Three Alternative Ways To Tip Moving Employees
Posted on: 29 January 2016
Moving employees who work for companies like Walsh Moving & Storage literally do all the heavy lifting transporting customers' belongings from place to place. While tipping is not required, it's generally good etiquette to tip moving employees at the end of a job if they do good work (some say the industry standard is about 5% of the total). However, if you're not comfortable handing over cash for one reason or another, there are other ways you can thank the movers for their hard work. Here are three ideas.
Buy Lunch or Dinner
Moving is physically demanding, and people who spend the entire day lugging boxes, sofas, and tables around are bound to work up an appetite. One thing you can do for the staff that would be much appreciated is to provide lunch or dinner for them. A hot meal on a cold winter day or sandwiches and a cool glass of lemonade on a hot summer day can be immensely refreshing and heartwarming.
While it can be something you cook yourself, it's better to get food from a local restaurant. Attempting to cook something while trying to direct staff and organize items in a new house is added stress you don't need. More importantly, though, if the staff members fall ill from something you cooked, you could be held liable for medical bills or other damages the employees suffer as a result.
Quick convenience foods like pizza, deli sandwiches, or Chinese cuisine from reputable restaurants are typically good options. If you're not sure what to order, ask the staff. It's almost certain they'll have a favorite place they like to eat that offers takeout or delivery. Unless the movers mention they are starving, it's best to wait until the end of the move to order the food. It could be difficult to move items on a full stomach.
Give Gift Cards
Another way to tip your movers is to give them gift cards to local restaurants or retailers. Although not the same as cash, gift cards still provide recipients with the flexibility to get something they will enjoy. For instance, the person could purchase downloadable music from an online provider that they can listen to while performing their work.
The benefit to you is you don't have to carry around large amounts of cash. Another benefit is sometimes you can get gift cards at a discount, which can save you money. If you're really strapped for cash and don't mind regifting, you can give the movers cards you may have received but never got around to using.
Try to give them cards to well-known places they are likely to patron. A gift card to a national pizza chain would be much more useful than one from a small clothing boutique that only has two or three locations. Remember, you're rewarding the staff for good service, and receiving an unusable gift card is not much of a thank you.
Entertainment Tickets
Giving the moving staff tickets to some form of entertainment is also a good way to reward them. Movie tickets are usually popular, especially since the average ticket costs $8.12 these days and the price is expected to continue increasing. Tickets to sporting events like basketball and football games are also good options, particularly if you live in a city with great teams. Theme park or county fair tickets may be appreciated by those who live near them.
Like gift cards, try to give the staff tickets to something they may actually be interested in seeing or taking part in. At the very least, the event should be popular enough that the staff member can sell or give the tickets away to someone else.
Paying a gratuity to your movers is not required, but it is a nice way to show the staff how much you appreciate their hard work. For more information about tipping movers or to hire someone to help you relocate, contact a local moving company.
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