Gift Ideas for the Mailman?

IBleedOrange

IBleedOrange

I Bleed Orange
Feb 1, 2010
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#1
I live in an "apartment" that's actually the second story of a house. In order to get to my stoop/door, you have to walk around to the back of the house and come up a steep flight of stairs.

Ever since I moved in, the mailman has left any packages that wouldn't fit in the box right in front of my door (meaning he goes out of his way to leave my packages instead of just leaving a pick-up notice). I'm extremely thankful for this, especially because I do a lot of online shopping. I'd like to get him a token of my thankfulness for Christmas, but I have absolutely no idea what's appropriate or what he'd like.

Does anyone have any ideas or can you share what you give your mailperson (if anything)?
 
#2
I think that something that is small and simple for him to carry around with him on his route, and as simple as it is, I think a gift card to a restaurant of your choice would be really a good thing. I mean, who doesn't like to go out for dinner, right?
 
#3
well my father is a mailman who is very friendly/nice and every holiday (mostly Christmas and New Years) he receives gifts from people on his route, so maybe I can help you out with this.
I wouldn't get him fruit cake. Lots of elderly ladies get my dad fruitcake and he always pretends to like it, but yeahh, I just don't really think that that is a great gift option. They always end up sitting in the pantry for many many months.
I would say 90% of the people get him a fancy box of chocolates, which is okay I guess, but the thing with chocolates is that you never know if the person's dieting or not. It's a really nice gesture but my dad doesn't like sweet things like chocolate or candy, so if you don't know that the mailmen likes chocolate then I wouldn't get him those.
I would just get him a really nice Christmas card with a personal note on the inside like "Thanks for being such a wonderful letter carrier" and then maybe a gift card to Target or Best Buy, something that can definitely be used, ya know? Some gift cards even come in tiny boxes and you could always wrap it pretty. Also another option I would highly recommend is cold weather items. Even in December and January, my dad always walks outside in the cold or in snow to deliver the mail. A great option would be nice leather gloves and a warm hat. (The hat is an essential for my dad.) They also use those black shoe covers that you put over your shoe that in slushy/rainy/snowy weather their feet won't get wet. Without knowing him personally, it's hard to tell what to get him. :smile:
 
#4
I'm grateful to my mailman for the same reasons. I live in a townhouse complex with a central mailbox unit but he goes out of his way to bring packages to my door. I also do a ridiculous amount of online shopping so it's a big deal to me :smile:

Last year I gave him a little collection of things - a travel mug, a Dunkin Donuts gift card, a holiday ornament, and some candy. I have no idea what I'm going to do this year!
 
#5
A few years ago I had this discussion with a few neighbors and they all agreed that it would be the safest bet to just gift cash. May not be as thoughtful, but with the mail service cutting jobs, money could be then used to buy gifts for his kids.
 
#7
I believe it's actually illegal for postal workers to accept cash... but many do anyhow.

I think the target and/or best buy gift card is a great idea if you're uncomfortable giving cash. because then he can decide to use the $$ for a fun thing, or if he needs money for basics like groceries target has that too.
 
#11
As long as a mailman doesn't open your card on the spot or you are not home at the time, I imagine that cash would be a much-appreciated gift. Otherwise I would go with a gift card. As for the amount, it would depend on your financial situation, how much you appreciate his work and what area of the country you are in (CA, for example, has a much higher standard of living than, say, rural WI).
 
#14
boxermom said:
I knew about the $20 limit and began giving a $20 gc (to a local grocery store) and our mail carriers have said it's the most welcome thing they receive.
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That will probably be my approach for my carrier this year too. A $20 gc to a local store and a little something else to make it personal. I'll probably bake something for the physical post office workers as well.
 
#15
Jennifer_C said:
That will probably be my approach for my carrier this year too. A $20 gc to a local store and a little something else to make it personal. I'll probably bake something for the physical post office workers as well.
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You are industrious! I love home baked goods and always love that idea. I like giving gift certs for places they can use for lunch time like subway or starbucks....:yes:
 
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