Do you tip service workers like trash pick, UPS delivery people, postal workers, and others during the holiday season?

I tipped the postal carrier at my last residence, because he went out of his way to do a good job. He was friendly, handled mail carefully, and made sure things stayed dry and packages weren't visible from the street. I checked the policy and saw that he could accept tips under $20, and gave him a box of Frango chocolates.

I thought that was more neutral and neighborly than cash, and avoided any issues his employer may have had. I will not be tipping my carrier this year because I think s/he (I've never seen them) does a lousy job. My mail is sometimes wet, they have left outgoing mail in the box rather than taking it, and they sometimes just drop things on the ground.

You should not tip UPS unless you are a consistent customer. If you see your driver weekly, say, it would be appropriate to tip. If you get packages only around the holidays, it would be weird to tip.

UPS (not sure about Fed-Ex) drivers and package handlers are also well-paid, well-treated employees, so they aren't dependent upon your tips, and I doubt most are expecting them (a lot are also seasonal workers, new to the job, so you wouldn't be paying them for a year well done). Frankly, I'm one of those people who are sick to death of seeing tip jars all over the place and people expecting to be tipped no matter what. I write a bigger check to the dry cleaner for my clothes in December (because they do a good job and have no tip jar, nor expect tips), I leave a little extra for my coffee (because it's well made and the barista doesn't flip me any snobby barista attitude--which is common in my coffee swilling city), and if my mail carrier ever cleans up his/her act, s/he will get something from me.

And of course, I tip at restaurants, unless the service sucked. Other than that, I figure I am already paying people to do their job. They can do it without a bribe.

I have waited tables in a no-tipping environment, delivered newspapers for a company that discouraged tips (nice of them, huh?), and I did these jobs politely and with good service. I got paychecks (albeit small ones) and that was the deal, which I knew going in. I consider tipping a reward for ABOVE AVERAGE service (that is apparently no longer the expectation), and feel best about tipping people who didn't approach me with their hand out.

I tipped the postal carrier at my last residence, because he went out of his way to do a good job. He was friendly, handled mail carefully, and made sure things stayed dry and packages weren't visible from the street. I checked the policy and saw that he could accept tips under $20, and gave him a box of Frango chocolates.

I thought that was more neutral and neighborly than cash, and avoided any issues his employer may have had. I will not be tipping my carrier this year because I think s/he (I've never seen them) does a lousy job. My mail is sometimes wet, they have left outgoing mail in the box rather than taking it, and they sometimes just drop things on the ground.

You should not tip UPS unless you are a consistent customer. If you see your driver weekly, say, it would be appropriate to tip. If you get packages only around the holidays, it would be weird to tip.

UPS (not sure about Fed-Ex) drivers and package handlers are also well-paid, well-treated employees, so they aren't dependent upon your tips, and I doubt most are expecting them (a lot are also seasonal workers, new to the job, so you wouldn't be paying them for a year well done). Frankly, I'm one of those people who are sick to death of seeing tip jars all over the place and people expecting to be tipped no matter what. I write a bigger check to the dry cleaner for my clothes in December (because they do a good job and have no tip jar, nor expect tips), I leave a little extra for my coffee (because it's well made and the barista doesn't flip me any snobby barista attitude--which is common in my coffee swilling city), and if my mail carrier ever cleans up his/her act, s/he will get something from me.

And of course, I tip at restaurants, unless the service sucked. Other than that, I figure I am already paying people to do their job. They can do it without a bribe.

I have waited tables in a no-tipping environment, delivered newspapers for a company that discouraged tips (nice of them, huh?), and I did these jobs politely and with good service. I got paychecks (albeit small ones) and that was the deal, which I knew going in. I consider tipping a reward for ABOVE AVERAGE service (that is apparently no longer the expectation), and feel best about tipping people who didn't approach me with their hand out.