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How should I tactfully ask for tips?


Michelle My Bell
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I have a paper route that I get up for 365 days of the year, in all kinds of weather at 4:20am. I don't get paid a lot but I look forward to the tips. I actually depend on them at Christmas to get me through the holidays and still pay my bills. I have 180 customers and only about 15 have given me tips this year. I haven't even made 1/3 what I made last year. To say I am disappointed would be an understatement. 

 

So, I am thinking of putting out a photo card on Monday with a short note. My thoughts are A.) People have simply forgot or B.) Some don't realize tipping is customary here.

 

I would really appreciate help with my short note. Feel free to give me completely different ideas than I am presenting. Here are some ideas:

 

 

"I hope you enjoyed my service this year. Thank you for remembering my family this holiday season."

 

"I hope you have found my service exceptional. Thank you for your gifts"

 

"Many Blessings from your Newspaper Carrier!"

 

"If you have found my service exceptional this year, Please remember my family this holiday season"

 

 

I know some are bad. Please comment on them, change them or give me all new suggestions. I would be super grateful because I only have one chance to get this right.  

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I would suggest a simple card with a generically positive message, a la, "Wishing you all the best this holiday season!" with a self-addressed envelope, tucked into the daily newspaper.  I always appreciate when our carriers leave these -- it's a handy reminder, and then I don't have to worry where to leave the money, etc.  

 

 

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Begging for tips is the one thing that makes me NOT want to tip service people.  The only line from your list above that I would not find offensive is "Many Blessings from your Newspaper Carrier."

 

Sorry you are having a difficult season.

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Our paper actually has a generic card carriers can include in the paper. The greeting says, "Thank you for being a subscriber. We look forward to serving you in 2014." This year we have a new carrier. She included a half-page note describing her experience with delivering, sharing a little about herself, and offering holiday greetings. I think the note is a bit much but maybe she felt the personal touch would encourage more tips? Or maybe that's just her style. I think a simple holiday greeting might be enough of a reminder. If your customers are like us, we paid a year in advance and would not really think to forward a tip through the newspaper. Getting a card with our carrier's name and address not only reminds us to tip, it helps us know she'll really be getting the tip.

 

My mom delivered papers; we helped on weekends. It's a tough job!  :grouphug:

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Hmm, seems like a sase could be expensiveĂ¢â‚¬Â¦ I'll have to look into that. 

 

I don't think it has to be stamped.  Just addressed.  I don't mind adding a stamp.  

 

Actually, now that I think about it, I guess the question would be whether stamping the envelopes would increase your rate of return enough to pay off.   It might be interesting to do an experiment (stamp half your envelopes and then track whether it improves the return)!

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Our newspaper carrier puts a Christmas card to us in the paper with his address on the envelope, usually about two weeks before Christmas. We have to make sure to watch for it because we don't always read the entire newspaper every day. 

 

He's really great - we went through a time when we didn't pick up our newspapers, I can't remember why, but he called to make sure we were okay and to see if we needed anything because he noticed our papers weren't picked up. I thought that was so thoughtful! He's been our carrier for several years. 

 

 

 

 

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Does anyone have any advice on the wording? I truly am grateful for this job. It has helped sustain me through my divorce, homeschooling and now college also. I hate getting up that early but it is less time I have to spend away from my kids. All that, it doesn't pay wellĂ¢â‚¬Â¦ except at Christmas usually. 

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Begging for tips is the one thing that makes me NOT want to tip service people.  The only line from your list above that I would not find offensive is "Many Blessings from your Newspaper Carrier."

 

Sorry you are having a difficult season.

 

So would you have a problem with the self addressed envelope as others have mentioned?

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I didn't know you were supposed to tip the paper carrier. I also find it so strange when people say they leave cards, money, or baked goodies for the mailman. I wouldn't even think that a government employee could accept those types of gifts?

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Does anyone have any advice on the wording? I truly am grateful for this job. It has helped sustain me through my divorce, homeschooling and now college also. I hate getting up that early but it is less time I have to spend away from my kids. All that, it doesn't pay wellĂ¢â‚¬Â¦ except at Christmas usually. 

 

 

 

I liked this one the best:  "I hope you enjoyed my service this year. Thank you for remembering my family this holiday season."

 

Our carrier gives us lengthy, chatty letters about what her family is up to each year.  I enjoy reading them each year; I don't think we've ever tipped her though.

 

If you were to write any more, I would include the part you wrote above about how grateful you are for your job, etc. It puts a personal aspect on it that might make your customers more inclined to tip. 

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I didn't know you were supposed to tip the paper carrier. I also find it so strange when people say they leave cards, money, or baked goodies for the mailman. I wouldn't even think that a government employee could accept those types of gifts?

 

They can accept non-cash gifts up to $20.

 

http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22349/html/cover_025.htm

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Please use something like "Many Blessings..." Please don't mention that you need to be remembered or say thanks for gifts. Just a holiday card with your name and address is fine also. Please don't include a SASE. That's another form of asking for money.

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Please use something like "Many Blessings..." Please don't mention that you need to be remembered or say thanks for gifts. Just a holiday card with your name and address is fine also. Please don't include a SASE. That's another form of asking for money.

How is it any more rude than a tip jar at a coffee shop? I was glad for the reminder and she made it easy for me which is awesome. I know my paper lady works hard and is not getting rich; I don't mind the extra nudge to be generous.

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So it seems about 50/50 if I should or should not "ask" for a tip. I guess I can't go wrong if I do. I will either get more tips or I won't.

 

May I encourage everyone to tip their newspaper carriers this season? Even if it is only $5 one time a year, most give that much of a tip every time they go out to eat. Carriers work hard for very little pay and Christmas tips are looked forward to all year. :)

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Does your employer have a policy on holiday notes/envelopes? I would check there first.

 

If it is cool with your employer, I would consider this a great time to do a little market research. I would spend $30 on stamps and do "New Years" cards. Put a SASE in half and an addressed envelope in the other half. See which batch gets the better result. 

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Both of our sons were paper carriers for a few years.  They got some tips and were happy with what they got, but they were unsolicited. Our next door neighbors two sons took over the route when our boys quit.  They put cards in with the paper just thanks for letting us/ me serve you this year and signed it with their name and address.   They got triple the amount of tips our boys did.  My assumption is simply people are not always sure what the paper carrier's last name or their address and they are not always home to tip in person.  . 

 

SASE would completely make me not want to tip you.   A cute little christmas card with  your name and address would get a tip from me.

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Both of our sons were paper carriers for a few years. They got some tips and were happy with what they got, but they were unsolicited. Our next door neighbors two sons took over the route when our boys quit. They put cards in with the paper just thanks for letting us/ me serve you this year and signed it with their name and address. They got triple the amount of tips our boys did. My assumption is simply people are not always sure what the paper carrier's last name or their address and they are not always home to tip in person. .

 

SASE would completely make me not want to tip you. A cute little christmas card with your name and address would get a tip from me.

I don't understand this at all. Do you think that the cute Christmas card is really just wishing you a merry Chistmas and not a reminder to tip?? Maybe it is just my personality but I prefer clear communication. I'll do what I'm supposed to do as long as I know what that is!

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When I did newspaper delivery there was never tips.  One house would leave an xmas card but that was it.  I did 3 routes 364days a year (we got xmas day off), I would start my routes at 130am and finish at 6am.  I would have been pleasantly surprised if I had gotten any tips and it never would have crossed my mind to solicit them.  Tips should never be counted on when figuring out how to pay your bills, I assume if you need them to get you through this season it is because of buying gifts for xmas with $ you would normally allocate to bills?  While it is understandable to be feeling the pinch especially when hoping for tips and not getting them, a tip is not required.  It is a customary way to say thank you to a service person but certainly not an expectation worthy of soliciting for.  In fact if I got a solicitation from a newspaper carrier I would likely report it as a complaint to the company. Completely tacky imo.

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I don't understand this at all. Do you think that the cute Christmas card is really just wishing you a merry Chistmas and not a reminder to tip?? Maybe it is just my personality but I prefer clear communication. I'll do what I'm supposed to do as long as I know what that is!

A SASE is tacky. I imagine it to be the same as a bellhop standing at the door, hand outstretched and maybe an eyebrow raised as he says, "Merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoyed your service." Christmas tips are optional, not required, and so it seems to me that any overt attempt to solicit them is in poor taste. A card is a nice compromise. A gentle reminder, but not manipulative.

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The custom here is for the delivery person to give an blank empty card with his address in the the upper of the envelope. I would have no idea who my delivery person was without an addressed envelope. I would never expect a stamped envelope.

 

I am aware of the custom and give $10 annually. I am surprised people don't. I it'd not not tip a bartender or waiter or hairdresser, and the relative tip for a delivery person is far less.

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When we got paper delivery, we always got a note from our newspaper carrier around Christmas time, discussing the precarious financial situation that they were in and asking for tips; the letter included the delivery person's name and address.  I'm not necessarily recommending that tactic, but without something from the person providing their name and address, it would have been impossible to tip them, as we never saw them in person and did not have any interactions with them (our subscription transactions were handled directly with the newspapers).

 

 

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I think the addressed envelope, even without a stamp, would be a big help to busy, distracted folks like me. :) People have stamps, so I wouldn't feel the need to stamp the envelopes.

 

How about something like, "Dear _____, Happy holidays! I love my job, and I appreciate your business! May 2014 bring you much joy and happiness. Whether the 2014's news in the paper is good or bad, I hope your family news in 2014 is always wonderful. Sincerely, Mary Jones (or whatever your full name is)."

 

I am afraid that I agree with the posters who say that anything specifically requesting or mentioning tips would really make me uncomfortable. I am a generous tipper for personal services (hair, restaurants, etc), and we tip/bonus all our employees, but I don't do tips to delivery folks. :( Maybe fewer and fewer people are doing that now days? Including an addressed envelope would be as far as I could comfortably suggest you going in asking for tips. I have never worked a tipped job, so I don't know for sure how the etiquette is there, but I would be pretty startled if anyone ever asked me for a tip. TBH, today, we have so many delivery people at our house each week that I don't have any sort of personal relationship with any of them, and I don't tip them. :( The UPS guy actually provides more personal service than our mail carrier. (Thanks, Amazon Prime, lol.) But, I don't really know if it is the same guy most days or not. I have no idea -- it is a faceless service for the most part. I holler thanks whenever I see them in person (rushing back to their truck), but that's about it. 

 

 

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The guys who pick up our trash taped an index card sized note to the can one Dec. it simply said, "It's been a pleasure serving you this year. Merry Christmas" (or maybe it said Happy Holidays). Both men's names and addresses were listed, side by side. Although my kids ran out to give them bottles of water every week, I had never thought about tipping them til we received this note. The simple message was enough to alert me that I should offer a tip without them having to ask for or suggest it.

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When I did newspaper delivery there was never tips.  One house would leave an xmas card but that was it.  I did 3 routes 364days a year (we got xmas day off), I would start my routes at 130am and finish at 6am.  I would have been pleasantly surprised if I had gotten any tips and it never would have crossed my mind to solicit them.  Tips should never be counted on when figuring out how to pay your bills, I assume if you need them to get you through this season it is because of buying gifts for xmas with $ you would normally allocate to bills?  While it is understandable to be feeling the pinch especially when hoping for tips and not getting them, a tip is not required.  It is a customary way to say thank you to a service person but certainly not an expectation worthy of soliciting for.  In fact if I got a solicitation from a newspaper carrier I would likely report it as a complaint to the company. Completely tacky imo.

 

:iagree:

 

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How about something like, "Dear _____, Happy holidays! I love my job, and I appreciate your business! May 2014 bring you much joy and happiness. Whether the 2014's news in the paper is good or bad, I hope your family news in 2014 is always wonderful. Sincerely, Mary Jones (or whatever your full name is)."

 

I am afraid that I agree with the posters who say that anything specifically requesting or mentioning tips would really make me uncomfortable. I am a generous tipper for personal services (hair, restaurants, etc), and we tip/bonus all our employees, but I don't do tips to delivery folks. :( Maybe fewer and fewer people are doing that now days? . 

 

I like the wording here. Between "appreciate your business" and "May 2014" I might add, "I am thankful for this job which has enabled me to help our family get back on our feet after some hard times, and is a joy to serve you."

 

I would NOT include a sase or even just a self-addressed envelope. Tips are gifts. It's one thing to jog someone's memory with a nice note and let the gift be their idea. It's another to outright ask for the gifts. I think while you might solicit some gifts that way, other people who might tip with a reminder might be peeved by the overt solicitation and refrain. It would be very off-putting to me. I'd rather say, "Honey, look at this nice card we got from our paper carrier." and let one of us think aloud, "Are we supposed to tip them?"

 

However, on your card, you could include your return address on the envelope and their name/address on the envelope as well, so it looks like a normal letter without a stamp--that iss, if you are comfortable with your customers knowing where you live. (I don't know how much they are, but a post office box would protect you better. You don't know if some weirdo is on your route.) If you're not comfortable, and a post office box is too expensive, then you'll have to make do with what they give you in person.

 

For next year, ask  your paper to send a general note to customers about how hard their carriers work and that if they have provided good service, it's nice to tip them at the holidays.

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SwellMama, I don't need to be reprimanded by you about how to pay my bills. If it wasn't for the tips, there would be no Christmas for my kids. That said, the newspaper company I work for tells us to solicite tips each December. It has always been done here and I was simply trying to figure out a way to do it respectfully. I felt your response to me was rather tactless. It is easy to attack people on the internet because we don't stand face to face with them, but the words hurt people regardless.

 

I am thankful for my job as previously stated, but like any service person earns very little (such as waiters), I would hope my service would warrent a once a year tip. I always place their papers in their porch, not at the end of their driveways. I'm always quiet and I work hard to always be on time.

 

Thanks for the responses everyone.

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I don't understand the whole culture of tipping and people expecting to get tips above their wage for every single job and even asking for a tip :huh:. A completely foreign concept to me.

Well of course it's a foreign concept to you. You don't live in the US. It is customary here to tip your newspaper carrier at Christmas. We don't tip for every single job. However, there are some jobs that we do tip for. And many of us tip extra a Christmas.

 

I am always thankful for the reminder. I get busy this time of year. So to have a quick reminder to tip my house keeper, etc. is nice for me.

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Well of course it's a foreign concept to you. You don't live in the US. It is customary here to tip your newspaper carrier at Christmas. We don't tip for every single job. However, there are some jobs that we do tip for. And many of us tip extra a Christmas.

 

I am always thankful for the reminder. I get busy this time of year. So to have a quick reminder to tip my house keeper, etc. is nice for me.

No, it isn't a universal thing here either. I've lived in many places in the US and some places tipping is customary, others not. I'm born and raised here and its still"foreign " to me because most places I've lived it is not the norm.

 

I won't say more because I don't want to offend. Michelle, I hope you are able to have a wonderful Christmas.

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Michelle,

 

Thanks for the reminder.  I have been meaning to write a check to my newspaper delivery guy.  Earlier in the month, he tucked a Christmas card with an address label in our paper.  Some may mail him tips but I place my gift in the newspaper slot of my post box where he places the paper.

 

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

 

Jane

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I'm a big believer in generous tipping for certain services (when done well. Maybe less generous for mediocre service, ;-).) I'm sure I would tip regularly if I received the paper.

Holiday tipping is a whole other thing in my mind. It's an extra-special at-will situation. Just like friends may decide to do a limited Secret Santa or extended family may decide to limit gift exchanges to kids only, gifting additional people shouldn't be expected just for the sake of gifting additional people.

 

Expressing holiday wishes to customers is great. If that reminds people who have meant to gift to gift, that's great. And I genuinely hope more of your customers will be generous. But please take it as generosity, not obligation. Just as I don't want my grown cousins to all hint for gifts when I have no intentions of giving them one and no expectations that they will be giving me any, I don't want to be bombarded with outright requests from very loose acquaintances, if that's even the right term.

 

I do have to carefully choose how many "service oriented" people I will gift this year. I suspect that, for many, many families this year, they will have to forgo all non-essential gifting, whether they want to or not.

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I don't tip our paper guy. I have no convenient/effective method to do so. We pay by the year with our credit card, and when I called to subscribe I wasn't asked to tip and didn't think if it. We get our paper on our driveway - so realistically I can't leave a card on the driveway where anyone would find it. We don't have the mailbox type paper slot. So, I guess Miss Manners might not like it, but some way to let people know who you are and how to get you a tip, I'm good with it.

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When I did newspaper delivery there was never tips.  One house would leave an xmas card but that was it.  I did 3 routes 364days a year (we got xmas day off), I would start my routes at 130am and finish at 6am.  I would have been pleasantly surprised if I had gotten any tips and it never would have crossed my mind to solicit them.  Tips should never be counted on when figuring out how to pay your bills, I assume if you need them to get you through this season it is because of buying gifts for xmas with $ you would normally allocate to bills?  While it is understandable to be feeling the pinch especially when hoping for tips and not getting them, a tip is not required.  It is a customary way to say thank you to a service person but certainly not an expectation worthy of soliciting for.  In fact if I got a solicitation from a newspaper carrier I would likely report it as a complaint to the company. Completely tacky imo.

 

I think it's pretty safe to say that things are done differently some areas of the country than others. It's also quite possible that this varies according to the specific neighborhood involved. Some are more generous than others, some are more financially able to tip than others. 

 

Presumptions about other's finances are never appropriate. It's more likely that the tips are going to provide the special Christmas treats for her family, be they gifts or cookies, or whatever.  In any case, what she does with her money is none of our business.  I'm quite sure she understands the nature of tips and the fact that they aren't required. She is simply trying to figure out how best to handle this as a person who holds an "invisible" service position. 

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