September 22,2020 | Moving Tips

SHOULD I TIP MY MOVERS?

 

Moving day is on the horizon, and with help from our Moving Checklist, you’re feeling confident in your preparations. Your belongings have been neatly packed, labelled, and moved as close to the entrance of your home as possible, you’ve deep cleaned every room, and you’ve booked your professional moving company. Just one question remains, and it’s arguably the most uncertain and awkward part of the day: how much should you tip your movers?

Don’t worry – you’re not the first person to ask this question! While some service industries have clear guidelines when it comes to tipping, the guidelines aren’t as clear when it comes to tipping your movers. After all, you’re probably going to restaurants far more often than you’re moving house. The only hard and fast rule is that there is no pressure to do it. Your movers should never ask for a tip.

While tipping is not required or expected, for a difficult job that’s done well, you may want to show your movers extra thanks at the end of moving day. Keep reading for our recommendations on when, and how much, to tip your movers!

When to Tip

The quality of your move matters. You may want to tip your movers if the following is true:

  • They arrived on time
  • They had friendly, professional attitudes
  • They moved your belongings with care and without damages
  • Their service took the bulk of the stress out of your day and really impressed you

These reasons to tip may become especially potent if you had a tough move. Were you moving in severe weather (very hot or very cold)? Was there tricky access to your new place, such as several flights of stairs? Moving is a tough job and if your movers are providing amazing customer service and care, you may feel inclined to show your appreciation for their hard work.

If your movers were late, or they didn’t have great attitudes, you shouldn’t feel obligated to tip them.

How Much Should I Tip?

How much you tip will depend on a few factors. You may want to go with a bigger tip if your movers had an extra tough day – like we said before, this can include bad weather, a lot of stairs or long distance from truck to entrance, exceptionally heavy furniture, or a lot of tight spaces. If it was a standard move, you can go with a more standard tip (but again, if the service was truly outstanding, you may want to show your appreciation with a larger tip).

Unlike in the food service industry, you probably won’t want to do individual tips based on the percentage of the bill. Moving is expensive! There are two generally accepted methods when calculating how to tip your movers:

Depending on the level of service, calculate somewhere between 5-10% of the final bill and divide that number among your movers. Even if the crew was lead by one person, it’s generally advised to tip every member of the crew the same amount.
For good service, consider tipping $4-5 per hour of your move, per mover. If you have an 8 hour move, that’s a $40 tip, which is a common and appreciated tip among movers. If the service is truly exceptional, you can consider bumping that formula up to between $6-8 per hour. No one can decide this but you (and your partner or roommate, if you’re splitting the cost of the move with someone else).

Of course, these formulas are calculated for local moves. Long distance moves are a different story – you will not want to use the percentage based method at all for a cross country move. Consider $40/day per mover as a standard for your long distance move, and of course you can always add a bit to that if you want to! Your movers will surely appreciate any tip you want to give them.

Don’t Stress!

Finally, it’s important to remember that moving really is expensive, and not everyone has extra cash available to provide cash tips to their movers. If you want to show your appreciation in other ways, you can provide pizza, sandwiches, or drinks like coffee and water after a long day of moving. Writing great reviews and mentioning your crew by name will go a long way at their moving company, too!

Tipping can feel awkward, but try not to stress out too much over it. Professional movers will never expect or ask for a tip, and they’ll always be grateful if you do choose to give them something.

Have more questions about your upcoming move? Check out the Two Small Men FAQ or give us a call for your quote!

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