Or is that a dying tradition?

I remember my mum putting a pound in an envelope each for the binman, milkman and postman. Never had a paperboy but they used to get lots of tips.

I'm on good terms with the postman as we have a lot of incoming mail/packages so I put a fiver in an xmas card. I mentioned this to a neighbour who told me tipping the postman is condecending!

I don't as I never see mine, but I know my dad still does as they've had the same (mostly) for a number of years.

"Still"?

If I'm in to catch them, yes.

I remember my experiences as a paper boy, when we used to knock on doors to get a tip. You probably couldn't do it these days, or would be strongly advised against it. But I'd go round my route about 17th or 18th December, knock on the door of an address I delivered to, and say "Compliments of the season, I'm the Morning paper boy".

Reactions, in retrospect, show the complete gamut of human behaviour, from one guy who just said "piiisss offff" with a maniacal look in his eye, to "Now look here, this is a bit of a racket isn't it?" to "Aren't you the little bastard who kicked my dog?" (I wasn't) to "I suppose you want some money then" rather grudgingly.

Although some were very good tippers. Old ladies were definitely the most generous tippers. I got £20 from one and that was in 1987.

I give the bin men chocolates, they are always here regardless of the weather. They always appreciate a "Merry Christmas and Thank You"
Postperson however, I do not. Never the same one week in and week out, and in bad weather they do not bother
I also give a Christmas tip to my barber for an excellent service

Barber? Interesting. I guess I should have asked if anyone tips anyone who supplies a service st Christmas.

I used to looks forward to working NYE in my local pub. More drunk people got, the more they tipped and I used to get more than my wage packet on that night.

I guess people's lives are different now, I'm lucky in that we have the same postman 5 of the 6 delivery days per week, and he's been on the round for many years.

I haven't even seen a milkfloat in years and Biffa collect our bins, so it's just our postie.

Yeah, I remember making an extra special effort in December when doing my paper-round. I rarely got tips (although I did get a threepence once. Around 1989!).....but I s'pose delivering the weekend papers at around 11am throughout the rest of the year probably had something to do with it. It was the only job I ever got the sack from.

To answer the question, no I don't tip - I rarely see the postie and even if I did, I probably wouldn't tip. Some of our bin-men are quite rude, but even if they weren't, I still wouldn't tip.

Exactly.

Never heard of this. It sounds like something out of The Brady Bunch or something.

I never see them, the binmen are been and gone before I've even got up most of the time, and the postman/woman changes almost daily by all accounts, and they never arrive whilst I'm still at home so I'm probably not going to tip either party.

Chocolates for the binmen as they will drive down my drive and get my bin if I forget (rural location) but we have like 3 or 4 posties so no tips for them as they dont do anything above the call of duty

The postwoman and the window cleaner.
Not the binmen they at time seem to leave more rubbish than they collect.

I don't believe in tipping people for doing their jobs.

The postman is a rare visitor to my door already since everything has gone electronic.

The bin men might have got a tip if they had the sense not to leave my bin in the middle of the drive forcing me to stop in the street and move it. But they don't have that much sense so they don't get a tip.

I've never done this. I don't see them.

The postman throws rubber bands outside on the ground. Our Siamese cat ate some and we ended up at the vet. So they should tip me !!!!

Yes we do. We have the same lovely postie all the time apart when he's on holiday. We also get something for the paperboy too.

Yes it's the annual should I tip thread. My postman is great so he'll be getting a tenner same as last year or an Amazon voucher, whichever he prefers. The green household waste and brown recycling bin binmen too as they take my bins out of the front, empty them and put them back afterwards. I might throw in a tub of Celebrations or Quality Street as well. I'm feeling generous this year and they're always so cheerful and friendly.

It's something that many people have done for years and years!

The postie routinely drops my mail through my neighbours letterbox and viceversa plus the binman has
decided it's fine for him to only half empty my bin most of the time so im sorry i dont fell like tipping them
for a job not well done

Not that i ever have tipped them anyway why should i when they are already being paid a wage...???

They already get a tip, its called council tax and postage costs.

Never have and not about to start.

We have up to 3 different posties doing our road at random - there's no way we're getting 3 presents for them.

Plus it almost feels like a kind of faux-bribe of sorts, which I'm against on principle - especially for what is a reasonably well-paid and popular job (loads of people on waiting lists to become a postie).

It creates a division in the postie's mind between those who do tip and those who don't, which isn't always a good thing, depending on the postie...

If they had a card machine I might tip but they don't seem to.

I worked in social care until retirement and we were forbidden from accepting Christmas tips or presents, in the same way that nurses are today - all year long
However, this caused so much resentment from my clients that it became impossible and gifts or money were given on the quiet

Why are some professions tipped and others not, what exactly is the criteria?

Postman yes but that's mainly because he's brilliant with our dog too.

Binmen no, they're useless