Does anyone have any guidence on tipping professional movers? I am already paying them $90/hr and someone told me I needed to tip them too! What is the ettiquette? Thanks!
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10-20% depending. This is cash for the people actually doing the work, not the people owning the company.
I occasionally work for a moving company. I enjoy it and the extra pocket money doesn’t hurt either. I have a few observations that might help you decide if and how much to tip.
First off, most people tip, and the movers greatly appreciate it.
You don’t state how many movers you have coming for $90/hr, but it’s unlikely the actual movers will see anything near that in their paychecks. A few extra bucks from you will really say thanks, and that’s what it’s really about.
If you request special care of an item or have an especially difficult move, definitely tip for a job well done. Examples I’ve run accross include upper level apartments with no elevators, pianos or fragile, heavy items (like Sony Trinitrons), handmade glass lamps bought 75 years ago by your grandmother in China, basements full of old furniture accessable only via narrow, twisting stairs.
If you’re really short on funds, consider other cheap ways to show your appreciation: A cooler full of cold water, gatorade and other drinks. A few quick snacks like granola bars or bananas they can munch on. Ask them if you can buy them lunch, then have pizza delivered or pick up some burgers.
And if you feel too poor to even do that, then reconsider hiring the movers and get your friends to come do it for free instead.
From what I gather, a normal tip is somewhere around 20 to 30 dollars, but it can be more if you really feel it was exemplary. When I was looking through NJ Moving Companies, I found one that would do the trip to Seattle from jersey and give me a good rate called http://www.starcitymoving.com If you ask the movers what they want for lunch and tip them right, you can rest assured.