If you shop online as much as I do, your delivery people and mail carrier earn their paychecks. As an extra thank you during the holidays, you may want to consider small gifts for mail carriers and delivery drivers.
Nearly every day, one or more of the trucks drives down my driveway to bring a package or a stack of mail to the porch. I “blame” Amazon for splitting orders into multiple shipments, but really it’s because I prefer online shopping than taking my kids to the store.
In order to show my appreciation for all of the USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex drivers who come to our house – including seasonal and regular drivers, I leave a basket of goodies on the porch to help them through the long hours and frequent visits to our house.
I especially appreciate my delivery people because they DO NOT knock unless signature is needed. With a dog who thinks she’s a guard dog (she’s not), and 2 kids at home, a knock on the door causes chaos.
We also have a Ring doorbell, so I know when they drop something off anyway, whether I’m home or not (and could even speak to them through it, if needed). I’ve even had a few thank me on our Ring recording after they grab a snack.
When I saw a shared photo on Facebook a few years ago about leaving a snack basket for the drivers, I decided that it was a great way to reach all of the drivers throughout the season. They work long hours every day (even Sundays), and I want to show my gratitude and give them a snack or two each day to enjoy.
I try to include a variety of options to account for nutrition preferences. I switch up the snacks each day or two when I top it off, so I thought I’d share the hits and misses of what they seem to prefer.
Gifts for Mail Carriers and Delivery Drivers “Top Hits”
- Snack cakes such as Little Debbie Cakes – definitely the favorite
- Breakfast or protein bars
- Bags of pretzel sticks and chips
- Bags of peanuts
- Chocolate Chip granola bars
- Driver suggested: Powder flavor packets to add to bottles of water. Drivers usually have water with them already, so a flavor change is a nice treat!
I was always surprised when the Funyuns were picked, but they were popular!
Gifts for Mail Carriers and Delivery Driver “Misses”
-Water – either because it’s freezing out (therefore the water is so cold), or they already have their drinks, no one took a bottle of water last year
-Cheese sticks – I know I’d grab a cheese stick from a basket like this, but they didn’t. Obviously this isn’t a good choice if it’s not very cold outside, but I only put them out when it was very cold.
-Apples – I thought I should offer a healthy option, so I added 2 washed apples to the basket, but I finally took them out after a few days of no interest.
Other options I intend to pick up this year
-Small packs of gum or mints
-Mini candy bars or other candy
-packs of peanut butter or cheese crackers
If you’re planning to give your drivers a gift personally, some popular options are small gift cards (coffee shops, fast food, etc), cash (acceptable limits listed below), small box of chocolates or baggie of wrapped Christmas candy, cookies. I’d suggest pre-wrapped or bakery versus homemade, as most people won’t eat homemade food gifts from strangers.
Other options include movie tickets, small fruit basket (you can DIY this), food gifts such as gourmet cocoa mix, tea, honey, candies, bag of coffee, sauces, etc. If you know know your carrier personally, feel free to give them something that suits their tastes according to what you know about them.
Just be aware that you may catch a sub or seasonal driver any given day through the holidays, and some delivery services have two drivers per truck through the holidays.
Rules about Gifts for Mail Carriers and Delivery Drivers
Each delivery service has rules for their employees on what types of gifts they are allowed to accept. Here are the details via HuffPost Holiday Etiquette.
USPS: According to a representative from the USPS Ethics Council, “Letter Carriers are prohibited from accepting cash or a cash equivalent such as a Visa or Master Card gift card from Postal Service customers.” You may give a gift to a Letter Carrier valued at $20 or less, or a gift card to a specific retail venue valued at $20 or less, as long as the aggregate value of gifts that you gave to the Letter Carrier do not exceed $50 in a calendar year.
Fed Ex: “Gifts of cash or cash equivalents such as gift cards or gift certificates must never be accepted. Employees are allowed to except a nominal gift valued at up to $75, no cash.” – Steve Barber, FedEx Global Communications
UPS: “At UPS we train our drivers to politely decline tips, however, when a customer insists, we allow our folks to accept nominal gratuities. We do not suggest an amount or range for monetary gratuities. Our drivers do receive heartfelt and sincere gifts of baked goods, knitted items and even invitations to holiday parties. Ultimately we let them use their own judgment about whether or not to accept or decline a gift.” – Justin Luther, UPS Public Relations
Do you have to tip or gift? Absolutely not. As with all other gifting situations, only gift what you can afford, and if you wish to express your gratitude in that way. A handwritten note or card is also perfectly acceptable for any gracious gift receiver.
Need to shop for others? Our gift guides are here to help!
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Amazon Store Front
We've gathered lots of Columbus local gift ideas for the Holidays! Need help finding a gift for your parents or grandparents? Buy something special that they will love! We have some ideas! Stocking stuffer ideas for all ages! Find the perfect gift ideas for teachers, friends, party host, and more! Need a silly or useful gift for an upcoming gift exchange? Whether its an office party or a friend/family gathering, we have gift ideas appropriate for all gatherings - even the inappropriate ones! Kitchen gifts are useful options...because everyone has to eat! Teens can be HARD to buy for! We have some "in" options that will thrill them!Holiday Gift Guide
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Val says
I love that tip – and never would have thought of that! Thanks so much! I will definitely leave some flavor packets in our basket this year! If you have any other suggestions, I’d love to hear them!
Justin T Sirles says
I drive for Amazon, most of us have coolers with water, other drinks, and lunch. Water bottles are provided before every shift so for me it’s a constant how much water can I fill up my cooler with after my lunch and drinks. One of the best things I’ve seen in a basket that I immediately took were crystal light packets or something to flavor the water. Also keep in mind for us it’s a balance to stay hydrated but also not over do it since bathrooms aren’t readily available in residential land.