Tipping the Postman

[Poppy]

Is it usual in France to tip the postman at Christmas. If so how much?

Our postman is very miserable and I just worried if a little festive spirit, money not whiskey, might help.

Jan

Lost in the Lot

[Eslier]

Very soon your postman will arrive on your doorstep with a 2006 calendar for you. This is your cue to "pay" him for your calendar which in effect is his Christmas tip. Anything between 10€ and 20€ will be appropriate.

Maybe he's already brought your calendar (ours arrived last week) and you didn't realise this was your cue to pay up. That could explain why he is looking miserable!

Save some money for the pompiers too. They'll be around with a calendar aswell!

[Christine Animal]

Apparently the calendars are not from La Poste, the postmen choose them and pay for them themselves.  It's a tradition here that they come round every year with them.  Our postman is always pleasant and friendly.  We give 20 euro.

 

[Opalienne]

And don't forget the dustmen either

[Chrissie]

I find tipping the dustmen to be the biggest problem - the pick-up point is way at the bottom of the drive, outside the electric gate, so they never come near the house.  The number of men on board the cart varies enormously.  I usually buy something like a large box of chocs or biscuits and then sit in the car, near the gate, waiting in the freezing cold, so that I can leap out "spontaneously" and present them with it.  Am always frightened that if I leave it at the gate they will throw it away as rubbish (or someone passing will nick it!)

How does everyone else get round this problem?

Chrissie (81)

[Opalienne]

Leave a note on the gate asking for them to come up to the house?

[pinkfluff<P>Big Wet Drops and Lots of Them, Are a Sure Sign of Rain!<P>]

This is our first crimbo here . How many 10 euro should we be saving near the door for these guys and are they due right now or nearer christmas ?   cheers

[Opalienne]

We've already had the firemen, and gave them €30.   We would give the same to the dustmen and postlady, though we usually give the dustmen a couple of bottles as well and invite the postlady in for a drink.   I guess when they come varies from place to place, but where we live the dustmen ring the bell around mid-December and the postlady just before Cristmas.

[Patf]

This year I'm going to add to the list the two men at the silo where we buy our chickfeed etc. They lift the sacks into the back of the van and I bet they're not paid much.Perhaps give 20 euro between them. Pat.

[naps]

 

Regarding tipping the dustbin men, I have always written a card, put it in an envelope with a tip, then taped it to the top of the wheelie bin, secure enough to not blow away, and visible enough to be noticed.

[Chrissie]

"Wheelie bin"............

...........er, we don't have those here, just black bags (provided).  What do you write on your envelope?  "Messieurs les Poubelliers"?????!!!

Chrissie (81)

[Teamedup]

Provided?????? we have nothing provided. We have to provide our own wheelie bins and even before they wanted us to have them we had to provide our own bags to put our waste in.

[Wendy]

Oh gawwwwd! we were out when the pompiers called yesterday and my Mum, an Aussie lady with no french at all, took the calendar from them and just smiled sweetly. Oh yes, she said "merci".  Should we get out to their HQ with money in hand quickly in case of a fire in the future??. She has been informed about the postie since I might add.

[zeb]

They'll probably come back.

The postie always calls when there is no cash in the house and last year we got the pompiers (in full uniform with fire engine) and a little kid, on his own, from the football club.

We leave the bin men a couple of bottles on top of the bin bag (and the recyclable men) - LOL - they've never mistaken them for rubbish yet!!

[Barrym]

You've all made me feel really mean - I always buy the calendars from the postie, firemen and the dustmen but usually only contribute 5 euros to each party fund (except the year when we had a chimney fire when we upped the pompiers fund significantly)

[Teamedup]

Barrym five euros! Well if the postie has been giving you a calender, then that may not have even covered the cost of the thing, as the postie's have to buy their own calenders to sell.

I would say 20 euros rather than 10 was a better amount to give really. What with  the price of the calender then that is like buying a calender and giving them a tenner. That or more I reckon would be correct.

[Liz]

I am afraid I think this tippng lark is crazy.  These are puplic employees doing their jobs for which they get paid.  Fair enough if they 'sell' you a calendar or if they have performed some exceptional service (in which case I would give the tip at the time) but I certainly do not go out of my way to find  the postman etc. at this time of the year.

Liz (29)

[Teamedup]

Postie's don't get a triesieme month, that is why there is a tradition of doing this.

[Mysfloss]

I agree with Liz about tipping and 5euro is enough after all you are not obliged to give anything ,mean, no just don't think that someone should  be paid extra for doing there job!

[Millymollymandy]

Give what you can afford to give, in my opinion 20€ is way too much, but then I suppose it depends on what your income is.

We didn't have any income for years (unemployment) so they got a couple of euros. They weren't unhappy.

Also in 9 years we've only ever been asked once for Xmas money by the postman!

And for the person who asked what the dustbin men are called, they are 'les eboueurs'.

[Patf]

Tipping the sapeurs/pompiers - I thought some of them were volunteers

so don't get paid.I read in the local paper that one branch near us was

short of funds and needs the collection . Pat.

[Teamedup]

So don't take the posties calender if you are only going to give 5 euros then. My friend who is on a low income always used to give the postie 200french francs. Believe me money is tight chez elle and yet she still does it.

[Christine Animal]

Quite TU, and it's often the people with the least money who are the most generous.

[Jc]

I work for the Red Cross;if the people come in a 4WD(especially Merc/BMW) you know you will be lucky to get any donation out of them,whilst the pensioners are the opposite.

[Agenais]

I always buy the calendars, even the circus ones if they can catch me,  at what seems to be the going rate, despite not being flush with euros.  Some friends, told us of us of a visit, "oh yes, who came"? "The pompiers, don't know why, but they gave us a free calendar and then I shut the door".  BIG OOPS.  We said that things would not be forgotten, so best that they leave the country, (jokingly), 6 months later they did........was it something we said [:P]