"Your Generosity Appreciated" from the mailman

[daylatedollarshort]

Maybe I'm just looking at this like Delores from Westworld, but I read this very different than everyone else. Our mailmen usually get many gifts, probably too many to keep track of, so in the past at least two of them used to send out a blanket thank you to every household in the neighborhood. One of our mailmen who retired told me he used to get overwhelmed with items like candy and Starbucks gift cards every Christmas and would give most of it away.

I took this note as more of a blanket thank you for gifts already received than a solicitation of gifts. I don't see a reason for reporting someone who may have just been trying to be polite.

 

[Koolau]

Our mail carrier has always gone the extra mile for us. Even though our bldg. has a hundred units, she knows us by name. I can assure folks that, though she makes a decent living, a little extra is much appreciated here in the Islands (I also tip our grounds/maintenance crew, our paper carrier, all the staff at our church, etc.) It's tough to live here and a little extra helps a lot. I would never want to be taken for granted at holiday time, but I enjoy sharing with folks who still have to w*rk for a living - especially in times like these, but YMMV.

 

[ivinsfan]

Maybe I'm just looking at this like Delores from Westworld, but I read this very different than everyone else. Our mailmen usually get many gifts, probably too many to keep track of, so in the past at least two of them used to send out a blanket thank you to every household in the neighborhood. One of our mailmen who retired told me he used to get overwhelmed with items like candy and Starbucks gift cards every Christmas and would give most of it away.

I took this note as more of a blanket thank you for gifts already received than a solicitation of gifts. I don't see a reason for reporting someone who may have just been trying to be polite.

Maybe but in that case wouldn't pass them out after Christmas instead of before?

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Maybe but in that case wouldn't pass them out after Christmas instead of before?

Maybe he is going on vacation and already got a lot of gifts he wanted to acknowledge. I mean the only way to know is to ask rather than assume evil intent. There is a quote attributed to Napoleon Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence. Perhaps he just jumped the gun by delivering his thank you notes a bit too early.

I just know our past mailmen gave out notes like these to all the households on their route because they can't keep track of the 300 out of 1000 households that gave them gifts and they were simply trying to be polite.

 

[meleana]

Where we used to live I always left a gift in the mailbox for the letter carrier. Cookies, chocolates, etc. Rural route area. Same mailman for 32 years. I think he was retiring just as we moved.



Never received a solicitation but we did always receive a thank you card.


There are rules- they cannot accept anything over $25 I think it is.

Now where we live our mailbox is in the clubhouse with all the other resident's mailboxes and I did not even think of it, but I should have.

Also they are extremely short staffed here and I am not even sure who is delivering. The mail is sometimes coming late in the day or sometimes not at all.

 

[mickeyd]

I served in the US ARMY for over 20 years and I never received a tip errr, Christmas gift, from those whom I served.

 

[FREE866]

Love the mail guy....We give him $20 every year.

 

[travelover]

I served in the US ARMY for over 20 years and I never received a tip errr, Christmas gift, from those whom I served.

Here is a tip. Be nice to your mail carrier.

 

[Amethyst]

That's 'cause you made the big bucks, of course.

I served in the US ARMY for over 20 years and I never received a tip errr, Christmas gift, from those whom I served.

 

[ziggy29]

Here's the thing -- and I say this as a postal clerk from 2013-18 who became intimately aware of the rules.

"Thank you for your generosity" can mean a lot of things. It can mean just being nice to them. It can mean leaving bottled water and snacks out for them on a hot summer day. And yes, it *could* be an only slightly veiled suggestion for gifts.

USPS employees are forbidden from receiving ANY cash gifts or gifts easily converted to cash, such as gift cards -- even $1. They may receive non-cash gifts of nominal value, no more than a $20 value. You can give them some $15 present, you can bake them $20 worth of cookies -- but no cash.

 

[ychuck46]

The best

Our carrier is outstanding; she goes well beyond what she is required to do. We give her gift cards throughout the year. They are very much appreciated by her.

 

[rk911]

I served in the US ARMY for over 20 years and I never received a tip errr, Christmas gift, from those whom I served.

here ya go...a sincere tip of the hat for ya...

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I always gave gifts at Christmas each year when we had a regular mailman but now we seem to get different people not just week to week but even day to day. I hadn't really thought of giving a gift this year to some random person I never saw before and may never see again.

 

[Maidensong]

"We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices.'" ~ Charles Dickens

Who cares if the mailman overstepped with thanking someone in advance for a tip? Are you rejoicing in abundance? It's time to share a little. Don't be a Scrooge! Our letter carrier does a great job. If he's a little late sometimes, it's likely because he's stopped to check on elderly folk who let their mail pile up to make sure they're okay, or stopped to visit with homeowners doing yard work while he deposits mail in their boxes.

For our tenants, our mail carrier and anyone else on our list who gave us great service over the year, we give a gift certificates to our hometown meat market so we're supporting a local mom-and-pop business at the same time.

 

[calmloki]

The cookies disappeared from our mailbox this afternoon. Could it have been Santa? Seems like I remember Santa pulling that kinda trick, though he usually left a cookie with bites out of it.

 

[Koolau]

I served in the US ARMY for over 20 years and I never received a tip errr, Christmas gift, from those whom I served.

Well, I for one DO appreciate your service. Back on the mainland, I always used to pick up the guys in uniform on the way to Chicago. YMMV

 

[ClarkeK]

We used to tip our long-time mail carrier. Then we recently downsized to a new area and my wife asked the new mail carrier why we don't get local ads. He replied that he is not obligated to deliver those to the home. No tips for that guy.