Tipping a Moving Company – What Is Right and What Is not?

If you are thinking of getting a moving company in to move you into your new property, you will inevitably ask yourself the question whether or not you should tip. And, if you do decide to tip, you need to figure out what the right amount is. Unfortunately, this is quite a complex process, because there is no given rule about tipping. Hopefully, some of the tips below will help you in solving the tipping dilemma.

Things to Know about Tipping Moving Companies

First of all, you must understand that a tip is an acknowledgement that a service has been good. So, if you haven’t been happy with the service you have received, you are under no obligation whatsoever to actually provide a tip. If you give a tip, it means that the movers did all you wanted, and perhaps even more. But you are not obliged to tip them at all.

Usually, movers will expect you to provide them with some drinks and snacks, although movers in Arlington VA will also tell you that this is not an obligation. Make sure you have some hot drinks ready if it is cold outside, or some cool drinks in the summer. Have some breakfast or lunch available that gives people the energy to do their work as well.

If you then come to the decision that you want to tip the movers, you have to think about how many people were actually there, rather than basing it on the price of your actual move. Giving between $20 and $30 per mover is always a good idea, although you do have to ask yourself how hard the move itself was. The harder it was, the more you should tip. Hence, if they had to climb many stairs, if you had really heavy boxes, or if you had some awkward furniture, you should try to tip more.

You should not give each individual mover a tip. Rather, you need to give the entire amount to the crew leader. You should have been told who the person in charge was when they came to your house. It is their responsibility that the money is divided properly between the different workers. They will also know who worked hardest, or who did the best, and make sure the money is divided accordingly. AS such, you don’t have to make those calculations yourself.

At the end of the day, how much you tip is your decision and yours alone. If you received a truly stellar service, and the movers went above and beyond the call of duty in their work, doing things that weren’t included in the quotation and that you would usually have had to pay for, then tip them. It is the kind thing to do. At the same time, however, movers understand that your entire move will already have been very expensive, so that you may simply not have the funds to give them a tip as well.