During a local news segment about holiday tipping, Husband got a big chuckle out of the idea that one should tip their mail carrier. His response? "Why not tip your friendly (fill in the blank with his occupation)?"Although it's not something I've considered doing, I do remember at my last job, my boss would give the mail carrier a money envelope at Christmas. It was a high rise office building, so the mailman delivered the mail on foot to each individual office. Here at home, the mail is delivered from a mail truck to our mailbox on the street. I do not even think we have the same mail carrier on a daily basis.
This led me to think about why we tip or gift some people and not others. Do we tip people for just doing their job or do we tip them for a job well done? I used to gift my kids' teachers in elementary school, but quit after each one had multiple teachers. I still gift Middle Child's private music instructor and Son's private tennis coach. I think of that more as they are special friends of my children. I also gift my hair dresser as she has been cutting my hair since 1991, so it's developed into more of a personal relationship.
In years past, I would tip our newspaper carriers. They were always high school boys who were kind enough to put our paper in our screen door in inclement weather. Now, we have a middle aged woman who just tosses the paper into the snow from her car. I don't tip that!
While thinking on this subject, I began to wonder why the faithful customer is not the one receiving the gift? I guess it depends on the occupation.
Who do you tip or gift during the holidays? Why or why not?
The (elementary) kids' teachers, a couple of whom have taught seven of our eight, and are just a couple years from making a clean sweep. . .
ReplyDeleteThe 87-year-old crossing guard, who helps our kids across a busy street, come rain, snow, sleet or dark of night (besides being a delightful person). . .
We used to gift our mail carrier, who delivered our mail on foot, and used to do his Donald Duck impersonation for the kids. I don't know if we're gifting our current carrier, who maintains a much lower profile.
And when our kids had a paper route, they used to get tipped incredibly generously. . .
I just had this discussion with my mom. She had purchased a gift for her stylist, who I also see. Normally, around the holidays, she'll give her a bottle of wine or such, and she told me she does that because she doesn't tip her throughout the year because, she said, she owns her own salon, her own space, etc., so my mom subscribes to the 'set a price and go with it' theory. Me? I tip her each visit. There are times it makes me choke, but I guess I feel like I'm supposed to, but I am with you (especially after one or two bad haircuts)...how about giving me a little kick back! :)
ReplyDeleteI quit the teacher gift thing. My sister teaches and she says it gets to be a bit much when you get a lot of the same things, a lot of which have no use. Another thing - if I actually saw some of the people who deliver my mail, etc., I might have a different opinion, but right now, I use this type of monetary set-aside for charity gifts this time of year.
I am more apt to tip someone for a job well done rather than just for doing a job.
ReplyDeleteWaitresses I feel deserve a generous tip but the amount depends on the quality of the service, I never leave one without a tip though.
We also used to tip our mail carrier as we had the same man for many years and the one we have now is deserving of something in my opinion because he does his job well.
Anyone who treats you well and consistently does so is deserving of some type of recognition :^)
I don't tip any differently during the holidays than I do the rest of the year. I don't even know that my mail carrier is the same person each day, since I never see them.
ReplyDeleteIf I was going to tip anyone, it would be the garbage men who work out in the freezing cold, doing a job most would never do.
We think alike on many of these. Teachers got gifts till there were multiple teachers. Then just Son2's resource teacher got a gift. Paper carrier got a tip when it was a high school kid. Now it is an guy in a truck who often misses the entire porch.I did give a bit tip when I got my hair cut yesterday. She has cut my hair for almost eleven years...plus cuts two of the kids...so a bonus of $25 for the holidays seemed an easy choice to make.
ReplyDeleteI really don't mind tipping...but I do think it should be for good service or long lasting service.
We gift the boy's teachers and that is about it. The newspaper delivery is very similar to your experience (should it arrive). As to the mail carrier, (s)he is making a very good paycheck with benefits that pale anything in the private sector. They get nothing but a friendly wave when I see them.
ReplyDeleteOur typical gift for teachers, mail-carriers, etc, is a jar of Jen's famous home-canned apple butter - a little half-pint jar, with a tasteful ribbon tied around it. . . ;)
ReplyDeleteCraig - For some reason, the idea of an 87 YO crossing guard worries me.
ReplyDeleteFADKOG - I have wondered about whether people tip the owners of salons who also cut hair. I mean, they are the ones setting the prices.
Jimmy - I agree; it is much easier to cheerfully tip when you are getting good service.
Eric - I've heard of people tipping their garbage man, but where do you put the tip?
Em - 'Bonus' is probably the correct term over tipping when it comes to the holidays. I like to give gift cards because it seems a little more personal than cash. But I always check to see if they like Panera and the like.
Russ - I tend to agree about the mail carrier making a very good living. Why tip them, but not your dry cleaner or someone else who makes minimum wage without benefits?
Craig - Consumables are always a good thing. Heck, I give my kids boxes of special cookies and jars of nuts as Xmas gifts!
The whole tipping thing baffles me. Waiters, I get. They are paid less than minimum wage and make up the difference through good service to get a good tip. So I tip them very well. But what about a service that you already pay a fair amount for? A massage, a haircut, and so on. Why do those warrant tips? No one tips me after a therapy session, even if I'm seeing them on a sliding scale or accepting their terrible insurance. I think tipping should be abolished except in the industries where the tip is part of the wages. As for gifts, I gave them through middle school and then stopped. I gave a tip to our very friendly mail carrier. I'm mixed about that since they do get a good salary and way better benefits than I do. But I balked when someone (can't remember who) put a tip envelope in my mailbox. In fact, the bill for the paper we get at work - which gets tossed in front of the building door, comes with a line to add a tip! No.
ReplyDeleteI just picked up a three-pack of nice brushed silver picture frames at Costco, with the idea of giving a gift to the kid's teachers. It seems like many of the families do; but I admit to wanting to reconsider.
ReplyDeleteSo, the box sits unopened as of yet. Not sure what I'll do. :)
Agent - We definitely think the same way here. And our newspaper bill has that tip line too. Ridiculous to ask for a tip, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteFlutter - Frames are always useful. Candles too!
Do not, will not, ever.
ReplyDeleteBah humbug!!
:-)
Actually, truth is that if someone does a good and faithful job I usually give 'em more than the going rate for a job or give them tips periodically rather than hoarding everything for the Holidays.
It just makes more sense to me.