[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by perrjojo

It is my understanding that postal employees are not allowed to accept cash gifts and only any other gift of a value of $20 pr less. Do they accept these gifts? Yes, but it is not allowed. Go figure.

The folks at the postal stations are sub-contractores not postal employees.

[perrjojo]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

The folks at the postal stations are sub-contractores not postal employees.

AHHH! I didn't realize that.

[mulligan]

Ditt on the newspaper carriers...contractors, not employees.

[surfergirlov]

Originally Posted by bluedog103

As a young person I had several jobs where I received tips including a gig as a mailman for about a year and a half. Whether you see a need to tip someone is your own business but I can tell you from personal experience that tippers get better service. With the post office job I was a sub. The regular carriers had notations on their mail cases where the mail was sorted so the subs knew who the tippers were. You definitely wanted to keep the tippers happy. Same with jobs I had as a kid pumping gas. You knew who
tipped and who didn't. Guess who had every speck washed off their windshield whenever they stopped in?
I had a similar experience when I lived in an apartment building. I always tipped the super and they always knew to stop by my apartment for a cold drink on a hot day or a warm drink on a cold day. I could call for a repair at 10 P.M. and the super would be there within minutes. Other neighbors complained that they couldn't get anything fixed or that it sometimes took days for anyone to show up. Wonder why that was?

I am very disappointed in the attitude of employees such as in the above quote. To think that someone does a better job for a customer in order to expect a tip is very poor. Nurses, physicians , all health care workers, police,firefighters, as well as many other occupations are not allowed to accept tips or presents. They take care of the public without expecting any other "present" except perhaps thank you for a job well done.

[bluedog103]

Welcome to the real world. Money talks.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by bluedog103

Welcome to the real world. Money talks.

I agree.

[ugotme]

As they say - Money talks, BS walks !!!!

[Villages PL]

Someone said that mail carriers give better service to those who tip. Well, last year was the first time I ever tipped my mail carrier ($15) and this month I got two pieces of mail that didn't belong to me. It makes me wonder if some of my mail might be going to someone else.

It makes me wonder if tipping really makes a difference. Should I tip again?

[Xavier]

I probably over-tip the waiters and waitresses, if they do a good job, because they are sorely underpaid and everyone deserves to make a decent wage.

After we retired we did contracting with the Federal Government off and on for about 7 years. We weren't allowed to accept gifts - a reason for dismissal. I assume that would be true for postal contractors as well. I wouldn't want to get them in trouble.

I tip the lawn service man because he really looks out for me and tells me when things don't look right around the house when we're gone. I didn't ask him to do that, he just took it upon himself. He's even sent me pictures over the phone.

Other than that I usually don't tip someone for doing their job. Where would it end? If someone helps me out of a jam, above and beyond, you can bet he or she will get compensated.

Those are my guidelines and they've served me well.

Xavier

[EdV]

I only tip folks that provide a direct personal service. So that is restaurant staff, my barber, and the housekeepers.

[tommy steam]

Originally Posted by bluedog103

Welcome to the real world. Money talks.

I agree....

[Quixote]

Whether we like it or not, tipping has become part of our way of life, associated mainly with lower-wage earners or contract workers who have minimal benefits, particularly related to their and their family’s health care. As said earlier, whether we tip $5 or $25 or another figure, based on what we can afford, it is appreciated, because with it goes the recognition on the tip receiver’s part that they are not invisible and that we appreciate what they do for us.

Agreed that tipping restaurant employees who take care of us may, in our economy, be the most important tips that we give, in light of how rotten their wages are, with threats by major corporations in this industry threatening to lower them even more if they have to provide benefits to their employees. We tip 20% to our servers, sometimes more. An extra dollar means so much more to them than to us.

However, we feel that our mail carrier and our newspaper delivery person DO “deliver a personal service,” and we tip appropriately in relation to what we can afford. Again, the amount is irrelevant. The important thing is to put a tip in with a holiday greeting, with the focus on the greeting. Yes, they are there to serve us, but this small gesture once a year shows that we recognize what they do for us.