I've never heard of tipping movers. But if I need movers, I will ask the moving company what the expected tip should be and include that in my price comparison.
When is somebody going to start tipping retired consumers for using services?
I doubt that moving.com gets any kind of kickback from movers' tips ;) I quoted them mainly because it was easier than writing out the similar semi-standards that I learned from friends, family, and neighbors. Moving other peoples' stuff in the rain, snow, or blistering sun is a seriously crappy job, and I've had some amazing, fast, and efficient movers -- also some slow, clumsy and awful ones. The good ones get tipped well for far exceeding expectations. The bad ones get lunch and lemonade.
Don't feed ALL the bears; just the ones who pack and move you in less than three hours without so much as dinging the coffee table ;)
-- Jennifer
I have moved several times and never tipped movers, but I do offer cold drinks and snacks. One move was over $8,000. Hmmm, I wonder if anyone has ever tipped a real estate agent or stock broker? When I worked as a Census 2000 enumerator, I went to several thousand homes and the only tip I got was "Get the hell off my porch or I'll release the dogs!"
When we moved, we did a lot of research to find movers who had a reputation for taking good care with people's stuff. Then we tipped each of the movers going in, for that extra effort.
From the time I was a kid, I've been through several moves. In each of them before my last, a list of unfortunate occurrences usually included at least one major item, five disconcerting items and ten to twenty little dings or scratches. On this move, we filled a forty-footer, and the sum total of all damage was one scratch on something (I forget what, it was really insignificant) and a small plaster gouge on our ceiling at the new place that took the painter all of fifteen seconds to make disappear. There was zero wasted time; wasted time would have cost us extra money on the final bill.
I gave each guy a nice, crisp fifty and considered it money well spent. I'd say they went that extra mile, in spades.
(snip)
This whole thread confuses me. How is extra cash handed over work is done considered a tip? I've seen on TV shows how sometimes delivery crews in big city will come up with imaginary 'extra charges' for stairways and such, which is blatant extortion. I have tipped tradesmen at the end of a job, when I saw it was more complex than they (or I ) had originally thought. (Like the tow-truck crew that took me 20+ miles to chase parts, when the after-hours garage they towed me to didn't have a part- think I rounded the $45 tab up to $80, and didn't ask any questions about why they were doing cash jobs w/o paperwork in a company truck.) At most, I might pull the crew leader aside when truck shows up, and tell him there will be a cash bonus for things going quickly and smoothly, but I'd never hand over cash up front. You really think they would give it back after they crush the crate of crystal and drop the baby grand?
Guess I'm lucky- the few things I have that would be moving long distance would easily fit in a small rental truck, driven by me. Rest would be abandoned to the dumpster divers or Goodwill, depending on condition. Cheaper to replace than to haul more than a few miles.
aem sends...
Having moved cross country many times the advance tip sounds like good advice. Much depends on what type of mover you have. Usually the long haul driver pays the guys doing the loading. I have even had the guys working for local movers inform me at the start they they "work for tips".
When to give depends on what you want. If you want a good table at a Las Ve gas show you had better grease the hand of the waiter in advance.
No, NY-> SF was long distance. And the driver loved me. I used to pack the camper van as a young teen, worked fitting bands and equip into the family van later and did huge scale rock and roll shows cramming a billion boxes into the trucks.
I pack dense (tshirts wrapped the plates with packing tape around them to keep them from moving, into boxes edged with albums or books so that if the are on the bottom of the pile of boxes, it won't crush).
the driver got out said "who packed this?" Er, me. "Man, this weigh usually takes up close to half my truck. You're in a third of it. I got to take an extra load along. I see people stick a lampshade in a box, close it up. Then they get cranky when a box of dishes gets set on top of it and crushes the box."
I find if you tip a mover more around 45 degrees, he starts to leak. ;)
No, in lots of moves (some pro, some with drafted friends), I make a point to get food/beer/soda and juice there about half way through the load or unload. Food means I'm thinking of them.
In NYC, a $100 (in 20s and 10s) to the crew leader of 4 was usually fine. It might be better higher there these days.
The pretip notion makes some sense. But I've had (NYC) movers who just SCREW you ("well, we didn't know it was 3 flights up, so it's gonna cost more." yeah, well it takes longer and you're paid by the hour, so low sympathy).
There was a scam in ny. They get to your new place (it's usually after
6 when you're moving) and they BANG the price up. In cash. You can't come up with an extra $1200 on zero notice from an ATM? They "store it" and charge you $500/day. DA got lots of complaints. An ADA (assistant DA) was moving in a couple weeks. So she hires these guys. They pull the scam, she says "I insist that you bring this stuff into my apt for the price we agreed on." or something equally blunt and clear. They refuse. She forbids them from driving off with her stuff. They get in the truck. Suddenly the area is filled with police. Including some big hefty guys who move her stuff into the apt after the arrests. *SHOULD* I tip? Well, if my stuff gets screwed up, it's not worth it to me. It's not a tip, it's a bribe. And it's how the world has worked for centuries."here's 20 bucks to do it right."
It's motivating and costs a lot less than the move.
But also provide drinks for during the move and some beer for after. Contractors like me even if I'm a hardass with their bosses on other stuff.
chuck
-- friends help you move. real friends help you move bodies.
ignore me, sorry.
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