Tipping Movers

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Many people have questions when it comes to tipping professional movers. Deciding whether it’s necessary and how much is appropriate will ultimately depend on your individual situation. However, it is generally agreed upon that movers should be tipped, so you should be prepared to do so on moving day. Here are a few guidelines to help you negotiate the gratuity gauntlet.

Reward hard work

When people think of tipping service industry employees, they usually think of their waitress, barber, or babysitter, but forget to include their mover. However, professional movers are absolutely considered part of the service industry and, as such, should be given a tip for a job well done. Moving is labor-intensive, exhausting work, so tipping is a great …show more content…

Unlike a tab in a restaurant, it often doesn’t make sense to tip movers based on a percentage of your total bill. This is because the distance your stuff will be moved often accounts for a bigger portion of the bill than the amount of stuff you have. In other words, the total price charged by the moving company may not be an accurate reflection of the amount of work done by the crew. Instead, shoot for a flat rate based on the amount of time the crew spends at your house and the complexity of the move. If the crew spends half a day at your house and there isn’t anything particularly labor intensive about the process, $10 per mover may be a sufficient tip. A move that takes a full day (8 hours or longer) would warrant a tip of $20 to $30 per mover. Complicating factors, such as lots of steps, a high volume of stuff, or many oversized items, may indicate the need to tip as much as $40 per mover. If the moving crew has a foreman or leader who is leading the charge, you should consider tipping that person a bit extra. When the crew is finished, don’t just hand a lump sum to the foreman. Although it’s easy to assume the leader will be honest, it’s always possible that the cash won’t trickle down to the rest of the crew. Instead, tip each member of the crew individually and let them know you appreciate their

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