Newspaper carrier tip (house, live, restaurant)

[GarlicGuy]

What's the going rate to tip a reliable news carried these days?

[Maineah]

A book of McDonalds gift certificates. I'm not really sure. $20.00 is probably good.

[corgis]

For me, it depends on how good a job they do - the one we have now is in a car and throws the paper towards the house. Usually the plastic the paper in in gets torn as the paper skitters across the concrete walkway. Sometimes we have to hunt all over the yard for it. He will get nothing.

The one we had several years ago, walked the route and put the paper between the storm door and the front door so it wouldn't get wet, stolen, lost, etc. He got a $25. gift certificate to the restaurant of his choice.

[CoastalMaine]

$20 from here

[elston]

I have a hard time tipping someone who I have never seen and will never know.....they drive their route....the paper is reliably in the "tube" across the street near the mail box....so they do their job fine....it is just very impersonal....They left the "Xmas card" from your newspaper carrier with their name and address. I know that a tip is expected and deserved...but I only wrote a check for $10.
I tried to imagine how many people were on the route and what that would be if all the customers gave $10.....it could be alot. I have no idea what the newspaper pays their carriers. Perhaps $20 would have been nicer.

[CoastalMaine]

They don't get paid much Elston. They do rely on tips. They don't get compensated for gas or mileage, nor wear and tear on their vehicles. Plus they are up wayyyy before the crack of dawn to pick the papers up, roll them and stuff them in the plastic bags, and get them to their destinations before folks wake up for breakfast. If you tipped $3 a month, that's 10 cents a day or $36.50 a year. Pretty cheap for not having to go pick the paper up at the store when it's raining, cold, or you don't feel up to going out for it.

I did a paper route as a young kid with my next door neighbor. Picture two kids on a banana bike. One on the back (me) or the handle bars (him) - we'd take turns, and the papers in those old wire saddle type baskets that hung on either side of the back tire. We'd be flinging papers up into the driveways for about 2 hours every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. rofl Pretty funny memories. We used to get about 10 cents a week as a tip from the regulars, which we had to split.

As an adult, I worked the billing department for The Boston Herald newspaper down here on the Cape when my daughter was an infant. It was just a part time job, but it brought in much needed grocery money back in those days. (the dark ages lol). The drivers would generally get anywhere from a $2-3 tip every month in their invoice payments from customers with an extra $5 at Christmas time.

So, the math shows we get off cheap only tipping once a year with these new automated computer billings from the newspaper.

[WhoFanMe]

This could become a moot point in a few years as daily newspapers die off. The guy on my street delivers to one house out of 5 and drives about 50 miles an hour after he puts the paper in the box.

[elston]

I feel badly that I was so cheap.

There just are so many places for my money to go this year.....and I have cut back so far on my nearest and dearest....but that isnt his problem.

[RMoore007]

My sister just said the other day that she will give $20.00 as she got a carrier Xmas card too that prompted/reminded her. I used to give a monthly tip to my carrier in CA. Nothing at Xmas. I just had too much going out at Xmas each year and decided to just spread it out. He made out better that way to the tune of about $5.00 per month. I would just open up my front door and reach down. Whether I got up at 5 or 6 or 7 am. Always there.

[Maineah]

We used to have the paper delivered by mail so we had no carrier to tip. We did tip the Sunday carrier. We cancelled all papers several years ago and have not missed them. News on line...only way to go!