Do you tip the movers?

[Mickey1Fan]

My parents are moving for the first time in over 30 years and someone told them they should tip the guys doing the move, this would be in addition to the thousands of dollars they are paying to be moved?

Any input?

 

[deegack]

We did. A few hundred spread among the guys.

 

[beansmom]

we didn't tip that extravagantly but gave them each $20 so they could lunch anna cold one.

 

[Kellydelly]

I would think that around $20 each would be plenty. I agree that a meal and a cold drink is nice too .

 

[BonnieA]

We gave the movers $20 each and provided lunch

 

[cornflake]

Yes, you tip them.

Remember, the company is getting the $, not the movers themselves. They likely make not much and do the hard work.

It's like saying 'I paid $150 for food, why should I tip the waiter' or 'I paid $100 for the groceries, why would I top the delivery kid?' The people doing the labour aren't making the $$$.

 

[Swimalie]

I have in the 2 moves we have done.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We tipped them.

 

[christygobar]

We've tipped them as well. We have always had movers come that are part of a larger service, so they aren't making the $ off the move. I think we gave them each $50 or so.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

Thanks to everyone I will let my parents know they should tip the movers.

 

[DisneyBelle99]

Oh yes, tip them. I don't think they don't get that much for all that manual labor.

For a recent apartment move, my son tipped ?30-40 each. (3 flights of stairs) Plus, an offer of water bottles or ice tea is always appreciated.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

Yes, you tip them.

Remember, the company is getting the $, not the movers themselves. They likely make not much and do the hard work.

It's like saying 'I paid $150 for food, why should I tip the waiter' or 'I paid $100 for the groceries, why would I top the delivery kid?' The people doing the labour aren't making the $$$.

Isn't that the case for most everything? Who do you not tip?

 

[LovesTimone]

When we move, which has been 3 major moves in 5 years,

We provide a cooler full of drinks (water, gatorade, soda's) and provide lunch for them daily, subway or sub sandwiches from a local place, and the last day we do fried chicken and sides from publix. I had donuts for them also for breakfast.
* We want the crew to stay and get the job done, sometimes they will go to lunch and not come back (this happened to my friends it add a whole extra day to the loading).. which leaves the other short handed, and you with alot more stress...

Tips: We gave the packer and wrappers, each 25 dollars at the end of the day. The truck driver and loaders work independently from them so we tipped them 150.00 for the crew of 3 this same team unloaded us on the other end that was another 150.00, the extra help they used for loading and unloading we tipped 25.00.

Our thought is they are packing, loading, driving and unloading our stuff. We want them to take good care of it, so if we take good care of them , they will take good care of us. We want them to know we appreicate the hard work that they are doing. So far that has worked well for us.

 

[Nomad70]

I think I qualify as an "expert mover" with 15 moves in the past 20 years. Never, ever, would I give a $ tip to movers. Ever. Now, we do provide drinks for packers, sometimes lunch depending on how long they are there. It usually takes 2 to 3 days to pack, 1 to load. We also provide lunch for the guys who load the truck. I know for a fact the top moving companies in the country (we have lived from California, Texas to Kentucky, to Alabama) are not allowed to except $ tips. As for packers, they are told never to expect food or drinks and to bring their own. If you think tipping is going to ensure a better pack, your are wrong. Vigilance on packing procedures works better.

 

[jgreco]

We give $20 each + lunch and cold drinks. Manual labor is hard, its hot in Florida and I believe in good karma

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I think I qualify as an "expert mover" with 15 moves in the past 20 years. Never, ever, would I give a $ tip to movers.

I think not tipping movers only qualifies someone as a tightwad

I have been in a military family for over 30 years, so have moved plenty of times and I cannot imagine not tipping. Providing food and drink is fine, but it won't pay the bills. Packing and loading is hard, sweaty and exhausting work. Tip generously for a good job.

 

[valee]

And may I recommend going through your house with a video camera on the morning that the movers are showing up, and getting closeup shots of the good stuff that you want to get there safely? I start the tape with a shot of the morning paper, so it's clear when I'm taping it. I get shots of the floors, walls, doors, and doorways, to show what condition they were in before the move started.
Responsible movers shouldn't have any problem with you documenting the condition of your belongings, but be sure to be done before they start, so you're not in their way or otherwise delaying them.
I tend to make some casual comment to the arriving team foreman like "Perfect timing! I just finished getting my tape done showing what condition everything's in". After one such exchange,I actually had one foreman call back to the office and ask them to swap out a different packer who he thought "would be a better fit for my belongings, since they're pretty delicate". I don't have any unusually delicate items, just regular household stuff, but was pleased that nothing got broken.