Pet groomer: Up to the cost of one session, or a gift.
Package deliverer: Small gift, up to $20. (Most delivery companies ban or discourage cash gifts.)
What if my budget is tight this year?
Tipping, even when expected, is ultimately voluntary. If you can’t afford to give everyone on your list a cash gift, Ms. Post said, consider making special cookies or candy to show your appreciation to those who deliver your newspaper, maintain your yard or collect your trash. (In some areas, trash collection is done by private contractors, rather than provided as a municipal service, so patrons may be familiar with the workers, she noted.)
Autumn Knutson, a certified financial planner in Tulsa, Okla., said showing appreciation is the goal. While cash will certainly be welcomed if you can afford it, “you can also give kindness,” she said, even if it’s simply a verbal acknowledgment of your appreciation. One option may be to offer an in-home service worker extra time off with pay rather than a holiday bonus. That way, you are showing you value them, but you aren’t paying more out of your budget than you normally would. If you’re unsure how that would be received, she said, inquire which they would prefer. “It’s not rude to ask,” she said.
Is it OK to tip with a digital payment app?
Ms. Post said she frowns on giving holiday tips via apps, like Venmo or Cash App. “I would say cash is king,” she said. From an etiquette standpoint, money — or perhaps a check — tucked inside a card with a short handwritten note shows your gratitude by making the presentation special, she said. It seems inappropriate to ask your longtime doorman, say, if you live in a city like New York, for his Venmo username, rather than personally handing him an envelope with the tip inside. “It comes from a place of goodness,” she said. “You want it to register.”
An exception, Ms. Knutson said, may be younger people, who are regular users of the apps and accustomed to being paid through them.
