A Surprise Thank-you That Touched My Heart

Last January, after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season had died down and life was starting to return to normal, I was working in my office one day when the RING app on my phone went off indicating movement on my front porch. I checked my phone and saw a man place a folded, white piece of paper on one of the porch benches. Aftward, he walked back to his car that was parked on the street and drove away.

Curious, I walked downstairs and out onto the porch to retrieve the paper which had already blown off into the nearby shrubs. Here’s what I found written inside the folded paper.

(The note was signed by the “Driver Helper” for both him and the Driver. During the holiday season, UPS Drivers here often have a second person riding with them.  I blotted out their names for privacy.)

Note

 

What G was referring to in his note were the boxes of goodies I had out for all the delivery personnel delivering packages to my home during the holiday season. For the last couple of years, starting just a few days before Thanksgiving, I’ve placed drinks and snacks on the porch for the delivery men and women who bring packages and gifts to my home during the holiday season. I can’t begin to imagine how long their days are and how hard they work during the holidays, but I know it has to be pretty intense!

 

I was so touched that “G” had taken the time on his day off to drive to my home to leave the note. I hadn’t recognized him initially because I was so used to seeing him in uniform on those days when he delivered a package for which I had to sign. I’m gearing up now to set this little snack station up again for this year. I hope to get it out starting the week of Thanksgiving.

Put out drinks & snacks for delivery folks, Holiday Season Idea

 

If you would like to set up a little goody station for your delivery personnel, you’ll find the link to print out this sign in this previous post where I shared a lot more details: Create a Little Snack Center, A Small Thank-you to Our Delivery Men and Women.

 

Sign for Delivery Appreciation

What Snacks are Most Popular?

In case it’s helpful, the items that always seemed to be the most popular with my delivery folks were Water, Cokes, Diet Cokes, Snickers Candy Bars, Animal Crackers and Apples.

The things that weren’t as popular and I had tons leftover were the packaged cracker snacks (like peanut butter crackers or cheese crackers) and the little packages of chips (like Bugles, Potato Chips, Chex Mix, etc…) I was surprised that popcorn wasn’t that big a hit. So I’m not buying those items this year, or if do, not very many.

By far, the most popular item that everyone seemed to like/take was Water. So water is definitely the item they appreciate the most.

If you’ve set up a snack center for your delivery people in the past, what did you find they loved the most?

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Comments

  1. What a great idea. These men and women have busy working hours especially during the holiday season. Your way is a way of showing your appreciation.
    Marilyn

  2. Gayle Kesinger says

    I loved the idea last year and am definitely going to do this. Glad for the tips on what was enjoyed and what wasn’t. Hope I can recreate the sign.

    • Gayle, you’ll find the sign to print out in the post I linked to at the end of this post. In that other post, I linked out to where you can print it. Brenda, another BNOTP reader, kindly recreated the sign from one I had seen elsewhere, so you can easily print it out. The first year I printed it, I just printed it in black and white since I didn’t have a color printer. I added a color printer the next year for my laptop and was able to print it in color for the second year.

    • Bernadette Budniakiewicz says

      I, too, really appreciate the feedback on what was most popular. I just finished reading at my neighborhood NextDoor app and learned that many people are having mail issues. One of the neighbors mentioned a best friend works at our town’s post office. They are understaffed and have been working 12 hour days, 6 days/week. Heading into the holiday season, it’s only going to get worse. Your post inspired me to make this gift basket this year.

  3. What a fantastic idea! Your delivery people must be so happy to stop by your house. Feeling appreciated is a wonderful thing! I plan implement your kind gesture for our delivery people!

  4. Biodynamic Barb says

    OMG! What a wonderful idea! We don’t have a porch but I’m going to ask DH to find a way to do this. We get so many packages….

    Thank you for the sign, too. It’s perfect.

    • Barb, maybe you could put them inside a deeper/bigger clean container so you can place a lid on top. The Walmart Market near me as the large clear storage boxes and the prices are really good. That’s typically where I buy my storage boxes now since they are so inexpensive there.

      • Biodynamic Barb says

        Lidded bins is a good idea. Unfortunately, like Katheryn (below) we are rural and critters would raid the treats, so the lids have to be secure. It’s been warm enough during the day to leave drinks out, but it will soon be too cold. We might have to get a cooler. Wouldn’t it be nice to offer them hot chocolate, or coffee?!

  5. Linda Page Gurganus says

    I take 2 loaves of my homemade bread to our local fire stations in appreciation if there service to our town. I’m sure your UPS guys are appreciative of your gesture if they took time to leave a note! Your holiday season is getting off to a great start!

  6. That is so thoughtful Susan! And how sweet of G to write and thank you. I’m sure all the other delivery folks appreciated your kindness too! Thanks for the reminder to care for the people who take care of us! 🙂

  7. That was a lovely thing to do! I couldn’t do that here because A) we now have about a foot of snow and it’s too cold to leave drinks outside and B) the critters would raid the snacks. I do try, every year, however to leave a nice homemade plate of baked goods for the trash collectors, mailman, etc. Maybe I’ll try to figure out when I’m getting a delivery and try to leave something out like this this year at specific times!

  8. I did this last year after seeing your post. The water/soda were the most popular items with the delivery people.

  9. This summer our UPS driver stopped to thank me for the goodies I leave out over the holidays. It meant so much to me. I had not thought of putting out apples or candy bars but will certainly include them this year. Thank you, Susan!

    • My regular UPS driver did the same one day when he was passing by and I was getting my mail from the mailbox. I had no idea when I first started doing it that it would mean so much to them, but it really does.

  10. That’s amazing. Made my day to read that. Kindness goes such a long way and these days seems to often be in short supply. Can’t wait to pay this idea forward. Happy Holidays. 🙂

  11. I adore this idea. I loved it the first time you posted about it, too.
    I’m not sure how many deliveries we’ll have this year, finances are
    are different now, but I think I’ll put together a gift basket for our
    UPS lady. Maybe include a gift card, too.

    Susan, do you use/have any favorite cookbooks? Perhaps you could
    do a post on them sometime? I love cookbooks, esp old/vintage ones,
    and am always on the hunt for more. You know, the 300+ I have now
    isn’t nearly sufficient, lol.

    Happy Fall!

  12. How do you keep the squirrels out of the snacks? At my house they would be all over them.

    • In the two years I’ve put the snack center out, I haven’t any problems. I guess because everything is well-sealed. You could place the items in a deep enough bin (with a lid) and just put the note on top so the drivers would know to look inside. That would keep the critters out.

  13. I have done something similar – but not quite like you do because of our freezing temperatures here……but my office is in front of out house and right near front door – so I see them coming and run out to give them a holiday gift basket.

    Your way is ideal. You are so kind.

  14. KUDOS!! franki

  15. Cyndi Raines says

    That is such a nice idea, very thoughtful. I need to keep this in mind and have some goodies at the ready for our delivery people. Susan, I popped over to your Instagram site and that bedroom picture with the twin beds and the chest between reminded me of your grandsons bedroom only they have dinosaurs and the brown bedroom version had fish pictures. Your grandchildren’s room is right up there with that classy room. You and your DIL did a great job decorating, well done!

  16. Freely give, freely receive. When you work, you appreciate any thoughtfulness from customers. I don’t get mail or packages at home, but I pass out candy when I shop because I see the same clerks all the time. Sometimes I make flowers for them or give a plant from my garden. I make an effort each month to treat the dispatchers at the police department. No one ever sees them.

  17. It never ceases to amaze me how people in the US can leave things like this outside their homes and not have the whole lot stolen. I’ve always wondered this with all your Halloween and Christmas decorations too. I’d love to do something like this.

  18. Great idea…I’m definitely doing this this year!! They get their workout delivering to my house for sure! Thanks !!!

  19. What great ideas!! Thanks so much!

    I, too, live in a rural area. I think I’ll just bring the bins in at night.

    Living in northern FL, where we still have warm days, I probably can’t leave chocolate out, but the other snacks are a good idea. I’m surprised that “chips” are not a big favorite!

    • I do bring mine in every night and put it back out every morning…just in case the temps dip below freezing. I’d have trouble putting it out this week…we are actually below freezing during the daytime for much of the day right now. This weather is crazy!

  20. How nice that your UPS drivers were so thoughtful to thank you for their goodies! My experience was similar to yours in what they like and don’t like. I think the chips and crackers weren’t a big hit because they are driving and I’m sure it would be difficult to drive while eating chips and crackers and it would be messy also. My husband took care of the leftovers of our crackers and chips during January when he wanted a snack. I was very surprised that our drivers preferred the water to the soft drinks. Also, Little Debbie Oatmeal Cakes were a big hit. I didn’t have candy bars but think I will add those this year, along with the apples.

  21. The item I found most popular in my choice of goodies, was actually my (assorted) homemade muffins or cookies so this year as not expecting a large volume of door deliveries (as in the past) I have tweaked the sign to now read ‘For a little gift, please check the mail box’. There they will find an addressed envelope and a $10.00 Tim Horton gift certificate that they can use thru a drive-thru and should cover a hot beverage and a small snack which last year I gave to a delivery person when delivering a large item on one of the most blustery evenings imaginable and I didn’t put the bins out. (It was not fit for man nor beast!) I recalled he was so grateful and so far I have given two out, one of whom rang the door bell to thank me personally for it and assured me it was going to be used.
    -Brenda-
    P.S.: We had our first real blast of winter yesterday, with 4″ of snow, temps in the low 20’s (F) with 16 mph winds. Also within a ratio of ten blocks or so, we have at least four Tim Horton’s in our district alone and for those in a similar position as myself, a McDonald’s g/c could be another option.

  22. One reason water might be so popular is because of the screw-0n top. Perhaps add a couple of bottles of Coke to see if they go before the cans.

  23. After initially seeing your post about this a couple years ago I’ve done this the last two years. I put a note on my front door that directs the delivery people to the side garage door where inside is a table set up with the drinks and snacks and where they can leave any packages. I also find that my homemade cookies seem to get taken the most. For drinks it is usually water or the small bottles of apple and orange juice. I appreciate the delivery people and also that my packages are protected from weather and theft inside the garage. Our only issue is with our security system and remembering to NOT set it if we are leaving the house. Otherwise the alarm would we going off once the garage door was opened! Thanks for this wonderful idea.

  24. Love this idea for the Holiday season. Since retiring (again) my husband meets our trash service on collection day to give water or Gatoraide, espc. in the hot GA summers. We even get a little horn blow as they pass by. He also gives them a gift card for a fast food lunch during their busy after Holiday pickups.

  25. Thanks for the reminder Susan. I loved your suggestion and for the last two years I have also laid out snacks and drinks for our delivery people. A small cooler with ice keeps the drinks cold. They did seem to appreciate that, as I live in Florida and the weather is still hot. Last year, I had to sign for a package and I told the delivery man to take a treat. He said “I remember this from last year.” I agree these men and women work long hours delivering packages to so many places all over town. My group seemed to like the little bags of potato chips and Doritos. Not so much the crackers, animal crackers or popcorn. Water was also a hit, and the small cans of cold drinks as well.

  26. Susan, You never cease to amaze me with your wisdom and generosity. Finding your blog has truly enriched my life. Thank you for sharing so many wonderful tips and experiences throughout the years.

  27. Susan, you are so sweet to do this. I used to have one pound boxes of See’s Candy for all of my delivery people. If I missed them, I would go down to the UPS office or the FEDEX office, or where ever, and leave it for them, but I have to confess that in recent years I’ve had a lot of things weighing me down, and have not been as consistent in doing this. But the water, drinks, snacks sounds like a terrific idea for people on the go. It must have been lovely to receive a thank you note from one of your happy deliverers.

  28. Jenny Young says

    I love this idea. I’ve usually just kept homemade treats to hand out as they came to the door….I’m home most of the time. I might do a mix this year & let them choose.

    I just have a small open stoop & live in a pretty cold winter climate. Do you set your treats out when you expect a package? Or leave them out all the time? Maybe I could use a covered bin but they would have to open it & choose something.

  29. What a kind and thoughtful thing to do, and how nice to receive written thanks.

  30. I love this idea and did it last yesr. Im wondering is there a way to do it safely this year? No unwrapped fruit obviously, maybe a hand sanitizer?

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