An Introduction To Tipping Guidelines for Movers

Everyone loves great service, and tipping in restaurants is straightforward and a part of dining out. But what about other services like professional moving services? The total cost of a move can be quite high, so it can be an awkward experience to discuss during move day. And since most people move once every few years, so it’s hard to remember tipping protocol. However, there’s no need to fret! Let's discuss the essentials for tipping movers, what to consider, how much to tip movers, and what's the best way to deliver your appreciation for a job well done.

Are You Required to Tip Movers?

You are never required, nor should you feel pressured to tip movers, but it’s always appreciated. If you felt like they were attentive, helpful, and careful, leaving a tip is a nice way to thank the movers for a job well done. Suppose you’re working with professional movers; you are already paying for their moving experience to navigate any issues. In that case, anything extra is up to you. Another thing to note, most movers only expect a tip if they believe that they've provided a satisfactory service.

What Is The Percentage of People Who Tip Their Movers?

Using information gathered over the last several years from our movers, we can say that more than 70% of our customers leave tips for their moving crew, and other sources state that 75% to 90% of customers do tip their movers.

How much should I tip movers?

How much to tip movers is a personal preference. Still, from what we've seen over the last several years, it is common to tip movers between 10% and 20% of the total bill, depending upon personal preferences and contributing factors listed below.

Factors to Consider When Tipping

With every move or pack there are several factors to consider when considering a tip, and while some aspects are controllable to ensuring an excellent service, some are not. Quality of service is our top priority, and our moving crews pride ourselves on controlling the easy stuff, like being on time and taking care of your belongings. Taking both the things in our control and out of our control into account when deciding if to tip and how much to tip movers is a personal choice, but here's a few things that always rise to the top of reviews, so they're worth mentioning.

Heavy Items

Some moving companies ask up front if you have any heavy furniture and use standard practices to charge extra for the necessary tools and manpower to perform the heavy lifting. At 3 Men Movers, we do not charge extra for heavy lifting, so if your movers had to move quite a few heavy items, it's a good idea to consider that in determining how much to tip movers.

Punctuality

Did your movers show up not only on time but ready to work? Being on time and showing efficiency in getting started with the job typically sets the tone for the move service provided. If your movers were punctual and efficient, it typically means that they know and care about delivering excellent service. They know time is a factor in your budget and keeping themselves on pace. Conversely, if they were late and unorganized, you might consider reducing what the movers deserve.

Care With Your Stuff

Most professional movers strive to get your belongings from point A to point B without damage, but pay attention to how they prepare and handle your items. Some companies charge extra for blankets, padding, and wrapping materials, but those who don't and still show the same level of time taken and protective products used demonstrate that your fragile items are as important to them as they are to you. Being well-protected means fewer replacements, which saves you money and hassle in the long run.

Going Above and Beyond

Another factor to consider is the intangibles of the workers themselves. Are they friendly? Did they work hard or hardly work? Are they thinking of and preventing problems before they happen? Did they move things around until you were pleased with how their new home was staged? If you felt like your moving company took extra care with normal or even difficult situations (like moving your parents into assisted living), think about factoring in that level of care and leave a larger tip.

Situations and/or Conditions

Do you live in a high-rise with tight stairwells? Was it raining heavily on move day and your crew hard to take extra care to get stuff into the truck? There are a lot of things that movers can't control, right down to how prepared you are for the move. Factoring in conditions and how well your moving company navigated those issues is something to consider when determining how much should you tip.

Calculating the Tip Amount

Calculating how much to tip your movers is always interesting because many of us aren't great at math, and we all want some kind of benchmark to use. The Director of Operations for 3 Men Movers, Cassie Downing, states, “our movers average tip amounts are around 10%-15% of the final bill.” So let's say your total moving cost is $1500, meaning that the entire tip for all three workers would be somewhere between $150-$225, or $50 to $75 per mover individually.

Do You Add Your Tip to the Bill or Leave Cash?

You always have the option to tip your movers for exceptional service in the form that is most convenient and comfortable for you. Moving companies vary in handling tips, so we'd list the two main ways to tip below.

Cash Tip

If you choose to tip in cash, you may want to plan ahead and hit the ATM before the move starts, so you can have more control over how the tip is distributed. Ask any mover; cash tips are usually preferred!

Other Payment Methods for Tipping

If you don't have cash, most movers can add the tip to the total moving cost, much like restaurants do to make it easy for their customers, allowing you to pay via debit/credit card or Apple/Google wallet.

Who Do You Give the Tip To?

Each moving company handles this differently. At 3 Men Movers our standard moving crew is three men. If you are going to tip your movers, you may be wondering who to give it to. You can give a tip to the crew leader for the entire crew, or you can give a tip directly to each mover individually. One of our crew leaders, Junior, states that the proper way is for the customer to go with the method that makes them most comfortable.

What if You Can’t Leave a Tip?

Suppose you loved the service you received moving day, but are on a tight budget and can’t leave a monetary tip. In that case, there are other ways to help out your moving company and their movers. Like most service businesses, movers live and die by their reviews and use them to both gain referrals and tell as telling a larger audience that they're good at what they do. So, if you're not able to tip, please consider these other methods of showing appreciation.

Positive Reviews on Review Platforms

Are you an active Yelp user? Leave your moving company some positive feedback. Like to leave reviews on Google or Facebook? Leave your movers a 5 star review and shout out by name how your mover gave good service.

Neighborhood Forums

Neighborhood forums like Nextdoor are great places to recommend your movers. Let's face it, you trust the opinion of a service provider from your neighbor more than you do a stranger, so if the quality of service was excellent, use a neighborhood forum to leave a positive review and recommend your movers to people in your area.

Hand Written Notes

This personal touch to express gratitude for our work is one of our CEO's favorite alternatives to tipping. It warms her heart to know that someone took extra time to shout out the hardworking movers.

Providing Snacks and Drinks

Another way to show you value how hard your movers are working is to offer water or Gatorade to the workers, or provide food (snacks, not a meal). It's a simple gesture, and while most moving companies keep a cooler in the cab of the truck, it shows appreciation for the heavy lifting.

In Conclusion

We hope you’ve found our tips on how to tip your movers useful! Trust your own instincts since there's no hard and fast rule and it adds to the mover's final bill. If you feel compelled to leave a generous tip, then go for it. But if you can’t or don’t want to leave a tip, know that the decision to tip and how much to tip the movers is completely in your hands!