Holiday tipping these days

[doctoranda]

I am struggling with what to tip people, in general as I am a foreigner living in the US, but especially around the holidays. There are some good tipping guides out there but there is no variation based on income. I would love to know what you do for a hair dresser who you see 2-3x a year (I really feel that the recommended amount of a full service of color and cut is a lot for the kind of relationship I have with her), your trash collector, and your mail person (I just read postal workers are not allowed to receive cash or gift cards and i have been giving gift cards for years). 

[Saudade]

Oh I'm a total grinch. I don't tip any of those listed.

My mail person isn't regular due to staffing shortages
I never see the trash people
My hair dresser is independent so I feel the $500 + tip I pay for my color and extension move up is enough

But also, I just hate tipping culture and don't feel the need to partake.

[gretchenindisguise]

I gave our housekeeper a good tip for Christmas. That will be it.

[quesyrah]

I don’t tip my mail carrier or my trash person. I don’t even know how I would give the trash collector a tip. They don’t even get out of the truck and I’m rarely home when they come by. They just drive along and the trash cans end up all over the street, usually tipped on their sides. I’m not sure that even deserves a tip if I’m being honest.

I guess I could leave an envelope for my mail carrier, but again I’ve never seen them and don’t have a type of relationship with them.

I’ve honestly never even thought to leave them gifts….i typically think of tips as for going above and beyond what you’re already being paid to do. Maybe I’m wrong??

[W.T.Faulkner]

We tip our mail carrier and the trash collectors, but that's it.

My husband is a guitar teacher, and receives holiday gifts/tips ranging from an extra lesson's pay to cookies/hot chocolate to Wawa gift cards to an Eagles hoodie. It's never expected and always appreciated.

[Saudade]

Oh I will say my parents give their mail guys a gift card to the local pizza place. They have two regulars who are actually quite awesome. They know my kids by name (since they're over there all the time) and interact with the kids and my parents (and the dog!!) all the time. That seems a bit different. If I had the same relationship it might be different. But since I am not retired and able to actually get to know my mail person/people, nothing.

[deadwing]

I also want to know how anyone would tip the garbage people. Unless you have time to be waiting by the door for the truck to come by, I don't see how it would work. I live in an area where they drive a truck that has an arm that lifts the bin and dumps it in the back. Only yard waste pickup is hands-on by people, but that service has ended until spring.

[eb777888]

H gives the trash/recycling $40 when/if he sees them. I never do. We don't tip our mail person.

Cleaners get the amount of a clean, I tip restaurants 30% and my hair guy 40% but I've been with him for 15 years and always tip him well. I'm very generous with teacher gifts and try and include everyone as much as I can. That's it, nothing else I can think of.

[Jalapeñomel]

I do not tip trash or mail, and I'd only tip my stylist if I was going to her during the holidays.

[doctoranda]

Dec 15, 2023 14:03:06 GMT -5 deadwing said:

I also want to know how anyone would tip the garbage people. Unless you have time to be waiting by the door for the truck to come by, I don't see how it would work. I live in an area where they drive a truck that has an arm that lifts the bin and dumps it in the back. Only yard waste pickup is hands-on by people, but that service has ended until spring.

My garbage collector left a postcard/ xmas card with his address in between the hinges of my trash can. I think he is trying to give a message he would welcome something at his address.

[penguingrrl]

My house cleaner gets one extra cleaning's pay on the last clean before Christmas.

My kids' music teacher (private in-home lessons) I usually give $100 but we're very close and she works with my kids weekly on multiple instruments.

My hairdresser I give an extra big tip the last time I see her before Christmas/Hannukah, but she works for a salon so doesn't keep all she earns and I see her monthly all year long (more if my kids are getting a haircut) and we really get along well. It's nowhere near the cost of my color/cut, but $20 or so extra.

The mailman I give a $20 gift card, but he's extra friendly and always keeps dog treats for all the dogs he sees on his route. When we're out walking and my dog sees his truck she tries to run to it, and he'll even stop the truck to give her a treat if he's driving by us.

We leave a card taped to the garbage can lid the week before Christmas, but our town hasn't upgraded to the trucks with the arms, so they have to empty each individual can by hand.

[redheadk]

I make sure to tip my housekeeper (cost of one cleaning), my hairdresser (I only get a cut/style and he’s reasonably priced), the dogs groomer, our trash collectors, and our mailman. I try to spread it out, like I tipped my housekeeper at her last cleaning in November. If I don’t see someone during November/December, I don’t worry about it.

These are all people we’ve had contact with for years, especially our mail carrier. We have the unicorn of mail carriers so I make sure to hand him a card with a $20 close to Christmas.

I don’t tip extra at the nail salon, I don’t use the same person each time and I tip well when I go.

[wildrice]

I don't do trash or mail, I have no idea who these people are and the trash comes at like 6am so no thank you to sitting outside looking for them. To my knowledge both professions make a pretty decent wage so I don't see any reason they need a tip. Of course, if they do anything particularly special for you that is above and beyond their normal job, that's different.

I gave our massage therapist $100 the other day - this is about the cost of 1 normal priced massage (we get a discount since we're on a monthly membership). If I see my hair person during the holidays, I give them maybe a 30-40% tip. I saw mine in November and I think I did $20 instead of the usual $14/20% that I do.

We tip our cleaners every time they clean since it's a service and it's not always the same people. This adds up to $360/year but I probably wouldn't tip that much if we were doing it all at once. Maybe the cost of 1 cleaning?

I don't generally tip restaurants or bars extra this time of year, unless I'm randomly feeling generous or I'm out actually ON the holiday.

[lessel]

I think postal workers can accept gift cards $20 or less to stores, restaurants, etc. but they cannot accept gift cards like a Visa cash card.

[dancingirl21]

I tipped my hair stylist around 75% of the full cost of my cut and color last time I saw her.

My house cleaner gets a 100% tip.

We tape a thank you card with some cash on top of the trash bins. They always find them.

Our yard service got a 100% tip the last time they came.

I believe DH gives our local pizza place a large tip at holiday time. We are there weekly and they know our order and just how we like it. He picks up every week, but he told me last week that he would tip extra this week.

[NewGirlNic]

I have done a nice basket on my front porch filled with snacks (chips, cookies, candy, granola bars etc.) and bottled beverages (water, soda, juice, energy drinks) and a sign that says something like "thank you for all you do during the holiday season and year round. Please enjoy a snack or little pick-me-up." I do 99% of my Christmas shopping online, so we get a lot of deliveries. 
I didn't do one this year, partly because I didn't do as much shopping online (lots of gift cards) and partly because I forgot/was lazy. 

I tip my service providers extra during the holidays. But not the full cost of service. Like I just went and got my brows waxed last week. It was $26 and I tipped $15 (I also go to her for bikini waxes, but won't be going again till mid January)
My hairdresser I've been going to for 7-8 years. I always bring her a little gift... wine and chocolates, a cute mug with hot chocolate bombs and coffee shop gc... stuff like that. And then I usually add like an extra $20 on top of the normal 20% tip I give. 

[redheadk]

Dec 15, 2023 14:03:06 GMT -5 deadwing said:

I also want to know how anyone would tip the garbage people. Unless you have time to be waiting by the door for the truck to come by, I don't see how it would work. I live in an area where they drive a truck that has an arm that lifts the bin and dumps it in the back. Only yard waste pickup is hands-on by people, but that service has ended until spring.

Ours pick up recycling on the first run and trash on the second around 11am so I’m normally able to catch them. Our service collects heavy trash every trash day, has runners instead of a truck with a lift arm, pick up any trash that falls to the ground, and are careful to close lids or turn cans upside down since it rains a lot here. Trash cans never get left in the street. They wave and give right of way to cars.

Our old neighborhood was gross on trash day so we are really appreciative after emptying trash cans full of rain water and picking up fallen trash from the yard/street every trash day.

[eb777888]

Dec 15, 2023 14:03:06 GMT -5 deadwing said:

I also want to know how anyone would tip the garbage people. Unless you have time to be waiting by the door for the truck to come by, I don't see how it would work. I live in an area where they drive a truck that has an arm that lifts the bin and dumps it in the back. Only yard waste pickup is hands-on by people, but that service has ended until spring.

We see our garbage people all the time. They are extremely loud and come at the same time every week. I don't think H does it every single year but I've seen him do it many times. I see them more but I never have cash on me and H always carries several 20's. Maybe we're home more than most? I SAH and he WFH 2-3 days a week. 

[ssmjlm]

Postal workers are federal employees and fall under the same regulations on gifts for any federal worker. They should be reporting all tips, including anything under the threshold.

When we had house cleaners I would tip them.

I always overtip my stylist, so I don’t do anything extra at the holidays. But I’ve been seeing her for 16 years, so it’s a more of a friendship.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I do $20 gcs to our trash and recycling guys. I used to do $10, but we are able to do more, so why not. If I get my hair cut close to Christmas, I do tip my hairdresser more than usual, but I only get cuts, which are only $40 each, so again, instead of a $10 tip, I probably give $20. And for the mail person, I've done different things. If it's some random person, I just leave a nice (i.e. fancy as per the other thread) thing of candy for them. We've had a regular woman since we've moved here 3 years ago though, so I will also do a $20 gc for her because I would like to...she is super friendly, always has biscuits for my dogs who bark at her, compliments my flowers, is friendly to my kids, etc.

Our trash and recycling people leave cards on our cans in our towns (and recently have moved to putting cards with their family pics on them), and it's a big debate about whether this has gone 'too far' in basically asking for Christmas gifts from people. I have mixed feelings on this. My dad was a garbage man growing up. He didn't get many tips or gifts from people on his route, but the few he did were really appreciated and helped when we were struggling, so I feel like if we can tip them, we might as well. But I feel weird that they are putting their families out there for all these strangers to see in order to make it more 'personal.' I kinda wish they would keep to a more generic card.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Dec 15, 2023 14:03:06 GMT -5 deadwing said:

I also want to know how anyone would tip the garbage people. Unless you have time to be waiting by the door for the truck to come by, I don't see how it would work. I live in an area where they drive a truck that has an arm that lifts the bin and dumps it in the back. Only yard waste pickup is hands-on by people, but that service has ended until spring.

We tape a card to the can (usually in ziplock baggie).  They just reach out and grab it.  There is a chance of people going around and stealing the cards because they know what they are though (this isn't much of a threat in our neighborhood, but I could see it being one in some areas, or people targeting some areas).  Like another poster said, ours leave cards for everyone on the route the 1st week of december with their address in case you would like to mail it to them directly.  

[BlondeSpiders]

Apparently I have grievously under-tipped my housecleaners. I remembered at the very last minute and only had $60 cash on me. And that's for 2 people!

[icedcoffee]

I tip my house cleaner 50% of a cleaning.

I tipped my mailman a few years ago when I did a lot of mail pickups from my porch. I rarely do that now so no tip.

I don’t tip trash or recycling.

I give gift cards to all my kids teachers, assistants, specials teachers and crossing guard.

[m15]

Well I solve that problem by not having extra services like house cleaners. 🤣

Honestly, though, I don't know anyone who tips any of those people in real life. Maybe their hair stylist, but I don't even do that. She is making way more money than I do and I can't afford to tip more than I do (20 percent.) Maybe it's a regional thing because I truly do not know anyone who tips their garbage collector or mail carrier!

[jinkies]

I generally don't tip people at Christmas. But I also have no relationship with any of the people you listed.

I am planning on tipping DD's horseback riding instructor this year but that is because she lets DD hang out at the barn literally any day she is there, for hours, and just help with horses and be part of the barn crowd. DD is 12 so it's not exactly babysitting but also not exactly... not babysitting. I want to keep her happy with us so I'm tipping the cost of a lesson.

But that's about it.

[7costanza]

We give daycare and school teachers a $50 gift card, $20 to the milkman, $100 to the cleaner (which is a little less than the cost of a bi-weekly cleaning), but nothing else.

[Whitecaps]

I don’t have a holiday-specific tipping practice.

I tip year-round on personal services that I specifically seek out, like a haircut, dinner out or a massage. I don’t have personal relationships with anyone who provides this kind of service.

I don’t consider things like mail delivery or trash collecting to fall into that category.

I also don’t have house cleaners or teachers in my life (no kids), so I haven’t needed to consider whether I would tip them for Christmas.

[onomatopoeia]

Dec 15, 2023 14:03:06 GMT -5 deadwing said:

I also want to know how anyone would tip the garbage people. Unless you have time to be waiting by the door for the truck to come by, I don't see how it would work. I live in an area where they drive a truck that has an arm that lifts the bin and dumps it in the back. Only yard waste pickup is hands-on by people, but that service has ended until spring.

I tape a card in a red envelope to the top of the bin.  Our garbage collectors also use the big arm but they definitely notice the card lol. We're in a short cul de sac so I don't worry about someone else taking it.  I usually tip $40,  and it's usually a good investment for the next year as I've noticed they'll take our trash even if we don't have the town bags tags, or have more trash than we should.

I tip the mailman a gift card to Dunkin Donuts, I'll also give the teenager who pumps the gas at our local station a small tip ($5) when I fill up around the holidays. 

I'll give the security guy, maintenance guys, and our cleaning lady at work some chocolate and lottery tickets at the holidays (it's a government program so I have to pay out of pocket).

[macmars45]

I don't typically tip extra around the holidays.

My cleaning people make more per hour than I do. (I'm a para at an elementary school.)

I've never tipped the trash/recycling/mail people.

I don't usually get my hair or toes done near the holidays but if I do I just tip my normal amount.

[whattheheck]

I think my trash collector and I are locked in a stand off. I don’t tip because my cans either get put back down so that they’re blocking my driveway so I have to stop and get out and move them when I leave for work or they get tossed into the drainage ditch. I suspect that they get put in those spots because I don’t tip.