SAN ANTONIO - Thanksgiving and Christmas are arriving sooner than you think - are you prepared to tip, gift, or skip the proper way? Diane Gottsman, our etiquette expert, answered all of our questions about how much to tip certain people - or if we even have to tip them at all.
According to Diane, the three most confusing and incorrectly gifted people are the mail man, the fed ex man and the UPS driver. Diane says there is no official policy for a UPS driver to refuse tips, but it is discouraged. Similar to the UPS driver is the Fed Ex man who can't accept cash, but rather a gift valued up to $75. The most commonly gifted is the USPS worker - Diane made it simple - do not tip cash or gift cards; a gift of $20 or less is appropriate.
Other commonly asked holiday tipping questions are directed towards the education department. What should we give teachers or teachers aids for the holidays? Diane suggests that we check the school policy first to see if there are any class funds that might support a gift from the kids. If not, a gift card to their favorite coffee shop or bookstore along with a heartfelt note is perfectly fine. As for school secretaries and nurses, depending on your child's personal interactions, a small gift or gift card along with a card is appropriate.
For those closer to you, such as an office assistant, an actual gift is fine - just as long as its not too personal. As for a hair stylist, manicurist or personal trainer, Diane says the safe way to go is to give them the equivalent of twice the price of one visit. Housekeepers are a little different. Diane suggests gifting them one week's worth of pay - whether they work one day or five days. But a regular Friday night babysitter, however, should only get the equivalent of one night's pay.
Finally, for the newspaper delivery person, a good rule of thumb is to tip equal to what you pay annually for a subscription ranging from $10-30 - unless of course your paper is always thrown in the mud!
For these tips and more answers to your etiquette questions, you may contact Diane Gottsman at the Protocol School of Texas at 2438 Freedom Dr. or at psotx.com. She can also be found online at dianegottsman.com or by calling (210)826-7400.
