Tipping movers. Did you know it’s a thing? We agree that tipping can be uncomfortable and maybe even awkward if you don’t know the etiquette. Tipping is a pretty weird part of our collective accepted cultural norms that there aren’t really any distinct rules for.
Is it a set amount? Is it a percentage of the moving fees? Do you send it through Venmo with a little truck emoji? Do you haphazardly stuff a wad of bills into the movers’ hands while they try to carry your bedroom set? Or, perhaps, do you sneakily hide some cash inside your antique armoire and send them clues written on the back of the Declaration of Independence to locate it?
It’s probably none of those things. Unless you’re Nicolas Cage. And if you are Nicolas Cage, we shouldn’t have to tell you tip.
If you aren’t the Wicker Man himself, allow us to give you some pointers on how it works:
Why do I need to tip? Don’t you pay your movers?
Yes, we do. But moving is hard work – that’s why you’re hiring us to help! Giving a tip is more of a token of appreciation that shows the crew you recognize they just spent a whole day doing manual labor on your behalf. Think of it as a little thank you on top of their wages.
How much should I tip?
Really, this is up to you. We know this isn’t the answer you came here for, but we can’t tell you how much to tip.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when you consider coming up with a tip amount:
Were the movers friendly and personable?
Did they get there on time?
Was anything damaged?
Did they work efficiently?
Did they communicate any changes in the plan?
Tipping movers isn’t exactly like tipping at a restaurant or salon. It’s typically not based on a percentage of the dollar amount you paid, but rather on the actual hours the movers spent doing the job.
Some websites suggest to tip based on a percentage of the total move cost. Others say to base the tip on how long your move takes.
We’ll make it easy for you: If you decide to tip our crew, $10/mover should suffice. If your move was complicated, or you were extremely happy with the job we did (which, duh, you will be), you might want to up it to $20/mover.
If anything didn’t work well for you or you answered “no” to the above questions, go ahead and reduce the amount based on your satisfaction.
Okay, what about if I move to another city or state?
First of all, it’s rude of you to leave Western Massachusetts. But fine, if you must go, the above still applies. You’ll just want to make sure you tip both the crew who loads your belongings and the crew who unloads it, if they’re different.
I get it now! When and how should I tip?
At the end of the move, right before you eat the pizza and beers you have all to yourself since you didn’t have to make your friends help you, make sure you give out the tips to each mover individually. If you just hand them all to one of our movers, they might be confused about how you intended to divvy it up.
What if I really can’t afford to tip?
That’s okay! We know times are tough right now and for many Americans, every dollar counts. You can show your appreciation in other ways, like leaving us a great review on Google or telling your friends and family about us. You could also offer our movers snacks and water or Gatorade throughout the day if you have the resources to do so! Even just letting our movers know how much you appreciate what they’ve done will go a long way.
We hope you feel a little bit less stressed about how to tip movers. And if you know Nicolas Cage, let him know we’re big fans.
