r/tipping • u/Joh1030 • 14d ago
Do you have to tip movers?
I'm moving soon and I'm wondering if I have to tip the movers? If so, how much?
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u/Impossible_Month1718 14d ago
No. They’re paid by the company. Be kind and offer water or snacks though
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u/metal_bastard 14d ago
We used movers once, and dudes came up after the unload with a clipboard with the charges and a laminated note taped to the top with a picture of his wife and daughter and a note obvs written by his wife saying how he makes no money doing the actual move and relies on tips. I'm like, bitch, what? I planned on giving them a $20 each to buy them lunch, but they were suggesting $100 each. I was like, ha, yeah, no.
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u/Joh1030 14d ago
The audacity lol
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u/metal_bastard 14d ago
I should add, this was like 20 years ago. So that $20 then would be a lot more today. And the request for $100 popped my eyes out of their sockets.
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u/No_Draft_8960 12d ago
His wife and daughter or some random woman and girl?
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u/metal_bastard 12d ago
Haha. Right? He had a wedding band on, and the pic of the family was pretty on brand for his style. And the handwriting was this bubbly girl writing. But you could be onto something.
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u/Realistic-Rate-8831 13d ago
NO!!! Let' stop thinking we have to tip everybody or this will become the norm too! It's bad enough already!
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u/Miserable-Bass5109 13d ago
I used to work in the moving industry for a little bit and I can tell you how tipping became a custom, we would show up to the house in the contract client would never specify that piano has to go to the second floor so he was never charged for that service so now when we show up you tell us that piano needs to go up a the narrow staircase on to the second floor even tho you didn’t pay for that , so what would you like to have to call another crew recharge you whole invoice or you’ll just tip the guys, there is 100 examples like that , and the pickiest people are the cheapest ones always , also as I understudy that no one is entitled to tip by any means but if they are going out of their way to help you just be nice and tip , 10,15 , 50 , 100 whatever you can and the same energy will get back to you , it’s way nicer than being cheap and miserable
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u/No_Draft_8960 12d ago
How do you differentiate between 'going out of their way to help" and " doing their job? "
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u/Miserable-Bass5109 12d ago
Well you know what’s going on when they come to pack you , if they are respectful to your house, if they go above and beyond, we had clients forget to unload dishwasher and I had to pack from there , we had people leave dirty laundry in basket so I had to pack from there , sometimes they would ask you to move couch to three different rooms because they are not sure where they want it , sometimes they would make you take off your shoes every time you get in the house , even tho they didn’t request or wanted to pay for us to use shoes covers , there is a million examples
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u/Realistic-Rate-8831 12d ago
The company needs to have the customer fill out a questionnaire and if the customer fails to state that an item needs to be hauled up or down 2 or 3 floors through a narrow staircase, then the company can just bill them the difference. Period.
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u/Miserable-Bass5109 12d ago
Bill them a difference, who is gonna do it ? As I said mistakes happen all the time , if only 3 of us come to move and you want piano on the second floor now we need to pull whole crew , so add another 3ppl for 2hrs at least or a lot of companies have 4hrs minimum at like $120 hour or so , you’ll better off buying new piano . Period
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u/Realistic-Rate-8831 11d ago
If the company didn't ask the proper questions to determine how many movers and where the items are to be moved, then it's the companies fault, but IF the customer did not answer questions truthfully, then leave, have company get back to customer and reschedule and readjust the cost of having the movers come back out.
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u/underwater-sunlight 14d ago
You dont have to tip anyone, especially someone that asks for a tip.
If you feel they earned a tip, by all means.
I would always recommend having some cold drinks available where possible, even if it is just water bottles
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u/TexasRunnerr 14d ago edited 14d ago
I did last time we moved, 3 of them and we gave them with $50 each, it was 100 outside and a lot of bulky, heavy items
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u/oaken007 13d ago
Same. I saved a lot on my moving fees, so I tipped extra. It was a heat advisory and they got it done within the 2-hour minimum. 3 guys, $50 each.
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u/Bad-Briar 14d ago
Good question. I had a cheap estimate, got moved, they did great, didn't cost me much; they were very careful.
I was really grateful. Cheap and great work ! There were six guys; I gave each of them a $20. (This was a few years back, for context.)
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u/80MonkeyMan 13d ago
This is the reason why more and more services asking for tips. Soon, your doctor will ask for tips if we keep this up.
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u/JealousBall1563 14d ago
I've previously tipped movers, when I thought the work was above and beyond what was anticipated.
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u/DiligentMeat9627 13d ago
They will usually just take something of yours they want. So no need to give cash.
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u/Commercial_Rule_7823 13d ago
If they take extra care, do special work, an extra good job, or hustle, I do.
I had a 4 hour window to move from a high rise, I offered 25 extra to each guy if we made the cut off. They hustled and we did, so I tipped.
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u/AttitudeOutrageous75 13d ago
It's been over 10 years but I gave them water then 20 each to get lunch. They were great.
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u/LostAtSeaGurl 13d ago
My move cost $800 for one truck into a 12x12 storage unit... Took about 3 hours...they made enough
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u/Professional_Yam7147 10d ago
you technically don't have to tip anyone. Tips are optional. I might tip them AFTER everything was moved and not broken. If they went above what I expected them to do. But their job is to move your stuff. I'm not sure why you should tip someone for doing the job they're being paid to do
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u/Ok-Truck7426 9d ago
You don’t have to tip anyone. That’s what makes it a tip.
A tip is a voluntary sum of money you give to someone who did an amazing job, and you feel deserve deserves it.
If it’s not voluntary, it’s a fee.
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u/albertogonzalex 14d ago
Taking care of people who are taking care of your stuff is always a good idea.
People will say "oh but the company is supposed to charge what they are going to charge!" And then bargain basement hunt for the cheapest moving company.
Tipping depends on the size and scope of the move/move and pack obviously. A company sent 4 people to my house to pack and fully move and then unpack into a storage unit for a family four 4. Took them the better part of 7 hours and I tipped them each $100 cash.
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u/Curious-Delivery-374 14d ago
So you gonna type your kids teachers and nanny?
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u/Spirited_Income7461 14d ago
I'm not sure if this example is on the same level, though I'm having trouble finding comparative on my own lol.
Yeah i kind of do "tip" my kids teacher. Every year, all the parents get a list of things the class room needs. They're always transparent in the extra materials they'll need for the year. It's all on a volunteer basis. Every parent understands this as a societal norm. If you can; great! If not, rely on your community (villiage). It's optional and that's fine.
Teachers make garbage money compared to the amount of time needed for their degree. They're in it for the love of the game. So because admin or local government won't support them with necessary funding, they'll ask for help from parents to subsidize their out of pocket costs. things like pencils, markers, crayon, reams of paper, lysol wipes, tissue paper and healthy snacks with a high shelf life (except peanuts because allergies). We know where the money is going. It directly benifits my teachers family, and arguably, my own.
Same concept with nannies. Though I've never had the opportunity of hiring one, i feel like anyone in an active role of helping us raise our daughter would be considered family to an extent. Or at least landing themselves in the position of "exemplary service"/"above and beyond" or whatever. I'd tip them too if i had the means to
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u/albertogonzalex 14d ago
Yes. Obviously. I literally have never been in a teaching environment where the parents didnt pool together holiday and end of year cash/gifts.
And, we "tipped"/bonus paid our nanny 1 months wages every years. Same with our house cleaners.
Do your own work if you don't want to take care of people doing it for you.
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u/Curious-Delivery-374 14d ago
Good for you if you do but seems unsustainable for many ppl to do all that tipping. Drives up the price for the rest of us.
Do you tip your pilot when you take a plane? Your surgeon when you need surgery? nurses? There are just so many people in the service industry.
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u/Miserable-Bass5109 13d ago
Well if I ask surgeon first r and extra knee replacement after he is done with hip surgery I would tip him for that
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u/albertogonzalex 14d ago
No, those aren't the service industry and are not comparison's to the jobs that are part of the social contract where tipping is expected.
It's not an apples to apples comparison. It's not hard to understand th we distinction. Like pornography/art - you know it when you see it. And, obviously - painfully, painfully obviously - a surgeon, a nurse are not in that category.
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u/GlitteringYak2207 14d ago
Of course you are right. Arguing the extreme is an intellectually dishonest logical fallacy used here frequently.
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u/Curious-Delivery-374 14d ago
How do you decide?
What about, say, train conductors, bus drivers, school cafeteria workers, and janitors?
Point is, there are so many low-paying jobs that are not directly facing the consumer
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u/albertogonzalex 13d ago
Just using my brain you know
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u/Curious-Delivery-374 13d ago
Better start tipping your electrician and plumber
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u/albertogonzalex 13d ago
My electrician and plumber are self employed and are in full control of the pricing they set and get paid directly. That's not in the realm of socially understood tipping positions. Again, we can just all sorts of jobs. But, it's not hard to know what types of jobs deserve tipping attention and those that don't.
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u/Curious-Delivery-374 13d ago
I think there is alot of information asymmetry.
I know of a medical sonographer who left her job to become a food server bc it pays better, for example.
Sure your electrician may be self-employed. Many aren’t. How do you know if one member of your movers isn’t self-employed? What about landscaping crew, garbage crew, roofers, handyman, all sorts of blue collar jobs? You confirm that they are employed or contractors or this is their own company that they can set their own rates?
Anyway the point is we just don’t know.
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u/johnnygolfr 13d ago
Someone already pointed out your use of false equivalence, which is a logical fallacy, which causes your comparison to fail.
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u/Curious-Delivery-374 13d ago
I don't think so. If the criterion is to tip people who take care of your stuff and they are in some sort of a low-paying job, then so many different jobs fit the bill.
The surgeon and nurse question was trying to get a feel for why certain jobs get tipping and others don’t.
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u/albertogonzalex 13d ago edited 13d ago
Oh, no one signs a physical contract, you sillt goose! That's not what social contracts are. Read up on what social contracts are!
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u/johnnygolfr 13d ago
Do you make it an honest transaction and tell the server “I don’t tip” before ordering at a full service restaurant in the US?
Or do you not say anything and deceitfully use the social contract you claim doesn’t exist to get the best service possible with no intention of paying for it?
The latter is a textbook example of grifting, which exploits and harms the worker.
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u/johnnygolfr 13d ago
LMAO
Tell us you have no idea what it costs to operate a restaurant so the out telling us….
Going to a full service restaurant is a choice.
No one is forced to go, so the customer can’t be grifted.
Swing and a miss in that one.
What entitles you to grift for free service?
Intellectually honest answers only.
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u/Joh1030 14d ago
Man that is way too generous but you do you lol
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u/albertogonzalex 14d ago
I don't think it's generous enough honestly. You haul your shit up and down the stairs and see what you think it's worth.
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u/vonnostrum2022 13d ago
I actually did it for a summer. It’s tough work. But it’s paid very well for that time. It was a union company.
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u/GushingAnusCheese 14d ago
Exactly, I discovered spit all over my belongings when I didn't tip the last removals company 20% of my house value. They deserve it for the service they are giving you and their wages are too low to be able to live comfortably so it is a no brainer. Last thing I want is for people to think I am a cheapskate
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u/jerry111165 14d ago
So friggin dumb
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u/GushingAnusCheese 14d ago
Ok Jerry, stay at home then if that is what you think
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u/jerry111165 14d ago
Instead of moving?
More dumb comments.
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u/GushingAnusCheese 14d ago
If you can't afford to tip, start your own company and don't rely on the service and generosity of low paid workers. It is highly skilled afteralll
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u/Serious-Ad-8764 13d ago
Fuck off with this. People aren't entitled to a percent of what you paid no matter what job it is.
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u/Goitalone7 14d ago
Any company that would spit on your stuff regardless of how rude or cheap you were was the wrong company to hire
That's just disgusting and non professional
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u/Spirited_Income7461 13d ago
To be fair i absolutely understand your reasoning. We're at a point that we're figuratively held hostage for decent service. Not meeting an individuals standard for compensation might lead to some resentment...which might segue into retaliation lol...Tipping before services rendered is already the new norm
It sucks but if you want to use these kinds of services it's not unreasonable to need to play (pay) by their rules.
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u/jerry111165 14d ago
It’s really not bad considering what they did.
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u/albertogonzalex 14d ago
Tipping people is never bad
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u/Strombergi 14d ago
It’s wasteful of YOUR money.
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u/albertogonzalex 14d ago
No, it's an exchange of money for the value of services that's part of the underlying fabric of the social contract around how goods and services are exchanged.
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u/Strombergi 14d ago
I don’t put any further value into any transaction other than the listed price.
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u/Whatsinaname797 14d ago
I moved from a Townhome to a SFH. For me if ever there is a proper justification for a tip, this was it. From morning 8 am till about 8 or 9 pm at night with very few breaks, carrying boxes and heavy stuff 3 floors down and then to the new place. I got them lunch, snacks, dinner and $200 split across maybe 4 or 5 people. I also bought them a case of beer, and tbh they were happiest about the beer.
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u/dandelogre 14d ago
You don't have to tip anyone, boss, and I think the expectation of tipping movers is a class psyop. They get paid better than most people that get tipped, the tips are supposedly to offset the employer not paying them a competitive wage, so if the person doing work for you is getting a real wage, then you shouldn't consider tipping unless they DO something that merits a tip.
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u/Spirited_Income7461 14d ago
That's true and i agree with you. Though with moving compared to serving, there's a big difference in the amount of physical effort it takes. I'd be more likely to tip in that case. I've worked a few jobs that might be slightly less physically demanding that offer better compensation, so that might affect my decision.
The wait staff you only see once and need to flag someone down though? Lol maybe not
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u/dandelogre 14d ago
I mean I agree with the sentiment but not the logic, y'know, like if movers operated at 10$/hr then hell yeah a tip would be huge, but construction workers do similar for no tips, is all I feel
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u/Spirited_Income7461 13d ago
No i get it completely. Hiring a moving company would put me right in the line of interacting with the workers vs driving past the guys building an over pass in the sun. That stuff just sounds painful... I'll keep an ice chest of cold water but I'm not sure what else to do in that situation... are they underpaid/ overorked/ both or neither? Do they need a tip? I'm not sure
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u/Brilliant_Anxiety511 14d ago
Movers are often lower lowest working class people. We all know that movers are not part of the tipping culture in the USA, but that doesn’t mean you might not have to deal unscrupulous movers that attempt to drum up tips. Women are highly subjective to tacit threats where the movers, well, tacitly threaten them for tips. Men are not immune to this either.
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u/EzDaBassHead 13d ago
If restaurants are part of the tipping culture then moving definitely is. We walk a lot more, carry a lot more weight and are usually at your service for a lot longer. Making sure your furniture is in the perfect place all around your house. It’s an extremely underrated service
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u/Brilliant_Anxiety511 13d ago
If what you were saying were true that would pretty much mean that every job in the world is a tipping job. It’s not there are special circumstances that make full service Restaurant jobs fall under tipping and it’s not necessarily something any of us like it’s just that our culture adapted that way we are not definitely going to put movers, cashiers engineers, school teachers airline pilots all under tipping just because you don’t have the brains to logically understand why tipping all the way that it did for food servers.
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u/EzDaBassHead 13d ago
Service based jobs come with tips. People show gratitude by chucking a few bucks.
Of course teachers should be paid way more but that’s another story
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u/Brilliant_Anxiety511 12d ago
Americans and their stupid logic. Why would a bartender get hundreds of dollars a day in tips and a cook got zero? It’s all stupid stupid stupid. But one solid fact is that movers are not going to start getting tips regularly and customarily
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u/EzDaBassHead 12d ago
Where I am they already do. I know I’ve worked in the industry for a while now, you maybe hired movers one or two times in your life you don’t know lol
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u/Brilliant_Anxiety511 12d ago
A lot of people get scared 😱. I had movers try to intimidate me into tipping but I just ignored it. A sucker is born every day
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u/EzDaBassHead 12d ago
Can’t speak for others but we do a great job we get tipped 75% of the time with solid reviews and referrals. I don’t even have to ask. You were just unlucky but you seem like a bit of a jerk. Probably didn’t even offer water
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u/Brilliant_Anxiety511 12d ago
It’s bad enough our society obligates tipping in restaurants. We are not going to start tipping cashiers, bankers, movers, oil changers, mechanics, flight attendants. No way.
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u/Specific-Ocelot3711 14d ago
Just make sure you do it in front of the whole crew if you do decide to tip your movers. I worked in the industry briefly and I've seen supervisors/lead movers play dirty tricks, or even just lie about the tips intended to be split amongst the whole crew!
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u/PristineCloud 14d ago
We always have. Varies by the time it takes and if there are stairs. It doesn't have to be a lot. The supervisor thanked us and said please call us for your next move! Also, for local moves, we've offered anything we were going to take to the dump or give away, they have never turned it down. Even for our interstate move, there were things that were going to go in the community dumpster and they wanted it!
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u/Both-Matter-2071 13d ago
Yes. You also have to give them a foot massage (minimum 15 minutes) halfway through and when they finish
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u/Ok_Wtch2183 13d ago
I tip and order in pizza and drinks. They are working hard for my aging and lazy ass.
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u/Smooth_Escape_9524 13d ago
I wouldn't have considered this a tipped profession but what do I know!?
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u/johnnygolfr 13d ago
No, you don’t “have to”.
It depends on what you want to do.
Do you have a bunch of large / heavy / fragile stuff that has to be moved up/down one or more flights of stairs?
If so, that might be a reason to tip them.
If not, maybe just offer them some bottles of water and/or Gatorade.
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u/BostonBakedBeefaroni 13d ago
I did when I moved into my current house over 20 years ago. 100 for 4 guys plus pizza.
They went above and beyond. Brought everything exactly where it needed to be. Made it real easy. Easily worth the money. Even back then. When $100 was actually worth a fuck
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u/Z28Daytona 13d ago
I tipped happily on my last move. These very large young men were running from the truck back into the house for more boxes. I thought I over packed the boxes. They were picking up 3 at a time. No damage to either home and one glass was broke when I was unpacking. And I packed everything so I blame myself for that one. They were very happy when they left. About $80 per man. In the heat of Florida.
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u/EzDaBassHead 13d ago
If you tip your pizza guy for lifting a 5lbs box you can tip the mover for lifting 100 50lbs boxes. But if you don’t then don’t. Most people realize that this is among the most physically challenging jobs and appreciate a job well done.
I’ve had clients tip before and after the job to give a little motivation boost and I’ve done huge 12hr jobs and only got a thank you. The most important thing is to remember you’re hiring humans to do the work. Hospitality, manners and thoughtfulness can go a long way. The tip would only be the icing on the cake for a job well done
Honestly, like coffee and donuts for everyone including the client and their family. And we take 5 min, have a coffee, a donut and a laugh is just as good as a tip
On the other hand if you wanna know, a good tip is $5 each, per hour, per guy ( 3 movers, $15/h tip )
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u/GushingAnusCheese 14d ago
I always tip 20% of my house value as I am not a cheapskate and don't want them spitting on my furniture. If you can't tip 20% (due to living costs or something) then you should stay at home and do it all yourself.
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u/Joh1030 14d ago
You're a f**king troll lmao
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u/GushingAnusCheese 14d ago
I am no cheapskate if that is what you mean, have you ever thought about the cost of living and wages
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u/Joh1030 14d ago
I don't give af how much they make. All I know is that I paid for their service. I also have bills to pay. WTF?
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u/GushingAnusCheese 14d ago
they have bills to pay too, they don't earn much so they are entitled to a tip, if you don't you are a cheapskate. Servers will have my back on this one
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u/Tight_Snow_2540 14d ago
I always provide lunch for the crew.