Tipping the movers

If you've been packing, you know what this is.

We’ve talked about tipping before. But what about tipping movers to help you relocate all of your stuff? It’s a tricky subject, but we’re here to help.

Movers provide a personal service—they are doing what many people could possibly do themselves. While movers themselves are professional, they do not offer a professional service in the way that, say, doctors and teachers do, and we do not tip doctors and teachers. So, do tip your mover!

But how much to tip? We suggest $25 per day. If they hook up your TV or similar appliances, add $5-10. For added kindness, offer bottled water, snacks, and the use of your bathroom!

What about tipping of the total bill? That gets complicated. Let’s start at a 10% tip. You could tip two movers $10 each on a $100 job. But if the two movers are working a $5,000 job, we don’t recommend tipping $500—$100 each is more reasonable.

Be sure to tip the same amount to each mover. And if you just have one bill (say, $100), present that one bill to all movers at the same time. Don’t simply give it to the one person who seems to be the most in charge and expect that it will automatically be shared.

And of course, be sure to thank the entire group when the job is done!