Around the holidays, it is acceptable and encouraged to give your regular postal person, either your local carrier or the friendliest person at your P.O., a holiday gift. It needn't be fancy, and in fact, shouldn't be because of the ethical guidelines involved. From the USPS website:
"While many Postal Service customers have traditionally thanked their mail carrier with gifts of cash during the holiday season, this practice puts our employees at risk of violating federal law. The Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch ("Standards"), specifies that Postal Service employees may not accept gifts from outside sources (including Postal Service customers) or gifts given to them because of their official positions. Postal Service employees are also prohibited from soliciting gifts from outside sources.
There are a number of exceptions and exclusions to the general gifts rule. Postal Service employees may accept the following items:
- Snacks and beverages that are not offered as part of a meal.
- Items with little intrinsic value (i.e., greeting cards, plaques, pens, coffee mugs, etc.).
- Perishable items (i.e., flowers, chocolates, cookies, etc.); if the items are clearly worth more than $20, employees should share them with others in the Postal Service workplace.
- Items with a market (retail) value of $20 or less.
Postal Service employees may not accept cash - in any amount or form (bills, checks, money orders, gift cards) - from an outside source.
Armed with that knowledge, you should be able to properly tip your postie. Go forth and give generously!
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