Gifts for Delivery People and Other Service Industry Workers

No man is an island, and all of us rely on people to help us at one time or another. Some people have standing appointments with a regular hairdresser or other beautician; some people need or want food and grocery delivery; some people have household help like cleaners, maids, nannies, and maybe even cooks and drivers; many subscribe to newspapers, landscaping and pest control businesses; and waste management services; and most, if not all, get mail and more from the post office and other parcel delivery companies. Often, people want to display their gratitude around the holidays or at other times. Here are some ideas.

COLD, HARD CASH (OR GIFT CARDS)

You can't go wrong with this! Many people add an extra tip for newspaper delivery, beautician services, and household help around the December holidays, or add a bonus to the last paycheck of the year. Make sure your tip gets to the right person--send or hand it directly to your recipient if possible.

It might be more prudent to give a gift card in some cases. I leave envelopes with coffee shop cards taped to our trash bins for our waste management people, for example--it's a little more secure, it's obviously not garbage, and since they don't always come at the same times each week, it's ready when they are. Same for my letter carrier--it's easy to leave a note on my mailbox, as it's on my porch. When I was in an apartment with dozens of other tenants, I was able to figure out our normal delivery time for days I was home (package tracking will tell you what times packages are left), and hang out to meet the letter carrier.

Some companies limit the value of a gift their employees can receive. For example, US postal workers cannot accept gifts worth more than $20. Check to be sure your efforts are within such guidelines.

REFRESHMENTS

Some people make a habit of leaving snacks and drinks for service workers. I try to leave a cooler with water bottles for letter carriers, parcel delivery, and waste management workers if it gets above 90 (hot for my area, and they tend to come in the middle of the day). In the winter, I leave out hand warmers. In that same large apartment building, a UPS driver dropped off a package shortly after I put cookies in the oven. I told him he could come back when he finished delivering the rest of the packages on his cart. He did, and it made my day to be able to give him fresh cookies. During the COVID19 lockdowns when people were ordering more and more online, I put out a basket with (fresh) snacks each day, and sewed face masks for delivery people and waste management workers (those I put in Ziploc bags and taped to the trash bins, with notes).

I also printed out this comic strip to adorn the mailbox

If a service worker is fixing something in your home or you have landscapers outside, it seems only polite to at least offer water and use of the bathroom if needed. 

A PERSONAL TOUCH

If you know the service worker well enough, you can make or buy something more personalized, even if the personalization is limited to a heartfelt note. I used to be a nanny for a particular family, for four years. The first December, I was pleasantly surprised to see a large bonus in my paycheck. The following Christmases, after we knew each other better, I got gift cards to stores the family knew I liked and my children were given fancy Christmas dresses. When I found out my letter carrier liked Cherry Coke, I gave him a six-pack of cans for Christmas. 

Although, one time I got a Christmas bonus of a microfiber throw blanket (not as a service worker, in an office)... some co-workers commented they'd seen the same throws at Costco for very cheap, much less than previous years' holiday bonuses... the office manager was later arrested for embezzlement. You don't need to break the bank to give a thank you gift if you feel so inclined--as these people are doing their jobs and hopefully being paid well to do so, you don't need to give anything at all. But whatever you do, don't embezzle to do it!