Better than that, I offer him something more valuable, my friendship. For what I am rewarded too by receiving his friendship, and knowing he is as a human being as you and me. And that my friends, has more gold in it, than a fake gold ring at $0.99 plus free shipping. 

[ads*and*ends]

No! I didn't know this! I guess I generally don't check policies or guidelines before attempting to show kindness or appreciation to another human being.

[rainbowcolorz]

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@ads*and*ends wrote:
No! I didn't know this! I guess I generally don't check policies or guidelines before attempting to show kindness or appreciation to another human being.

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And I really don't care to know them when it comes to my mailman.  He's the best mailman in the world!  What happens between my mailman and me, stays between my mailman and me.   He has 2 children and he works long, late hours.  He doesn't HAVE to drive my mail from the community mailboxes up to my front door, but he does.    I don't know what I'd do without him.   I love my mailman.  

[softersilk]

On my business office route, there's this one substitute carrier who does nothing about complain, ever.  I asked her once how her vacation was and she complained that all the men got drunk.  We get a nice sunny day and she complains it's too hot.  So one day, about my office route, she said, "nobody likes this route.  You can't make no tips on this route.  That other route, you make a thousand bucks easy.  This route you're lucky to get 50 bucks."

I was astounded that tips were what was on her mind.  Postal unions protect their workers quite well.  My regular carrier calls in sick 2-3 days every single week and the office can't do anything about it.  So I end up with subs like that crank who are completely undependable and miserable.

Over the years in ecommerce, I've had some carriers who are truly nice people and I give them thank you gifts.  One year of exceptional service, I gave the USPS office a pizza party.  But most days, it's just unhappy carriers doing a tedious job.

[castlemagicmemories]

I thought there was something about postal workers not being allowed to accept cash, so I checked on that.

I found this:

What postal workers are allowed to accept as holiday gifts. ... Keep in mind that the U.S. Postal Service places restrictions on the types of presents they can accept.Postal employees may accept gifts valued at as much as $20, but they cannotaccept cash, according to a postal spokeswoman.Dec 21, 2010

I've given Christmas cookies, and mugs, and holiday mailmen figural ornaments, and a Post Office for a Christmas village.

[johnwhiplash]

I tip my mail carrier each year because she does  a good job and never complains because there is a dozen packages to pick up and no scan sheet. My wife talked to her mother who is also a mail carrier and she said she has never received a tip and that we are the only ones who have ever tipped her daughter. I guess it's not a common practice in this part of the country.

[toooldtorock]

"Wonder what happens at UPS so you can set your watch by how the guy comes every day at 3:30

like clockwork."

The mailman I had was pretty dependable but he retired last year.

The route I am on has a new carrrier every month, shows up any time but as of late leaves mail

well after dark. Only 1 area of the city gets dependable pickup and delivery and that is the core

business district. For all practical purposes the post office has become less viable as a carrier

for me.

Even the street boxes have been modified to prevent thief  so you can barely squeeze

a small flat rate box into them.

Now zoned First Class mail. I have concluded the managers that work at the post office do

not use any of it's services. The carriers themselves are fine, but they have to do as instructed.

Combine that with ever escalating rates from UPS, shipping packages is just becoming a

major pain in the you know what for me.