I'm wondering who, if anyone, PhillyBloggers tip during the holidays (e.g. hair stylist, garbage collectors, etc)?

I just came home from buying gift cards to tip our nanny, 2 cleaning crews and handyman. In cash I'll tip our 2 newspaper deliverers and one of the guys in the garbage crew who's always super nice to my kids. I don't tip my aesthetician (she does my waxing and facials) because I tip her every visit, which I don't do with the other service people I tip.

Are mail carriers allowed to accept tips?

My wife makes cakes for our butchers and main fruit/veg purveyors.

I had considered the postman thing, but my magazine subscriptions always arrive late (I have a daily sub that comes out of order and often over a month late) and they never knock on our door to alert us of a package just slip in one of those slips leaving me to believe that they just never bring it with them, which is fine but it shouldn't say we tried to deliver and it won't be available till the next day if it never left the post office. Also I often don't see our postman around the holidays it's a different guy.

I appreciate the garbage men most of all, but how do you know if they are your regular garbage folks? We are often not home when they are working.

We do tend to tip more during the holiday season for coffee/drinks/food when we get such things.

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Our garbage generally gets picked up pretty early, but even so I'm lucky enough that I've worked at home for the last 2 years, and for several years before that always worked at home on Fridays, which is our garbage day. One of the guys on the crew has been so nice to my oldest son over the last 4 years, helping him throw things into the truck, joking about his joining the crew, etc. I won't give to the others because I don't recognize them and as much as I appreciate their work, really don't know that it's the same ones week to week. But this one guy is special so I'll make a point of being home for garbage delivery this week and letting my kids give him an envelope.

Postman
Maid
Butler
Manservent
and the guy who blows baby powder on my bum after I wipe.

But that's it
I have to draw the line somewhere.

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As city employees, trash collectors are not permitted to accepts gifts from their "customers". They can actually be fired for doing so. (Note: employees of any city office that is headed by an elected official other than the mayor (DA, City Controller, etc.) have a separate regulation which allows nominal gifts, but most city employees are covered by Executive Order No 002-04.

I'm sure there's a similar regulation for mail carriers.

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We tip our mail carrier, newspaper deliveryman, trash collectors, hey its always nice to be appreciated.

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I worked for the USPS for almost ten years, most of that time as a letter carrier. Trust me, even though there is a law forbidding it, mail carriers not only accept tips but really, really appreciate them. Delivering mail is sometimes tough, with the weather, dogs, cranky patrons and overbearing bosses, so the $$$ is always appreciated. I can't speak for every mail carrier of course, but I think $$$ is appreciated much more than anything else, including a tin of someone's favorite home-made cookies or a pair of glove warmers (both of which I received as a letter carrier).

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We tipped the dog walker.

I tipped a cow once

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Peace Out, Philly!