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Tipping movers and packers

Tipping movers and packers
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How much should I tip movers and packers?

Over the years, I have moved countless times, and it is never a fun process. It’s not surprising to learn that 90% of people who are going to relocate, hire professional movers and packers. Many companies specialize in moving families around the US and the world. Once you decide on getting help moving, you want you to work out a contract with the company and set your budget. The problem is when you place your budget, you forget about including the tip. Many people like to tip service workers that are working hard to assist you. The big question, is it even necessary tipping movers and packers, and if it is, how much should you tip? 

Let’s find out more details on this topic and answer these and other questions connected with tipping. 

Tipping movers and packers
Photo by Lukas from Pexels

Should you tip movers?

None of the contracts includes information about tipping movers, so it is up to you to decide if you want to tip. A movers job is a difficult one and is not considered to be a high paying job, so tipping is one of the ways to express your gratitude to people who help you. However, money is not the only way to do that – many people prepare meals for movers and packers to show their appreciation. Everyone should decide if they consider tipping an acceptable way to thank movers and packers for their job, and only they can determine how much to give. For additional information, check out this article on tipping movers.

Things to consider when tipping

If you are one of those who believe that tipping is a suitable solution to show your appreciation for service industry work, there are several more things to consider before you decide how much to tip every mover on the team. Sometimes movers can be careless with your furniture and can do irreparable damage to your heirlooms or other prized positions. In these cases, I don’t think you will be in the mood to reward the team. That is why many experts believe that you can give them a monetary reward if they performed to your satisfaction:

  1. Handling fragile and valuable things with care;
  2. Moving heavy pieces of furniture or boxes up and down the stairs;
  3. Performing an urgent move at a decent pace;
  4. Being friendly and kind to you, and your family members;
  5. Providing additional services or just helping with furniture assembly/disassembly, appliance connection/disconnection, etc.;
  6. Acting professionally without delays.

If your movers perform in this manner, it is appropriate to give them a monetary benefit at the end of their work, albeit not required. 

How much to tip movers and packers?

It is difficult to estimate an appropriate tip without knowing the type of effort required of the movers. All moving jobs vary depending on the nature of the move: short or long-distance, ease of access to remove large items, or to traverse multiple flights of stairs or the overall moving budget. Most people who reward service workers with a tip opt for two popular standards accepted all over the US.

How much to tip movers and packers
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  1. Giving 10-15% of the moving cost
    • Since there is a vast difference in the price of local and interstate moves, many people consider a certain percentage from the total amount a perfect solution.
  2. Paying for hours 
    • You can always set an hourly rate as your tipping method; you can tip them per the number of hours they have spent on your job. Usually, people are ready to pay $4-$5 for every hour of work so that a half-day move can bring about a reward of about $20 to every mover. 

When tipping is unacceptable

Sometimes there is no desire to tip movers at all. Whether they were not polite or performed their responsibilities bad enough to spoil your moving experience, you can neglect the opportunity to reward them. What reasons can prevent you from giving a monetary reward to the moving team?

  1. Arriving late for a job.
  2. Damaging or breaking anything.
  3. Being rude and unresponsive.
  4. Working slowly and having long breaks.

Any situation that caused your dissatisfaction with the moving services can be considered as a reason to refuse to tip or at least a reduction.

Best way to tip movers and packers

Best way to tip movers and packers
Photo by Lukas from Pexels

There are several things to consider on how you plan to tip the team of movers and packers. First of all, when they start working, you can give a hint about the intention to reward them if they work well and do not damage any items. Some people even decide to provide a $10 bill at the very beginning as an incentive to work efficiently. 

In my option, it is better to give money when they complete the job. Also, you should not provide the entire amount to one person asking him to distribute the funds. It is essential to reward every mover personally to express your recognition and appreciation. 

If you do not consider money an acceptable way of showing gratitude, you can try to treat movers with something tasty or give them gift cards not to limit their choice. How you reward the team is entirely up to you. 

Although tipping movers and packers is not obligatory when you hire a moving service, it is still a widely accepted practice as a movers job is not the easiest one. Every person should decide if his budget is enough to tip the relocation team and whether he considers it suitable to reward movers who earn a salary for their services. In any case, the amount is not that big, but it has a considerable impact on the workers. 

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