Who do you give a holiday bonus to?

CanadianGurl

Do you give an extra tip or holiday bonus to anyone? I never know who to and who it's okay to skip. Should I give one to our mail carrier? Water delivery guy? Who fits that category and how much to give?

hrparker

Here you go:

http://www.findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php

If you scroll down, there's a section on Christmas/Holiday tipping.

hth

LMS05

If you regularly go to a manicurist I would give her an extra tip (also hairstylist or esthetician). 

Children's teachers (including preschool) don't make much money and greatly appreciate gf cards.

We always give our mailman a gf card to Starbucks or something similar.

 

katarczyna

I'm giving something to my manicurist and stylist. I don't have a regular colorist, so just those two at the salon. That's about it, come to think of it. I hate our mail carrier(s), and have no children to worry about caregivers and such.

Hmm, might do something for coworkers and bosses, haven't decided yet. Big boss man is Jewish and my manager is in a different office. So it might be weird.

RachieTK

We give to the paper guy, mailman, my manicurist and our super. If I had water delivered, I'd give to that person, too.

marytini

What if we don't have the same mailperson everyday? I have seen mailmen and women deliver our mail.

RachieTK

Our person is consistent, unless he is on vacation, etc.  If you don't know for sure, you can call the post office.

arlingtonfoodie

we used to always give something to the mailman, trash collector, and recylcing guy. 

kathi512

We're giving a little something to the garbage man-he always brings our barrels back into the yard after he empties them.

CDMay2006

hrparker:

Here you go:
http://www.findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php
If you scroll down, there's a section on Christmas/Holiday tipping.
hth

I didn't even get to the holiday tipping part because i read this:

Have you had a hard day traveling or at work? Do you feel a little grumpy? Were you sharp with someone?

Well, guess what! People in service industries don't always have great days either. Show them a little mercy and assume the best about them. Maybe your waiter is a little absent-minded because his mother is sick in the hospital.

Instead of skipping the tip, talk to the manager about poor service. 

which is terrible advice.  How is loosing out on $10 worse than having a customer complain to your manager about your service?!? I'm not feeling confident on other advice offered by this site (personally)...

 

cmcmillan0510

I agree that's bad advice, and just one thought popped into my head that I had to say- my mom always says "everyone has a story" & I always remember that when someone is rude, mean, or gives us terrible service.  You have no idea what could be going on in their life.  That line about the possibility of your waiter's mom being sick reminded me of it & I just thought I'd share!

As for your question about tipping- my father told me this about Christmas gifts for clients, it applies here too: once started it can some day be overwhelming so 1) be careful how much you give them (hard to repeat and costly year after year), 2) choose who you want to do something for. Done right a small token of your appreciation can go a long way.

Plus, cookies or baked goods are an awesome way to say thanks for next to no cost but your time!

noellebathke

My dad is a mailman and he truly appreciates all of his holiday gifts.  The reason you see more than one person delivering your mail is because each carrier has a T6 (a relief for the alternating day off every week).  The T6 can change somewhat regularly and subs for 5 different carriers during the week.  Also, if there is any vacation, the T6 will fill in.  If in doubt, just leave the gift in the mailbox.  If the T6 gets it, hopefully he'll give it to his regular. 

 In general, the regulars take all the gifts and give their T6's a monetary percentage of the gifts value (10-25%).  Hope this helps!