Holiday tips/gifts for Postal Carrier

[hbridge]

So thinking ahead to those last minute needs for the holidays...

Does anyone know the regulations for gifting/tipping the postal carrier? We have a great mailman who has definitely gone above and beyond this year. I'm not sure what to do to recognize this; a gift card, cash, cookies, a nice card...

Thanks.

[misshollygolightly]

I looked into this last year, and I *believe* that USPS letter-carriers are not allowed to accept gifts with values exceeding $20. Also, because letter-carriers are technically civil servants, I think they are not supposed to accept cash gifts.

Last year, I gave our letter-carrier a $5 Sonic giftcard along with a nice thank you note in our family's Christmas card. He seemed appreciative and we received an official form thank-you note back from him.

We'll probably do a similar thing this year--a small-denomination gift-card to Sonic or Starbucks.

ETA: I figured that a gift card would be easier for him to carry with him on his route than a bag of homemade cookies or other bulky gift.

[cindys]

We have given our guy for the last few years a photo Christmas card and a box of chocolate covered cherries..

He seems very appreciative and always sends a personal thank you note...

[caleymama]

Last year I gave our mail carrier a box of chocolates, some turtles I think, that I had ordered from a Girl Scout fundraiser DD1 had just done. I paid $5 for them. The mail carrier drives a truck on our route, so I wasn't too worried about it being a bulky gift this year. She acted thrilled about them (woo hoo choclate!) and appreciative when I gave them to her, but who really knows! In the past when we had a mail carrier that walked we've done a small gift card + note.

[MommyAllison]

We need to do something this year - previously we've not really had home mail service. I was planning to do some sort of baked goods/candy - does anyone worry about allergies with this? If I avoid peanuts, should it be ok?

[jent]

I do always worry with food gifts about allergies or even just likes/dislikes. So I go with the coffee giftcard (in our neck of the woods, it's Duncan Donuts).

And yes, I think the limit is $20 (I know I've looked it up before on the USPS website).

[MoJo]

We don't have home delivery. Should I get a little something for the clerk behind the window who puts all our mail in our PO Box (who I see several times a week)? I haven't done this in the past, but this is the first year I've gone in routinely when the Post Office is open.

[KrisM]

Yes, there are regulations about what they can accept.

I wouldn't do homemade food because I know if I received homemade food from someone I don't really know, I would throw it away.

I do a gift card to the mail carrier and others to the rest of the people in the post office, but I mail A LOT of stuff, so I feel like it's necessary. If I just mailed an average amount, I'd skip the rest of the PO people.