Do you ever bribe your delivery guys (lumber, masonry, or whatever)? And if so, what do you bribe with? Donuts, beer, what?
I like to keep on good terms with the delivery guys. I’d like to think it keeps them from making a mess when they unload or dropping your load in a pile of dog crap or some such.
jt8
“The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake…”– Nelson Boswell
Replies
bride is such an ugly word ...
I tip and tip well!
usually cash ... on the odd time I know I'm having a Fri afternoon delivery ... I'll have a 6pack of decent beer in a cooler on the front seat for them ...
but usually it's cold hard cash. Place I deal with alot has absolutely the best delivery guys ... and ... I use the "extra" service sparingly ... if I know something big's gotta go up and over ... I'll ask my sales guy to send it on the big truck ... ie ... 2 delivery guys.
the pick up only get's ya one ... and he's old and cranky. The big truck has the 2 kids.
Anything out of the ordinary gets them both a $20. The tip for hard stuff goes up from there. I'll gladly hand them each a $100 if it gets me out of an ugly morning of humping heavy stuff across the world.
but usually it's between $20 and $50.
like I said ... they're used to showing up and not even being given a hand ... they appreciate it enough when I just help them. So the money is never expected ... usually I just lend a hand ... but ... the wallet comes out as need be.
They're always offered what every cold water or pop I have in my cooler and what ever snacks I happen to have on hand.
That's just common courtesy.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
bride is such an ugly word ...
Only if the veil is a papersack1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
now that's funny!
had to go back and check ... suprised no one caught it earlier.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Bribe them? No!
Tip them? Yes! but only if they have a can do attitude.
My pass time is old cars. I,m always in a junkyard. There is one junkyard that I take a cold six pack of beer at friday lunch about twice a month. He then calls me when he gets new shipment. Bought a running cj7 couple months ago for $300. It never went in the fence. From wrecker to my trailer.
Sure, all the time. You'd be surprised how much good will you can buy for a twenty spot.
just a few months ago I had an anderson slider delivered. I gave the kid a twenty and told him to sit down and have a cold drink for five minutes while I unwrap the door. we stood it in the opening, squared it up, tacked it in and he was gone. saved me from paying a helper to watch me all day.
I also "tip" my garbage man often. Saves me on dumpster fees
Cash, too.
And as someone else said, only if they have a good attitude.
Grunge on. http://grungefm.com
For the record, HR type studies show that the best motivator is simple recognition of people and appreciation of the jobs they do
Tipsa help cement that, but one to one appreciation sincerely expressed is #1
Fighting Ignorance since 1967
It's taking way longer than we thought
Once had to get a load of PT Lumber on a 6 story roof. Needed a street closure permit which cost $2000. Had the delivery arranged for Sat at 7am sharp. Gave the guy $50 at the get go and told him it had to be up ASAP. Saved myself $1950.
Once tipped my local bartender $100. Never paid for a beer again in the 2 years that I frequented the place on a nightly basis.
Edited 5/8/2006 9:43 pm ET by TGNY
Bribe sorta implies something illegal, tipping is more nicer!
If they save me manual labor then they will get compensated for it.
Down here in TX I can call the Taco Truck if it happens around lunch time and I pay for all they can eat, that always seams to go over well.
Doug
Doug
Tips are good. I had a delivery of 20 vinyl windows, insulated glass, all about 60" wide x 66" tall. And the house had a fairly steep drivewy. Not long, just steep. The windows came in on a common carrier truck. The driver was within his rights to stop at the curb and set 'em on the street.
I was working alone that day, and he asked if it was ok to back up the driveway. Guess he felt sorry for me, or maybe he always did that. Anyway he backed up all the way and help unload the windows, and took the packing back to the depot. I gave him $50. He was an older black gentleman, and he didn't want to take the money at first but I insisted. He left with a big smile and a tip probably half a day's pay.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Hey JohnT8,
I paid a guy near the Addison Airport outside out Dallas to help us out. We hit white shale bedrock about 4' higher in elevation than expected and it about shut us down as the little Cat D6 we had couldn't do squat in bedrock.
Some guy with a lowboy trailer with D9 cat dozer with massive single rip on back and straight blade on front pulled up about 100' from our job and started unloading the dozer. I went and talked with him and said if he could give us about 10 minutes of his and his dozers time I'd pay him a ben franklin, a bottle of Rebel Yell Whiskey, and a case of ice cold Coors. He said "YOU GOTTA DEAL PARTNER". I hauled off to cash a check at the liquor store and grab the adult refreshment, got back and this guy had the machine fired up and tearing out boulders the size of Volkswagen Beatles. 5 minutes later he was done, driving off on his dozer with a cold one in his lap and all the rest waiting for him in the cab of his truck.
We all had a big smile on our faces that day.
Cork in Chicago
Way back on my first and only steam fitting job had an experience which taught me the value of keeping the help happy. The job required fittings and pipe in every size from 3 inches down to 1/2. Being young and broke and not wanting to invest in a threading setup, I found a local supply house that cut and thread to sketch. Their policy was 2 days for any custom pipe, no refunds, so I had to plan well for what I would need 2 days later. During the course of the job I showed up every day to pick up a few hundred worth of pipe and fittings ordered two days before, for which I would tip well, but not crazy.
One day I realized I had a part about 3/4" too long, my fault. I brought it back and sheepishly asked if someone could get to it sometime that day so I wouldn't be stuck. The guys practically knocked each other down taking care of it and I was out the door in 5 minutes.
That lesson has served me well these 25 years.
I deal with the same yard all the time, and will tip the drivers regularly. Maybe $5 or $10 each per delivery.
I also give the yard foreman something at Christmas- a Bottle of wine, or a gift cretificate to a restaurant.
The tip we usually give the delivery guys is simply, "That overhead wire is probably too low for your truck to dump the lumber." Then we try not to look in case they are the types that just have to learn by doing.
We do help unload and talk to them like normal people. The guys seem to apreciate that a great deal since they are often looked down on.
If we ever saw the same delivery driver twice it would be easier to go farther out of our way a bit, but our supplier probably has 60 delivery drivers with 10 new each month.
Having said that, it's a great idea to give the guys something for their efforts, since the lumber yards ride them pretty hard.
I refuse to pay people to simply do their job.Maybe I'm a hard-a$$. But I figure if they get used to getting a $10 tip, then they'll figure they're entitled to it. After that it will take a 20 tip to get them to do their job. Then $25, etc.Like Trout said, I always talk to them like they're normal people. I'll help them unstrap and unload. Let 'em use the bathroom, give them a cold soda if it's hot - Anything like that. But no tips.
Blessed are the pessimists, for they make backups.
excellent...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
BossHog's response is the right one.
What was initially genuinely intended to be a $$ gratuity for work above-and-beyond what the job calls for, will gradually morph into an 'expected'....kinda like the waiter at your favorite restaurant.
If the delivery guy goes beyond what is expected of him, an eye-to-eye smile and a warm hand shake will be a tip that will be remembered. And if he goes wayyyyyy beyone expected, doing the above plus calling and thanking his supervisor with a 'I'm gonna do my future business with an outfit like yours...' tone to it, is a tip with interest!
BruceM
Boss
Ya cheap bastid! :)
I dont think anybody is advocating that everytime someone shows up with a delivery that you have to give them a tip, well maybe some but not the majority.
I think the tip thing is for those workers that go beyond what is their normal work.
Doug
For guys that do a good job, I have called their bosses to let them know. That doesn't happen too often, and I think guys really appreciate it. I've also called bosses to let them know that their guys screwed up. Like when I had a guy dump a bunk of OSB in a puddle with water standing in it. Sometimes guys are trying to get enough ammunition together to fire a deadbeat. And I wanna help them do that if I can.
How much longer are we gonna be wrapping in the flag of patriotism to justify 250 millions guns out there? [Geraldo Rivera]
That can get a guy in trouble, calling a boss and letting him know that the driver did a great job helping out. The boss starts thinking why is he paying a driver to hump your windows and wondering what would happen to his insurance if his employ fell on your jobsite, then the driver catches an earful for leaving the road, parking up a driveway, and getting out of the truck.
I think that possibility is pretty remote. I don't generally tell their boss exactly what they did anyway - Just that they had a good attitude, were helpful, etc.
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too mush liberty than those attending to small a degree of it [Thomas Jefferson]
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I refuse to pay people to simply do their job.
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That explains the "Spec House from Hell", doesn't it???? LOL!!!!
(And in case you're wondering, that was ENTIRELY in jest).