36 Acts of Kindness for Delivery Drivers and Mail Carriers, All Year Round

The best way to thank your Amazon driver or mail carrier is to make their stop easier and then say thank you where they will see it: a clear, lit path to the door, a dog that stays inside, a short note on the mailbox, and a basket of wrapped snacks and cold water on the porch. For Amazon drivers you can also type “thank my driver” in the Amazon app or say “Alexa, thank my driver.” For USPS carriers, a gift is fine if it is worth $20 or less and is not cash.

Below are 36 acts of kindness for the people who bring your mail and packages, grouped by what they involve: making the stop easier, the porch snack basket, notes and in-app thanks, things just for your mail carrier, the December rush, summer heat, versions for kids, and what to do at work or in an apartment building. Each act has an easier version, and the easier version counts. Most are free. The few that cost money say so.

One rule for the whole list: don’t slow them down. A driver has a long list of stops in every shift, and every minute at your door is a minute they make up somewhere else. The kindest acts take nothing from their schedule: no waiting for you to answer, no conversation they have to end, no gift they have to work out how to carry.

Make the stop easier

Most of the kindness you can do for a driver happens before they arrive. These acts cost nothing and save a few seconds or a sore ankle at every single delivery, which adds up across a year.

1. Clear the path to your door. Move the bikes, the hose, the toys, and the recycling bin off the walk. A driver carrying a box they can’t see over will find every one of them. Easier: Clear just the steps.

2. Shovel and salt the steps in winter. Do the walk, the steps, and the landing before the mail usually comes, and salt or sand anything that will freeze again. Ice on a porch step is one of the easiest ways for a carrier to get hurt. Costs money, a bag of ice melt is a few dollars. Easier: Clear a single path one shovel wide.

3. Shovel out the mailbox too. If you have a curbside box, clear a space in front of it so the carrier can pull up without leaving the truck, and knock the snow ridge from the plow off the front. Easier: Clear enough to reach the door of the box.

4. Leave the porch light on. Deliveries now run well after dark, especially from November to January. Turn the light on at dusk or put it on a cheap timer. Easier: Leave it on on the days you know a package is coming.

5. Make your house number easy to read. Big numbers, high contrast, lit at night, and visible from the street, not hidden behind a bush. If you have a long drive, put the number at the end of it too. Costs money if you need new numbers, usually under $15. Easier: Trim whatever is covering the numbers you have.

6. Keep the dog inside at delivery time. Even a friendly dog rushing out is a problem for someone carrying boxes, and carriers are bitten every year. If you know roughly when the mail comes, put the dog in another room or out back, and don’t open the door to sign for something while the dog is loose. Easier: Put a sign on the gate that says “Dog in yard, please leave packages at the gate.”

7. Give packages a dry spot. A bench, a covered corner, or a lidded bin by the door labeled “Packages.” It saves the driver from hunting for somewhere out of the rain. Costs money if you buy a bin, from about $20. Easier: Put a doormat or a flattened box in the driest corner of the porch.

The porch snack basket

A basket of drinks and snacks with a sign is the most popular thank-you for delivery drivers, and for good reason: nobody has to answer the door, and a driver can take something in five seconds. The trick is in what you put in it and what you leave out.

8. Set out a basket of individually wrapped snacks. Granola bars, crackers, pretzel packs, fruit snacks, trail mix in sealed bags, single-serve chips. Everything sealed from the factory, so nobody has to wonder where it has been. Costs money, about $15 to $25 to stock. Easier: A small bowl with ten granola bars.

9. Put bottled water in it, and keep it cold in summer. Water is the item drivers most often take. In hot weather, use a small cooler with ice packs and swap them out each morning. Add sports drinks if you like. Costs money, a case of water is a few dollars. Easier: Three bottles of water on the step with a sticky note.

10. Label it clearly. A sign that says “For delivery drivers and mail carriers. Take what you like, take some for later. Thank you!” Without it, a driver may assume it belongs to you and not touch it. Easier: Write “For drivers, help yourself” on an index card and tape it to the basket.

11. Put it where they will see it, not where they will trip on it. Next to the door, at waist height if you can (a small table or a chair), away from where packages land. Easier: Move it out of the walkway.

12. Check it and restock it. Look once a day. Toss anything opened, wet, or melted, and refill what is gone. A basket that sits half empty and soggy for a week does more harm than good. Easier: Check it every Monday.

What to put in, and what to skip. Put in: sealed snacks, bottled water, sports drinks, hand warmers in winter, a pack of wipes or hand sanitizer. Skip: anything homemade and unwrapped (lovely in spirit, but most drivers won’t eat it), chocolate in summer, anything that needs a fridge, open bowls of loose candy, and alcohol of any kind. If you want to include something homemade, seal each one in its own bag and put a list of ingredients on the sign.

Notes and in-app thanks

A thank-you takes ten seconds to write and is often the thing a driver actually remembers. These acts are free and work on every day of the year, not just in December.

13. Thank your Amazon driver in the app. Open the Amazon app or website, type “thank my driver” in the search bar, and follow the prompts. Amazon says the thanks goes to the driver who made your most recent delivery. In some holiday seasons Amazon has paid drivers $5 per thank-you at no cost to the customer (it did in December 2025), so it is worth doing then especially, but the thanks itself works year round. Easier: Do it the next time a package arrives in the rain.

14. Or say “Alexa, thank my driver.” If you have an Alexa device, that phrase does the same thing as the app. Amazon’s features change, so if it doesn’t work when you try it, use the app search instead. Easier: Set a reminder to say it after your next delivery.

15. Leave good feedback when the app asks. Many delivery apps, from grocery services to food delivery, ask you to rate the delivery afterward. A top rating and a short specific comment (“left it out of the rain, thank you”) can matter to the driver’s record. Easier: Just tap the top rating.

16. Tape a thank-you note to the door or the mailbox. Two or three specific sentences: “Thank you for always putting our packages behind the planter. We notice.” Put it in a plastic sleeve if it might rain. The post on kindness notes and what to write has more lines if you get stuck. Easier: A sticky note that says “Thank you, drivers!”

17. Say thank you at the door, then let them go. If you happen to be there, a quick “thank you, have a good afternoon” is plenty. Don’t stop them for a chat, and don’t make them wait while you look for something to give them. Easier: Wave through the window.

Thanking your mail carrier specifically

Your USPS carrier is usually the same person, on the same route, six days a week for years. That makes it possible to know their name and thank them in a way you can’t with a different driver every day. It also means there are federal rules on what they can accept.

18. Learn your carrier’s name. Ask next time you see them, or ask a neighbor. Use it on your notes and when you say hello. Easier: Write “Thank you to our mail carrier” until you know it.

19. Write a thank-you card and leave it in the box. Put it in the mailbox with the flag up and their name on the envelope. Mention something specific: the time they held your mail, the way they handle the box with the broken hinge. Costs money for a card, or free if you make one. Easier: A note on plain paper.

20. Give a small gift that follows the USPS rules. Under federal ethics rules for postal employees, carriers may accept a gift worth $20 or less per occasion (such as a birthday or Christmas), and news coverage of the rules commonly cites a cap of $50 from any one customer in a year. Cash and cash equivalents are not allowed in any amount: no cash, no checks, and no gift cards that work like cash, such as prepaid Visa or Mastercard cards. A gift card for a specific coffee shop or store that can’t be exchanged for cash is fine within the $20 limit, and so are snacks, a travel mug, gloves, or a handwritten card. Costs money, up to $20. Easier: A card and a bottle of water.

21. Write to their supervisor. A short letter or email to your local post office naming your carrier and what they do well is one of the most useful thank-yous you can give, because it can end up in their file. Ask at the counter who to address it to. Easier: Tell the clerk at the counter next time you are in, and ask them to pass it on.

22. Mark Thank a Mail Carrier Day. It is an unofficial observance, but February 4 is widely marked as Thank a Mail Carrier Day, and it falls in the stretch of winter when nobody else is thanking them. Leave a note, put out a hot drink, or have the kids draw a picture. Easier: Put February 4 in your calendar now.

The December rush

December is the heaviest month of the year for package delivery, and the drivers are working long days in the cold and dark. If you are going to do one thing on this list, do it in December. For more ideas for the whole month, see the list of random acts of Christmas kindness.

23. Put out hot drinks on cold days. A thermos of coffee or cocoa, a stack of paper cups with lids, and a sign. Refill it once in the afternoon. Costs money, about $5 from your own kitchen. Easier: Hand warmers in a bowl by the door.

24. Consolidate your orders. Fewer, bigger orders mean fewer stops. Pick a delivery day if the retailer offers one, and choose the slower shipping when you don’t need it tomorrow. Easier: Hold off on one small order until you have something else to add to it.

25. Bring packages in quickly. A package that sits on the porch all day is a target for theft, and a stolen package can mean more work for the driver when it is reported. Easier: Ask a neighbor who is home to grab yours, and do the same for them.

26. Use a pickup point for big or awkward items. A locker or a counter pickup saves a driver a heavy carry and a failed delivery if you are out. Easier: Use one for your next order that needs a signature.

Summer heat

Delivery trucks and older mail trucks can be brutal in summer, and many carriers walk their routes in full sun. Heat is when a cold drink on the porch matters most.

27. Keep a cooler of cold water on the porch. Ice packs, bottled water, maybe a few electrolyte drinks, and a sign. Restock it every morning in a heat wave. Costs money, a few dollars a week. Easier: Freeze a few water bottles overnight and put them out in the morning.

28. Leave out freezer pops or cooling towels. Freezer pops go in the cooler, still in the box. A pack of cooling towels or a bottle of sunscreen with a sign also gets used. Costs money, about $5 to $15. Easier: A bowl of sealed salty snacks next to the water.

29. Offer shade. If your porch has an awning or a bench in the shade, make sure it is clear so a driver can stand under it for a few seconds. Easier: Leave a note saying “Feel free to sit in the shade a minute.”

Kids’ versions

Kids love the mail carrier. These acts turn that into something they can do with a grown-up nearby. More ideas for small helpers are on the for kids page.

30. Draw a picture for the mail carrier. Tape it to the mailbox or put it inside with the flag up, signed with a first name. Easier: Write “THANK YOU” in big letters.

31. Make the snack basket sign. Let the child decorate the sign for the porch basket, and pick one snack to go in it. Easier: Color in a sign you have written.

32. Wave at the truck. Kids at the window waving every day is something carriers mention for years. Easier: Wave once this week.

33. Help with a sidewalk chalk thank-you. “Thank you, mail carrier!” in chalk on the front walk where they will see it. Keep it away from the steps so nobody slips on it in the rain. Easier: A chalk heart by the mailbox.

At work and in apartment buildings

Offices and apartment buildings get a lot of deliveries from the same few drivers, and those drivers often deal with locked doors, buzzers, and mail rooms that don’t work well.

34. Fix the access problems. If drivers keep getting stuck at the front door, ask the building manager for a clear code or a working buzzer list, and a sign that says where packages go. Easier: Email the manager one line about the problem.

35. Put a shared snack basket in the mail room. Ask the building or the office manager first, then set up a basket near where drivers drop off, with a sign. Split the cost across a few neighbors or coworkers. Costs money, about $5 each if four of you chip in. Easier: Leave a box of granola bars with a note.

36. Send one group card. In an office, pass a card around for the regular UPS, FedEx, or USPS driver and give it to them at their next stop. In a building, put the card in the lobby for a week for everyone to sign. Easier: A note on the mail room door signed “From 3B.”

What to skip

Most of these mistakes come from good intentions. A few can get a driver in trouble.

• Cash for your USPS carrier. It is against the rules in any amount, and so are checks and gift cards that work like cash. Other companies have their own policies, and UPS, FedEx, and Amazon drivers (many of whom work for contractors) may face different rules, so a card, a snack, or a cold drink is the safe choice.
• Making them wait. Don’t stop a driver mid-route to find a gift, take a photo, or have a long chat.
• Homemade food with no wrapping or label. Many drivers won’t eat it, and people have allergies. Seal it and list the ingredients, or buy sealed.
• A basket that turns into litter. Wet boxes, melted chocolate, and ants are not a thank-you. Check it daily or take it in.
• Filming them for social media without asking. A doorbell camera clip of a driver dancing at the snack basket can go viral, and the driver never agreed to it. If you want to share it, ask first.
• Only thanking them in December. Holiday thanks are lovely, but the snow in February and the heat in July are when a note means the most.

Frequently asked questions

How do I thank my Amazon delivery driver?

Type “thank my driver” in the search bar of the Amazon app or website, or say “Alexa, thank my driver” to an Alexa device. Amazon says the thanks goes to the driver of your most recent delivery, and in some holiday seasons Amazon has added a $5 payment to the driver at its own cost. You can also leave a basket of sealed snacks and cold water on the porch with a sign, and keep the path clear and lit.

What can I give my mail carrier?

Under the federal ethics rules for postal employees, your USPS carrier can accept a gift worth $20 or less per occasion, but no cash or cash equivalents in any amount. That rules out cash, checks, and prepaid cards that work like cash. A store or coffee-shop gift card that can’t be exchanged for cash is fine within the limit, as are snacks, drinks, gloves, a travel mug, or a handwritten card.

Is it OK to leave snacks out for delivery drivers?

Yes, and many drivers appreciate it, as long as everything is individually wrapped and the basket is clearly labeled as being for them. Add bottled water, keep it cold in summer, skip chocolate in the heat and unwrapped homemade food, and check the basket daily so nothing goes stale or wet.

Can you tip a UPS or FedEx driver?

Policies differ by company and change over time, so a small, non-cash thank-you is the safe choice: a note, a cold drink, a snack, or a kind word to the company about your driver. If you want to give more, a modest gift is usually welcome, but avoid cash unless you know your driver’s company allows it.

Where to go from here

Pick one act from this list and do it this week: clear the steps, turn the porch light on, or tape a two-line note to the mailbox. If you want a small daily nudge to notice the people who keep your days running, the free daily kindness challenge gives you one act a day, the same for everyone, with a streak. The kindness for strangers page has more ways to thank the people you see but rarely talk to, and the gratitude page is full of thank-yous that take under a minute. If the snack basket is a stretch this month, everything in acts of kindness that cost nothing works here too, and the post on acts of kindness for neighbors covers the people who share the same driver as you.

Get one small act a day

Reading a guide is easy; changing your habits is hard. The free daily kindness challengesends one small act at a time so kindness becomes a practice, not a bookmark.

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