What’s the consensus: tipping the postman

[tvguy]

I am 49 and have been tipping the mail carrier my entire life - my parents who are in their 70s still do so too. Their mailman will actually bring inside anything heavy and is a delight.
But then again, I tip everybody - garbage men, UPS guy etc.

I'm not sure how I would even get a tip to the garbage men. We have one for trash, one for the recycling, and one for green waste, and none gets out of the truck, the mechanical arm comes out and grabs the can and dumps it, so taping an envelope to the can wouldn't work, and I'm never home when they come.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I am 49 and have been tipping the mail carrier my entire life - my parents who are in their 70s still do so too. Their mailman will actually bring inside anything heavy and is a delight.
But then again, I tip everybody - garbage men, UPS guy etc.

That's really nice of you. That's also nice of their mail person to bring in heavy items.

Here the garbage people do not exit the vehicle period unless what the person has can't be picked up by the mechanical arm. All of our trash cans and recycling are picked up by the mechanical arm. Now yard waste is both picked up by mechanical arm and also hand picked up since you have the option of purchasing a yard waste recepticle (that's basically the size of the recycling one) or using the yard waste bags.

The UPS people are maybe out of their vehicle less than 30 seconds when delivering packages. They just run to the house and run back to the vehicle. It's a mix if they ring the doorbell or knock or don't do anything but leave the package on our porch.

At least in my area honestly I think they value speed and volume over exchanging pleasantries with their customers. That's not necessarily a bad thing just the truth.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

But, see, i don't care how much my postal carrier (or anyone else i choose to gift {because, really, that's what it is}) earns. The person performs outstanding service for me, and thats what matters.

I refuse to tip someone for doing their job, especially when:

1. I have no choice in using their service.
2. I have to pay for said service.
3. I have to pay for said service, regardless of quality.
4. I have to pay for their pension (anyone else left in this country with a guaranteed pension? *crickets* *crickets*).
5. When they retire, a giant chunk of them go into another government job, and I end up paying for that, AND another pension when they retire from that.

And really, my mail is just advertisements that I don't ask for and don't want, because I joined the rest of the civilized world 20 years ago and have all my correspondence delivered electronically.
Gee thanks for delivering junk paper that I then have to throw away or recycle! (which I then ALSO have to pay for)

 

[bcla]

I’ve got a mail slot, so I’m not even sure they’d get the message. Maybe a big note to point the carrier to an item, but maybe not. However,

My parents replaced their box with a locked drop box. I suppose they could place an item on top. They used to give a bottle of wine. They used to give beer to the crew that picked up our garbage. Never failed to be picked up.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I refuse to tip someone for doing their job, especially when

My carrier exceeds the level of service expected by his employer. I choose to tip my carrier.

1. There's email, fax, courier services...
2. You pay for what you use
3. Again, alternatives; some may offer excellent service, others not so much. If you're paying to have something shipped to you, most companies use a variety of carriers.
4. http://pensionretirement.com/companies-in-the-us-that-still-offer-defined-benefit-pension-plans/ https://qz.com/679808/companies-with-defined-benefit-pension-plans/ (some duplicates)
5. Interesting...100℅ of the USPS retirees to whom I'm related retire. No retirement jobs by choice, either public or private sector.

Its disingenuous to shoot the messenger. Its not the responsibility of the USPS or any courier or delivery company that all you get is junk mail. "Consumers can register at the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) consumer website: www.DMAchoice.orgfor a processing fee of $2 for a period of ten years. Registering online is the fastest way to see results. DMAchoice offers consumers a simple, step-by-step process that enables them to decide what mail they do and do not want.

In addition, DMAchoice online offers registration for DMA's eMail Preference Service (reduce your unsolicited commercial email)" https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0262-stopping-unsolicited-mail-phone-calls-and-email