Like the waiter serving your food or the Uber driver getting you to your destination, moving is a service-based industry, and it is customary to tip your movers after a day’s work. However, while tipping your food delivery person 20% of your total bill is customary, there is ambiguity around how much and when to tip movers. Below, we provide a detailed breakdown you can use when deciding how much to tip your Florida moving company.
How Much Should I Tip My Florida Movers?
The general rule of thumb is to base your tip on the service-industry standard of 15-20% of your final bill. To estimate how much this will cost you, we recommend requesting a free quote from your desired moving company and adding an additional 15-20%.
While 15-20% is the service industry average, there are five other factors you can take into account when determining how much to tip your Florida movers.
1. Quality of Service
It’s safe to say that the better the service, the more likely you are to tip. Where your movers exceed your expectations, and it is within your budget, you may be inclined to tip 20%+ of your final bill. However, in instances where you felt the service provided was average or, in some cases, totally dissatisfying, you may be inclined to tip anywhere between 15% and nothing at all. In the event that you are dissatisfied with your move, we recommend reaching out to the moving company’s after-care team. Gentle Giant Moving Company has its own dedicated Quality Control team who follows up after every move to address any concerns. If you have a follow-up question or issue, you will never be handed a generic 1-800 number!
Some factors to consider when judging the quality of your movers include; timeliness, communication, speed, efficiency, a willingness to address any questions or concerns, and overall demeanor – Were they friendly? Did they treat you with care?
2. Difficulty of Move
There are a number of factors that can make a move more difficult. Maybe the elevator in your building is broken down, and the movers have three flights of stairs to navigate. Perhaps you have several specialty items like artwork, antiques, and a peloton to move. Whatever the case may be, your movers will work extra hard to get the job done with no damage incurred to your valuables. In these instances, you may want to thank your movers for a hard job well done with a 20% tip.
3. Size of the Move
A helpful scale to follow when determining your tipping budget based on move size is:
- 20% of the total bill for a large or long-distance move
- 15-20% of the total bill for a medium or small-sized move
For example, if you have a medium-sized move costing $1,500, you may want to consider leaving a $300 tip. Meanwhile, a smaller, studio-sized apartment move for $800 would justify a $120 tip.
4. Move Distance
Interstate relocations will often require movers to be on the road for several days. If your moving crew is traveling long-distance, you may want to tip them an additional percentage for this service.
5. Additional Services
If you’re asking the movers to move any difficult or fragile items like stationary bicycles, hot tubs, or pool tables, disassemble or reassemble your items, or pack for you, you may wish to reward them with a tip.
Tipping FAQs
We recommend tipping at the end once your move is complete. That way, you will know exactly the tip you feel is deserved.
If you are unsure who you should leave the tip with at the end of the day, you can leave this up to the crew chief. The chief will have identified themselves at the beginning of your move and is the best person to direct any questions to on the day of the move. Alternatively, you could ask your move coordinator what the best practice is or tip each individual mover directly.
If tipping is not within your budget, there are other ways to show your appreciation to the moving crew. For example, leaving a positive review on platforms like Yelp or Google is always valued.
Are you planning a local or long-distance Florida move? Hire professional Florida movers like Gentle Giant to take away the stress of the move! Check out our moving checklist for further information on how to prepare and use our free move estimate tool to determine the cost of your relocation. Additionally, you can view the various services we offer, including packing, piano moving, and more.