Author's Note: I originally wrote this post to be facetious and to have a little fun with my humble upbringing. Since this post has received so many hits from people looking for a legitimate answer on how much to tip their garabgeman, I called my family to see what the protocol is for holiday tips. Prior to the economy going sideways, most families would tip my grandfather and father between $10.00 and $25.00 each year. Now tips tend to range between $5.00 and $20.00 and are frequently in the form of gift cards. They also receive many plates of cookies and baskets of fruit. All warm holiday gestures are greatly appreciated by my family who have owned their garbage business in the same town for more than 50 years. (However, feel free to take the below advice as well.)
People have been discovering my blog when doing searches for “Garbageman, Christmas, tip” and hoping for a definite answer on if they should tip their garbageman. And, how much is an appropriate tip at Christmas time for the man who picks up their filth all year long? I say write him a check for 20 percent of your annual garbage bill. So, if you pay $200 a year in garbage service then tip your trash hauler $40.
What am I basing my recommendation on? Not a damn thing. How the hell am I supposed to know how much a garbageman gets tipped? Yes, I was a granddaughter of a garbageman and I am the daughter and sister to garbagemen, but it’s not like I was or am privy to their financial dealings. I remember a few checks at Christmas because who we were to tell our customers that we weren’t as poor as they thought we were. In actuality, their act of charity or Holiday cheer (depending on if they were Democrats or Republicans) wasn’t needed but always was appreciated. Every year, my dad cashed the checks and bought a few extra gifts. Why shouldn’t the families of all garbagemen have a few extra gifts?
So with my power and authority as a Garbageman’s Daughter, I deem that all garbageman in the United States and Canada should get a twenty-percent tip. But if your garbagemen happen to be a short bald man in his early 60s with bow-legs and a mustache as well as a short, bald guy in his early 30s with a huge beer belly, I say tip them 30-percent.
