Are you thinking about whether and how much money to spend on tipping movers? Well, you have come to the right place as we have designed this ultimate guide on how much you should tip your movers. Relocation is a time when you have too many expenses already, so the idea is not to go broke, but still reward your movers for their hard work. Just like waiters, and taxi drivers, movers belong to the service industry in which it is common to tip them. You should remember though, that you are in no way obliged to tip as best moving companies NJ will do their work great nevertheless.
What is the common practice when tipping movers?
Since millions of people are relocating every day, there are certain unspoken rules about how much you should tip your moving crew. For example, it is common practice to tip your moving assistance anywhere between 5 and 20% of the total amount. Of course, this can be rather expensive depending on the size of your move. You should always balance the tips and your financial situation, and contact moving companies in NJ for small moves and make the relocation easy.
Tipping local movers
Another common practice is to pay the local movers $4 or $5 per hour. And this is completely fine. For a relocation that lasts 4 hours, and has 5 movers, you would spend about $100 for tipping. There are other things besides tipping that can also determine the size of the tips. We will explain this later on.
Tipping long-distance movers
When it comes to an international or a long-distance move, things are a little bit different. For example, you will probably have two moving crews working on your relocation. One crew will pack and pick up all of your belongings in your old home, and all of this will be covered by proper moving insurance if you take it. And the other crew will gather up those belongings and unpack them in your new house. So, you should tip both crews for their hard work during your relocation. The amount per hour also differs here, as it is a bit higher. You should reward your long-distance movers around $6 to $8 per hour.
What factors can decrease the amount you want to tip your movers?
Of course, the abovementioned digits are only a suggestion. You should always take into consideration what kind of service did your movers provide before tipping them. Take the following things into consideration before you decide how much to reward your movers:
- Punctuality – If your movers were late for no discernible reason, this should definitely affect their tips. Having a great moving estimate NJ is a good thing, but if you have to spend hours waiting for your movers and postponing your plans, something is not right.
- Professionalism – This can be seen basically in every move your movers make. Do they handle your moving boxes right? Are they patient and resolve the issues quickly? Or are they rude, just trying to finish the job as soon as possible and go home? Think about these questions, and you will soon realize if your movers deserve a large gift.
- Long breaks – If your movers have spent more time on coffee/cigarette breaks than actually working, they will not even expect a reward from you.
What factors can increase the amount you want to tip your movers?
Just like your movers can act unprofessional, rude, and take long breaks, they can do the total opposite. This is actually more common, especially if you hired reputable movers for your relocation. There are some factors that you should definitely take into consideration when tipping movers:
- A lot of heavy furniture – If you have a lot of heavy furniture, and your movers disassembled your furniture for a move, packed it, and got it into the moving truck safely, great. Your movers definitely deserve a higher reward.
- No parking spot or an elevator in the building – Although the moving company will charge you for the additional fees if there is no parking spot or an elevator, you should give some slack to your movers.
- Bad weather conditions – Relocating items safely during rain, or snow, fog, and the wind is not easy. And there is a way in which you can show how grateful you are to your movers.
Who should you tip?
When you want to tip the moving crew, you should be careful about to who you give the money. The easiest way to tip is to give the money to the foreman. However, if you do this, you will never be sure if the foreman handed out the money equally. So, the best thing you can do is to hand the bills to each and every mover from the crew.
What else can you do for your movers?
As we already mentioned, tipping is not the only way you can show your movers how much you appreciate them. There are a few ways in which you can make their job slightly easier:
- Functional bathroom – Running water in the bathroom, clean towels, and soap is a must-have on a moving day. Your movers will be able to wash their hands and refresh when making a break.
- Lunch – Lunch is something you should prepare or order if your movers will be working at your place for more than 8 hours straight. They will be grateful to you.
- Snacks and cold beverages – Everybody will appreciate some snacks and beverages during the hard work.
Relocation is not an easy task, and you will have a lot of decisions to make. Hopefully, we have answered the question about how much should you tip your movers. Good luck!
