LOL I agree!!! (Finding a wet newspaper in driveway) The only thing that bothers me (after mailing the tip to newspaper delivery person) is that they do NOT acknowledge the tip with a thank you. Back in NH, when we tipped Newspaper Delivery, we always found a nice thank you card in newspaper, a day or two after!!

I don't expect thank you notes for tips. Fortunately, our carriers (news and mail) do get a lot of tips this time of year (and deservedly so). Those cards and notes cost money -- something most of these folks don't have a lot of. To me, the thanks comes from my mail being delivered on time, my paper being in the driveway when I wake up in a readable condition.

Now, if I were giving a special gift of some sort (something I had made or whatever), then I would hope for a thank you note but wouldn't be too disappointed if I didn't get it.

So how do you get the tip to the newspaper person..who arrive at the butt crack of dawn..

I "hear you" and I totally agree. We've always given our morning newspaper carrier a big tip. They get the paper to us between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. and put it right up at the front door......walking up several landings of steps to the front covered porch. People who don't tip them, get it thrown in the driveway (on top of which rain, snow, sleet, etc. can fall).


The woman we have now is excellent; she's doing it to supplement the family income as her husband had to have heart bypass surgery at a young age, one year ago. She's the best we've had. I just gave her $200.


Reason being: I pay my newspaper once a year and don't put a tip in as they used to "quit" so often...plus less bills to write out monthly.


Actually, many of the men carriers would quit right after getting their Christmas tips.


So, at 52 weeks a year, that would only be less than $2 a week tip for the first $100. The second $100 is her Christmas gift for getting that paper up to our front door very early; we are early risers and appreciate it.
She also does the best folding of the paper and it comes FLAT in a plastic wrapper............the others would ROLL IT....and it was more difficult to read. She has mushed through all kinds of horrible weather and never missed a day.


We used to tip our mail carrier in the olden days and they would all stop in for a cold drink or to just chat and rest.........but then we were told that it was illegal to tip them, so we stopped. They still are great up here.
We have great mail ladies and mail men who often walk our mail up to our door when it is too large to fit into the roadside mailbox.........so saves us a trip down a steep driveway..........they've actually told us it is illegal to accept anything.


We do tip our garbage men as we have known them for the past 40 plus years and they take "more than they should" and never charge extra.
I used to give them $100 each which again, comes to less than $2 a week.
My husband, now home, tips them $50 each. I think women are more generous and appreciative....so bigger tips.


By the way, our garbage men picked up on Thanksgiving morning.


(Some TV people were upset that their garbage wasn't picked up.)


When hubby inquired if they had the holiday off.....wondering why they were here.......they replied that it was one of the holidays they do not get off.......actually, they only get Christmas day off. Again, they take a huge amount of extras and do not charge us.


As for the Daily Sun carrier......we were so happy with our one month delivery service while in The Villages.....that I took the Christmas card he had left us home in my suitcase......and when I wrote out my own cards, I sent him a card along with a $50 tip. The paper was always very very early and in good shape.........plus we enjoyed reading the paper immensely.


My husband was a paper boy with a huge "city route".....and as he always recalls, each customer had different directions as to where they wanted the paper placed..........anyway, we appreciate all of our service providers.


When our own children were young, all of our paper carriers were local children........not any more. They are all adults. Our paper used to be printed in town, down on Main Street..........now it's owned by a huge conglomerate of newspapers and published in nearby Massachusetts....so the "paper carriers" have their papers delivered to them, put them together and then drive them on their route............whereas the children walked them, pulling them in a wagon or whatever.......or on their bikes.


We miss the personal touch that we had when the kids delivered; stopping to chat and have a cold drink......we knew them all from school or church or the neighborhood...........now they just drive up the driveway and place the paper, in the dark. Luckily, our paper lady gave us a Christmas card with her home address on it.......so I mailed her $200 (yearly tip plus Christmas gift combined).....

As far as the newspaper is concerned, (Daily Sun) it would be nice to know that the carrier received the tip, that I added to the bill (when received in the mail) so I know the right person received the tip. As a retired Letter carrier, I always acknowledged everyone who tipped me, with a "Thank you Card" that I had printed up for that reason. (not very costly) I always felt it was only right, and the appreciation I felt. Everyone is different, but that's how I felt. This was in NH, where door to door delivery was done.

We tip the newspaper person $50...we do not tip all year so that is less than $1 a week.
We tip hair stylists (his & her) equal to cost of one appointment and we do tip 20% all year as well.
We tip lawn crew $100 and tell them to split it.
Never thought of mail carrier because I thought they were fed employees. Feel bad now.

Maybe it was all he could afford, but that's not the issue. If I thought for one second he was just being "thoughtful" and truly just wishing us a Happy Holiday, it would be a different story. As it was presented, it was nothing more than a request for a gift. I suppose I wouldn't take this as a "request" had he enclosed the same 3x5 paper with his name, address and a "Hey if you have any problems, let me know" or "thanks for subscribing" when we first started getting the paper. That, I would have been happy to put on my fridge and would voluntarily have already sent a card and a gift. I just don't like being asked for a gift. I give because I want to. Not because I feel I have to.

In that case, I'm glad you're not my paper delivery person.

A newspaper is not a necessity to me. I could do without it. So, if my paper started showing up soaking wet because I didn't give a Christmas gift, I'd just cancel my subscription. Problem solved for both parties.

In hindsight re tipping our service providers
 

In reading all of these comments re tipping........with my own posted above.........I just feel that this season of the year is the time to be generous of spirit with whatever one can afford. Most of these people are not raking in "big bucks" and every little bit extra might help them to put something nice under the tree for their family or something special on their table, that they might not have been able to afford. Let's face it, we are only giving money that years ago we would spend on our parents, grandparents, etc. or friends who are now all departed.........can't take it with you, after all.

Yes, a tip should be voluntary! Found a Christmas card from pool/spa cleaner on lanai today with slip of what they did. Very blatent. They really do little for the charge. Should get rid of the service, but need them when we go on travel.

Nothing from mail carrier or paper. Used to be able to add the tip to the bill.

Thnks to everyone who resonded as it gave me an idea of what is the proper tipping amounts, to the mail delivery person and the paper delivery person.

The paper delivery person left a Xmas card with her address label. I thought it was nice, in the correct person would receive it, because I was concerned a fill-in person might deliver on a day, I gave a gift. The gift went directly to her home.

I left the P.O person a gift this morning via a check made out to cash, (didn't know his/her name), and put in my mailbox for pick-up. Fortunately for me, the P.O. person, (subcontractor), was at the mailbox this morning and I handed her gift into her hand, in an envelope, along with a Xmas card. Again, I didn't want a fill-in person to get the gift.

Even though they might not acknowledge your gift, it seems like it is appreciated as people have families to feed, and needs for their children to fulfill.

Thanks Red, for the suggestion to put a gift for these delivery people just after Thanksgiving, so they can plan ahead, and utilize these funds accordingly.

After all, everone has to eat. I also like the joke punchline, "I like to pay my bills with a smile, but unfortunately, they want money. :jester:

If your paper carrier is typical of those I've seen in TV, you'll get your paper properly wrapped and in your driveway whether you tip or not. Most of the carriers do not require a tip, but it is appreciated (one of my daughter's friends delivers papers). The note with envelope has become a kind of tradition here. It seems that some residents used to stay awake to catch their delivery person and the paper w/envelope just developed so folks wouldn't have to "catch" the delivery person. Nowadays, you can always just add a tip to your payment to the Sun (but who knows if it actually all goes to the carrier).

That's why I wish they would acknowledge the receipt of tip when we add it on to the bill we receive in the mail. I like you, are curious if they get it?

From what I understand, the carrier doesn't know who leaves tips, just is given the amount. This way, the carrier can't give better service to one customer over another. But it certainly does leave things in the air as to whether a carrier is actually getting all tips.

Curious as to how a carrier might go about giving preferential service to one customer over another by throwing a paper out of a moving car at 5:00 AM?