i want to ask what do you guys do when you have your customers give you products out of generosity or for being nice especially now come the holidays. well i remember in integrad they have always told us to NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING while in uniform, that if they wanted to give us something to comeback while you were not working. but c'mon now, i know that some customers like to be thankful and nice and want to give us something if they can, so how can we walk out of UPS with these items without getting in trouble or being suspected from stealing? i was already given a couple products but they were small and i would put them in my pocket, but had another person want to give me something for my daughter but i told them that i couldnt accept it because i dont know if i would get introuble walking out of UPS with it. i want to do it the right way and i hate hiding things and being shady.....what do you guys do?
generous customers giving us drivers products
- Thread starter newguy1
- Start date
705red
Browncafe Steward
When i started i was told to accept anything and everything that was offered to me, unless i wanted the offers to stop.
Now if a customer tries to hand me a couple bucks through the year i do decline that, however at xmas i will accept a gift from the cutomer for the service tha has been provided for the last year.
Now if a customer tries to hand me a couple bucks through the year i do decline that, however at xmas i will accept a gift from the cutomer for the service tha has been provided for the last year.
Like Cachsux said, for anything else, just get somebody in the office to write a property pass out to get it through the guard shack.
rocket man
Well-Known Member
one stop use to give a case of beer a week..never had a problem got a pass.
As others said, if it's something big, just ask for a property pass. This time of year, it's somewhat expected.
The only area that I would be concerned is if the value of the item is in excess of $100. If that occurs (even in the form of Gift Cards/Cash/etc) I would make sure to let your Management team know to at least cover yourself.
Also, I'm sure you are doing the right thing, but it's always good to just make sure there are no conditions with these gifts and that you've done nothing to imply that you want/deserve one. Others have done this in the past and it gets them in trouble every time.
More this year than any other drivers who have been on their routes for years and gotten the same gift over and over again may find those customers not as willing/able to give those gifts. It's important to continue to show appreciation for any sized gift or even a card.
I would make sure to write a "Thank You" Note for anything received on-route. It's a rather small effort and it goes a long way.
The only area that I would be concerned is if the value of the item is in excess of $100. If that occurs (even in the form of Gift Cards/Cash/etc) I would make sure to let your Management team know to at least cover yourself.
Also, I'm sure you are doing the right thing, but it's always good to just make sure there are no conditions with these gifts and that you've done nothing to imply that you want/deserve one. Others have done this in the past and it gets them in trouble every time.
More this year than any other drivers who have been on their routes for years and gotten the same gift over and over again may find those customers not as willing/able to give those gifts. It's important to continue to show appreciation for any sized gift or even a card.
I would make sure to write a "Thank You" Note for anything received on-route. It's a rather small effort and it goes a long way.
thanks guys, yea i didnt know there was anything like a property pass that would get us through the gaurd shack. now i know which is a good thing, i just do my job normally and i guess from appriciation they want to give back. i have one stop on my route that every year they give the driver a couple hundred bucks as a christmas tip, well im obviously not expecting much if anything because im new but who knows, i am basically the only one that does that route and come december i should be the only one because i only hope to not have any days off.....
brown bomber
brown bomber
I would gladly accept a gift in excess of $100.00 from some of my customers, considering all that I do for them...however they are the ones who generally give you nothing...it's always the ones that you expect the least, who are the most generous
P.S. got my first Christmas tip already...$20.00..from an old-timer who's heading South after Thanksgiving
P.S. got my first Christmas tip already...$20.00..from an old-timer who's heading South after Thanksgiving
dilligaf
IN VINO VERITAS
I've gotten a few tips. It's usually older people, too. I've tried to refuse and had the customer get upset about it. I think it's the older generation that feel it necessary to tip and get offended when it is not accepted. I've never gotten more than 2/3 dollars. I have gotten chocolates, bottles of wine and gift cards for the grocery store (etc).
I am so glad I don't have to deal with a security entrance.
I am so glad I don't have to deal with a security entrance.
dirty moose
Well-Known Member
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
I seldom if ever get cash. I dont want it, and when I get it I just pass it along to the next Salvation Army bell-ringer I see. Most of the people who have offered me cash make way less money than I do.
I have several wineries and filbert nut orchards on my route that like to give away a free bottle of wine or a bag of roasted filbert nuts as holiday gifts. I love filbert nuts, and although I dont drink my wife enjoys a bottle of wine. I dont feel bad about accepting these items from a customer who has thousands of them on hand and is giving them away to everybody, not just me. In a situation like that the customer gains enjoyment from giving these gifts away and if I know the Fedex guy and the mailman and the garbage man are all getting the same thing I feel OK with it.
My favorite gift is from a coffee-roasting business that I pick up at. They import and roast whole coffee beans and ship them to latte stands and coffee shops all over the West Coast. About once a week they give me a pound of beans from a bag that got mis-labeled or is otherwise unsuitable to sell retail but is perfectly good otherwise. They also like to use me as a "guinea pig" for whenever they are trying out a new blend and need an unbiased opinion. Coffee is life.
I have several wineries and filbert nut orchards on my route that like to give away a free bottle of wine or a bag of roasted filbert nuts as holiday gifts. I love filbert nuts, and although I dont drink my wife enjoys a bottle of wine. I dont feel bad about accepting these items from a customer who has thousands of them on hand and is giving them away to everybody, not just me. In a situation like that the customer gains enjoyment from giving these gifts away and if I know the Fedex guy and the mailman and the garbage man are all getting the same thing I feel OK with it.
My favorite gift is from a coffee-roasting business that I pick up at. They import and roast whole coffee beans and ship them to latte stands and coffee shops all over the West Coast. About once a week they give me a pound of beans from a bag that got mis-labeled or is otherwise unsuitable to sell retail but is perfectly good otherwise. They also like to use me as a "guinea pig" for whenever they are trying out a new blend and need an unbiased opinion. Coffee is life.
rod
Retired 22 years
I still have a coffee can full of drill bits that were given to me by a company that mfg. them. They always had a box of them (all sizes) on the loading dock for anyone to help themselves. They said they were seconds but they have always worked for anything I do. It was a tuff pickup with lots of heavy wooden boxes but they knew how to keep the delivery people happy. At Christmas they would give out complete top of the line drill indexes. Unfortunately they went out of business-- couldn't compete with the overseas crap I guess. Either that or they gave too much stuff away 
trplnkl
555
I used to deliver a western wear store and pretty much did anything they asked me to do. If I had a multiple package delivery I would honk as I went past the front of the store and go to the back door, or if they had a COD and the check signer wasn't there I would go back in the afternoon while doing pickups, things like that. The main reason I did those things was because they were extremely nice people. Every year on Christmas week, the owner would come up to me and say to take my pick of anything in the store for my thank you gift. The second year I kiddingly said I wanted a pair of full quill ostrich boots ( about a $600 price tag), he said "What size?". It took my 10 minutes to convince him I was kidding about the boots. I usually picked out a nice shirt and was very thankful for their kindness. I miss those people but not just for the gifts.
JustTired
free at last.......
While I got my share of money gifts, I used to enjoy the plate of cookies or homemade candies the most. Had one family that handed out Chex mix they made up (loaded with cashews). I looked forward to that most of all. They were a very nice family. I delivered to there daughters and their families also. Every one of them were some of the nicest people I ever met (not bad on the eyes either). I left that route to take another and they were on top of the list of things I missed by doing so.
I'd say that for the most part, the people you deliver to on a fairly regular basis are more appreciative of your work than those you work for.
I'd say that for the most part, the people you deliver to on a fairly regular basis are more appreciative of your work than those you work for.
trplnkl
555
Agreed Just. It's the little things in life that make it worth living.
hmmmm, that would be a great line in a song.
But Benefits Are Great!
Just Words On A Screen
some1else
Banned
i have a customer who gets a COD every week and he always gives me 5-10 bucks and says "go get yourself lunch" ?? i even got his cell phone and call ahead and give him amount/everything so it is a 10second stop.
christmass depends; but as mentioned by a poster above its usually not the million dollar houses that give tips; its the people who cant afford it and i would rather not take it from them-- but it is worse to refuse it and insult them.
christmass depends; but as mentioned by a poster above its usually not the million dollar houses that give tips; its the people who cant afford it and i would rather not take it from them-- but it is worse to refuse it and insult them.
beentheredonethat
Well-Known Member
My on road told me, when I asked about accepting gifts. He said, so long as you don't ask for it, then it's fine to accept a gift. Plus, he knew the guys who were bringing gifts back are the ones the customers appreciated. My favorite though was also the home made stuff, cookies etc.
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