How Much to Tip Movers

After a long, stressful moving day, all you want to do is to take a day-off and rest. But, you don’t want to leave your movers without giving them anything for their hard work, right?

A common scenario is when everything is almost done and the movers only have a few items left to unload and unpack, you start to think about how much you’re going to tip them. Of course you wouldn’t want to look cheap or unappreciative.

So, how do you give your tip? Rather, how much should you give? Should you give it to one person and let them divide it among themselves or would you rather tip individually to each mover?

Here are some commonly asked questions:

Do I need tip movers?

They will surely get paid because you hired them as professionals. However, think about the casino dealer whom you’ve given a tip after giving you a straight flush or the valet person at the mall who drove your car to you from the valet parking.

Remember that movers are part of the service industry and just like the examples I’ve given, tipping them is a great way to show your gratitude.

Movers from moveON moving are all expertly trained, licensed people who are there to do all the arduous work of relocating all kinds of items from one place to another — intrastate or interstate. Every day they work from morning till night, lifting heavy items and unloading and unpacking them. Just imagine how backbreaking it is.

So remember, if somebody deserves to be tipped, it’s your friendly, responsible and hardworking movers.

When should I give the tip?

Timing is the key. It’s alright to give tips beforehand to each mover as an incentive to encourage them to work even harder. If they did go the extra mile, then you can also decide to give an additional tip.

BUT! Do make sure that your moving company isn’t adding any service charge into the bill since it would already act as the tip and you don’t want to over tip.

How much should I tip?

The amount which you can possibly give can be calculated using this simple formula: the total amount you are spending + the quality of the move = tip %

Usually, clients give a 5% standard tip. Now it’s up to you whether to give 5% of the bill to the foreman and let him split the amount among themselves or give the 5% to each mover individually. If you are generous enough, then you can give 10% to 20%. This basically depends on your budget and how satisfied you are with their service.

It’s also appropriate to consider the circumstances for example, if they were able to successfully move all the items inside a 5-bedroom house intrastate in 8 hours without any delays, breakage or hassles, then maybe adding a few bucks wouldn’t be too much.

Everything falls on your own judgement. There are some cases which can be an exemption to the 5% rule though. For example, interstate moves which would take days deserve at least a $200 tip. But, if they had to face tough weather conditions and did manage to move successfully without any delays then I guess they deserve a bit more.

In cases wherein movers need to handle delicate and expensive items like flat screen TVs, chandeliers, paintings, computer equipment, etc., you might want to give them something extra for it. Of course, this also applies to heavy, unevenly shaped and bulky items which falls under specialty items.

Which mover should I give the tip to?

You might think that you need to give a higher tip to the foreman, but, in fact, you don’t, unless you saw them personally doing a significantly great job. Don’t worry because crew leaders get higher wages too. If you want to reward someone more, then keep an eye out for those who work harder than the rest. This would be good if you’re planning to tip them individually.

If you want to give the whole tip to one person so they could split it up, then hand it to one person and tell everyone that it should be divided amongst the whole team so it doesn’t end up in one person’s (or the crew leader’s) pocket.

What if I don’t want to give a tip?

Again, tipping is just a way for the client to show their gratitude and appreciation to the movers who did their best to finish the job on time and according to the plan. Tipping is NOT mandatory. It should be voluntary and done with careful judgement.

Are the movers being respectful to you and careful in handling your items? Are they hard working and serious with their work? As the client, it is important that you see these things first hand so you can decide whether to give tips or not.

If, for example, the movers showed up late, trampled your garden, dent the walls or wasn’t kind or friendly to you and your family, then it’s obvious that there shouldn’t be any tip for them. Rather, you should take note of all of these experiences and write them an honest review on their website so that future clients would get a heads up.

To avoid getting paired with a no-good, unprofessional mover, ALWAYS do your research beforehand. Check their company websites for client reviews, ask people whom you know have experience hiring a mover, ask for recommendations and visit their office.

Also, it’s alright to bring up your complaints to the foreman or crew leader so he could tell his team to change their ways and do better next time. If they’re unwilling to rectify the issue, then it’s time to call the company’s customer service and file a valid complaint.

Gestures of Goodwill

Aside from money, you can actually give your movers something more to keep them motivated. You can provide them with some refreshment or snacks. It’s not mandatory, but it shows good hospitality. Remember, these guys were the ones packing, carrying and moving all your items from upstairs, downstairs and to their new location — whether intrastate or interstate.

Especially during the summer season, giving out ice cold bottles of water and some pizza will make your movers feel appreciated and cared for. BUT avoid giving beers since almost all moving companies have STRICT POLICIES regarding drinking during or after a job. You don’t want to end up with unnecessary hassles along the way.

During the winter, giving them a warm cup of chocolate or coffee with some sandwiches in the morning would be an awesome gesture.

Overall, it doesn’t matter how much or how little you give your movers. Just think of them like your own employees. Do they deserve to be tipped? How much do you think they deserve to get tipped? Were they able to do their job successfully?

Now that you’ve learned about tipping your movers, if you’re planning to move anywhere, then give us a call now and let’s talk about what to do next. We, at moveON moving, are happy to be of service to you.

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