Your Tipping Culture Guide: How to Tip Movers in Seattle
So, how to decide how much to tip local movers? Of course, this depends on many factors, such as the type of service and the quality of the work provided to you. However, if you learn a few basic guidelines, you will have no trouble figuring out how much cash to reward workers who helped you move to another Seattle neighborhood. Keep reading to become a pro at tipping.
How to Tip Movers in Seattle – Here’s What You Need to Know
A part of figuring out how to move efficiently is learning how to treat workers who help you with your house or apartment move. People sometimes overlook this issue as they’re under a lot of pressure – moving stress is an unavoidable thing, whatever your reasons to move are. Although this is understandable, you should definitely find time to learn how to thank your moving team appropriately. Add this task to your to-do list – it is just as important as researching Seattle renters’ rights or conducting a thorough move-out cleaning.
Should You Tip Movers From a Moving Company?
You must be wondering whether you’re obligated to give tips since you’re already paying a lot to your moving company in Seattle. Your relocation expenses checklist is long enough already, right? Relocating to one of the cool neighborhoods in Seattle isn’t cheap, we know. But, honestly – do you think it would be polite not to give any rewards to the crew that moved large items and countless boxes for you? Especially on a hot summer day, which your relocation day most likely will be – summer months are the peak of relocation season. So, in conclusion, we would say that, although not obligatory, tipping for quality storage and moving services in Seattle is adequate and shows a lot about character.
Do You Tip Movers When They Load or Unload?
Since we’re talking about a local relocation, that means you will have only one team who does all the work. Same workers will be there at the beginning and the end of the move, so you can hand out cash whenever you want. But, we suggest you wait until the work is done. Why? Well, don’t you want to see will workers do a good job first? They probably will if you’ve hired a reputable storage and moving company in Seattle, but it is better to be safe than sorry – tipping is best done once you arrive at your new home and everything is unloaded.
How Much Do You Tip Your Seattle Movers?
So, we’ve finally gotten to the most crucial question – how much money should you set aside for your workers? Is there an appropriate number, or should you just give cash based on your impression? Just as there are rules for packing fragile items, there are some guidelines for this as well. Here’s what you should know.
Tipping Has to Be Based on the Number of Hours of Work
In some industries, it’s common to give tips based on the percentage of the final price of the service provided. Since you’re relocating within Seattle, what you should do is reward workers based on the hours they were working for you. This is a simple and always efficient way to ensure that you don’t end up looking cheap.
How Much Cash to Set Aside for the Relocation Crew?
We’ll offer some guidelines that will show you what the usual amount of money to give is. Of course, this isn’t an official rule, and you can lower the number if you want to or make it bigger if you’re delighted with the service provided to you. For example, let’s say they gave you a few useful relocation tips, or they have helped you pack books last minute. Surely that kindness deserves a bigger reward, right? Here’s what is considered a usual amount of cash:
- $10-$20 to each person, for 4 hours,
- $20-$40 to each person, for 8 hours,
- $40-$60 to each person, for 12 hours.
How Much Do You Tip a Mover Driver?
Drivers are equally important as other workers, and you shouldn’t skip them under any circumstances. They have a hard job to do – just think about how many boxes you used for packing dishes or other hefty belongings. It’s no walk in the park getting all your household items to the safest neighborhood in Seattle, where your new home is located, or to the storage. Make sure you give drivers $4-$5 per hour of their service.
Remember to Keep Cash on You on the Moving Day
Don’t think for a second that we’re wasting your time mentioning this. You will be under a lot of pressure – you might even overlook the most commonly forgotten things to pack or fail to do your research on how to change your address. Trust us, not remembering to take cash from the ATM the night before the move is something that happens a lot, and it is surely an avoidable issue. Don’t let this happen to you – note somewhere on your list of things to do before you move that you should withdraw some money from your account, and you will easily avoid an embarrassing moment.
What Is the Best Way to Hand Over Tips?
If you want to make a good impression and seem polite, we have some advice for you. It isn’t enough to simply hand over bills – that might seem cold. You want to ensure that you show your appreciation to each person involved in the move. How do you do that? It is so simple that people often don’t think of it – just shake hands and say thank you when you hand cash. That’s all it takes to show someone you value their time and effort. Additionally, we suggest you don’t give the whole sum to one worker to share with others. Even if you’re positive that they would be fair and share evenly with others, it is a sign of respect to hand the money to those intended.
What Are Other Ways to Thank the Relocation Crew Besides Cash?
First, you need to ask yourself what to tip movers. Obviously, cash is the first thing that comes to mind, but even though the most common, that’s not the only way to thank every mover on the team. If you want to, you can buy them lunch – this is an excellent alternative to money that will also show your gratitude. No one says you have to buy them the best takeout in the city, of course – a regular, cooked meal is more than enough. We must mention one crucial thing that you must know even if you’re planning a move in a hurry and you’re going crazy right now. Treating workers with pizza, even the most delicious one in the whole city will feel more like a punishment than a reward.
This sounds shocking but think about it – pizza is the easiest to buy and one of the most common meals, so the chances are that your team has had countless pizzas already this month, and they’re sick of it. Surprise them with something else – or better yet, ask them what they would like. If you want to be extra generous, you can give both cash and lunch. Maybe you’ve just gotten your new job in Seattle, or you are going to an affordable Seattle suburb, so you can allow yourself to spend a bit more – even if you can’t, maybe you’re just too happy to be relocating to the best suburb in the city, and you feel like celebrating.
You Should Offer Workers Water and Snacks
Carrying boxes and furniture to another home or a storage unit, or even packing furniture (if you have requested packing assistance) is hard manual labor. Remember that your workers will be tired or even dehydrated after hours of lifting hefty packages or moving a piano. It is only natural to offer them water bottles or some other cold beverages like sodas or lemonade to help them get through the day. Snacks are also a good idea. If you think that might lead workers to prolong their breaks, don’t worry – no professional mover would ever sit around and waste your time. They will quickly have a bite and continue doing their job.
It Isn’t Acceptable to Give Workers Alcoholic Beverages
If you didn’t know any better, you might be tempted to offer workers a beer or two. However, we must emphasize that this isn’t appropriate, not even if you were to give them something from the best Seattle brewery. Why not, you may ask. It seems like a good way to keep them motivated, but the fact is that almost all relocation companies have a strict policy against drinking on the job – which is pretty logical, you must agree. So, your good intentions could cost a worker their job – let’s stick to sodas, shall we?
Is It Okay Not to Give Tips in Certain Situations?
It surely is acceptable not to reward workers for their services if you’re not satisfied with how they handled your move to the new place. If you research the relocation business and read their reviews before you hire them, you can avoid bad experiences and relocation scams, but that’s not a 100% guarantee that your move will be perfect. Here are some of the situations where it is absolutely reasonable not to reward workers:
- They showed up late at your place.
- Some of your belongings got damaged during the move.
- Some of your boxes didn’t make it to your house.
- They had more breaks than necessary or were stalling while working.
- They were rude to you or made you feel uncomfortable in any way.
Our Seattle Moving Company Has the Most Professional Crew
If you want to ensure that your residential relocation goes smoothly and without any difficulties, hiring Seattle Professional Movers is the way to go. Our professional services are highly rated, and we have countless satisfied customers who reach out to us for every next move. You can relax knowing that experienced and trustworthy workers will handle your belongings in the best way possible and that you will be enjoying your house in the best neighborhood in Seattle for families.
We can offer you more than a regular move – if you have to relocate your office, you can trust us with that, too. Our packers and movers can adequately wrap all of your office devices since packing electronics is no big deal to them. You won’t have to worry about packing computers, and your business will be back to normal quickly. We also provide labor-only services, and we can help you with in- and-out-of storage relocation as well. Whatever you need, you can contact us, and we will make it happen.