Tipping a Mover

Moving is not the easiest job in the world because it involves many small details. In fact it can be very stressful for the individual mover. When a person is moving from one home to another they put a great deal of faith into those that move their belongings and they demand the best service that they can possibly receive. Doing a poor job can lead to disastrous consequences for those who work in this industry.

Many people do not think of those in the moving occupation as service professionals but they are. For that reason it is important to observe the principles of etiquette and to offer your movers a tip. The tip can come in the form of money that you present to the workers at the end of the day or it can come in the form of buying lunch for the workers (or you can be really generous and do both).

Just as you tip others who provide you with a service, such as a hairdresser, cab driver or wait person so you can tip these service providers who make sure that your property gets safely from one destination to another. You should base the tip upon the job performance. If the moving crew were helpful, courteous, attentive and did their jobs in a professional manner then you should tip them accordingly. However if you found them to be sloppy in their habits, unfriendly or exhibiting a bad attititude then you may decide that a tip is not appropriate in this case.

While offering a tip to movers who did a stellar job is not something that you are required to do it is a kind gesture that is sure to be appreciated. This shows that you recognize the hard work they did. While you may be spending a fair amount of money to the company that is moving you the movers themselves are not earning that much.

What else do you need to think about when it comes to how to treat those you have hired to move you? It can be exhausting work and having refreshments on hand will be very much appreciated. Snacks are nice but even more important is to provide thirst quenchers. Offer bottled water, sodas, juices or sports drinks.

If you decide to buy the workers lunch then ask what their preference is for food. If everybody wants something different then you have to find a way to come to a compromise. Pizza is often the standard fare but there are plenty of other options so look for a common ground when it comes to food. Make sure you have plenty of plastic utensils, condiments and serviettes on hand once the food arrives.

It can be confusing trying to figure out how much to tip the moving crew. Often the tip is based more upon travel time than upon how much time it took to load the truck or van. In most cases a half day move which amounts to approximately four hours a day would work out to be a $10 tip per person. A full day move that takes around eight would be worthy of a $20 tip.