Newspaper Delivered Last Week with Self-Addressed Envelope? (Washington: how much, townhouse)

[mikecart1]

I am catching up on newspapers and in one shortly after New Year's (yeah I'm late lol) there was a self-addressed envelope with a name and "thank you" written on it. Am I supposed to tip? If so, with cash or check? The problem I have:

1. Use cash, and wind up sending it to someone that could be scamming me for all I know.
2. Use check, and person now knows my bank account info, address, name, signature, and is planning to destroy me.
3. How much to give?
4. Is this new? I'm like super old (between 25-30) and never saw this before.

BTW, I get this newspaper for free. It is a nationwide newspaper. I don't want to give name because that might be too much info.

Thanks.

P.S. The name is female so that has me interested lol!

[gingerbreadgirl]

I got the same thing about 3 weeks before Christmas. A Christmas card addressed to....I assume it is our Washington Post delivery person. Since it was inside the folded newspaper inside the plastic bag covering our paper, I thought it must be legit. I hesitate just putting a card with tip enclosed taped to the mailbox since reading about people who go through neighborhoods early, early (before papers are delivered) picking up the cards. I hope the check I sent got to the right person, that isn't an easy job...especially in the winter when the roads are often bad. And I doubt these delivery people make much money.

[car54]

My Washington Post bill has a blank for "carrier tip"....which I ignore because the dude that flings the paper out his car window is a terrible shot. I have to look all over for it (wooded lot) ...and sometimes it lands in the ditch and gets soaked. But I imagine the distributor does forward any tips to the carrier.

How times have changed...kids don't deliver papers anymore...they're all adults now. Not to mention the fact that hardly anybody takes the paper...just about everybody did back in the olden days. I was a Washington Star carrier in the mid 60's. If everybody paid me, I cleared about ONE DOLLAR PER MONTH for each subscriber. For that, I walked (or biked) up and down their driveways 30 times every month lugging that canvas bag full of papers (papers were placed on the porch). The Sunday paper used to be huge, probably five pounds each. I still loved it.....I had about 100 subscribers and I thought I was rich!

[mikecart1]

I just would rather there be some more instructions or something. One link I looked at was a story about mysterious blank envelopes being laced with some poison. I assumed since I was still alive, that ruled that out lol. But yeah. I also don't want to wind up giving $5 thinking that is ok and never get my paper again. But then again I wouldn't put my return address on the envelope though ahha. But they say never to mail cash either. It is one of the biggest problems ever lol.

I might keep the envelope and mail $5 or $10 in a couple of weeks just so I feel good about myself. The person must come by way before 7am 6 days a week though. I go to work at 7am and it is always outside my door. When it rains, it even comes double-wrapped in plastic haha.

[Forehead]

I don't get the paper anymore, but I sure as hell didn't tip when I did. Our delivery guy was awful. We live in an end unit townhouse with a side entrance. Sometimes the paper was in the common area several yards from my front door. Sometimes it was around the corner in the neighbors yard, though I knew it was mine as I was the only person getting the paper.

Sometimes it was on the sidewalk, which is again, several yards from my front door and a pretty lazy throw by any standards. Sometimes, it didn't get delivered at all, or it was late and delivered after I had left for work, meaning I got to come home and try to read the paper in the evening after it was all old news anyway.

I felt like I was calling the WaPo once every week or two to *****. Canceling that was satisfying, and I've never looked back. In some ways though, a little sad. I'm 34, but grew up with my parents reading the paper at the table, in the family room, etc, which was half the reason I subscribed in the first place.

[jbakerman]

I've been a WaPo subscriber for 17 years, so I've gone through all sorts of delivery people and have been fortunate to have a really good one the last 4 years. Can't remember the last time a paper didn't get delivered or a paper landed under a car. The little holiday card with the brief tip request and SASE comes around mid-December. I haven't always given to prior deliverers but I've given this same person $25 which seems about right for being truly reliable.

[Fallout Zone]

Yes, that is the common (and basically only) way for a newspaper delivery person to get a tip. They make very little money, so the Christmas tips are a big deal.

[Yankeesfan]

I put a $20 bill in the envelope and mailed it with a brief thank-you note (WaPo carrier; very reliable).