How Much Do You Tip Movers in Toronto 2024
Congrats on hiring movers for a smooth transition! Delve into price estimates including man hours, transportation, and material costs – but what’s the deal with tipping movers in Toronto? Whether with top-tier companies or budget-friendly ones, knowing the tipping etiquette is crucial if moving expenses catch you off guard.
Tipping Movers
Now, let’s talk about something that might not be found on that price estimate – the all-important tip for the movers. While the bill from your moving company might not already include gratuity, fret not! We’re here to help you demystify the tipping dilemma. Wondering how much to tip your movers and whether it’s a must-do? Allow us to put those uncertainties to rest.
Should You Tip Movers?
Yes, 100% The longer your move takes and the more boxes there are to be packed and moved, the more work goes into it. Tipping movers is generally considered a way to show appreciation for their efforts. Although tipping is not mandatory, it is a kind gesture that can go a long way in showing your gratitude for a job well done. However, since many movers are paid by the hour and not by the job, there’s no guarantee that tipping will actually result in a better service.
How Much Do You Tip Movers?
When deciding how much to tip your movers, it’s essential to consider a few factors. First and foremost, think about your budget. If you’re in a position to reward your movers for a job well done, it’s always appreciated.
On average, people tip movers about $20 to $50 per mover or 15-20% of the total moving cost. For a half-day of work, $20 to $25 per team member is common. If they’ve put in a full day, $50 to $100 per mover is a great way to acknowledge their hard work. If they’ve been handling heavy items or navigating tricky stairs, a little extra can go a long way in showing your appreciation.
Consideration When Working Out How Much to Tip
Hiring movers certainly make the process much more simple. As a token of appreciation, you may want to tip your mover following the job’s completion. However, there are several factors that you may want to consider when deciding how much to tip your movers, such as:
Complexity of Move
If your move involves heavy or delicate items, stairs, elevators or other challenges, you may want to consider tipping more to acknowledge the extra effort and care required. Moving companies often charge extra for these kinds of challenges, but tipping your movers can show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication in navigating these obstacles efficiently.
Quality of Service
The amount of your tip should be based on how satisfied you were with the service provided and how efficient and courteous the movers were. If your movers went above and beyond to ensure a smooth move, you might want to consider tipping on the higher end of the range. Contrarily, if you had a less-than-satisfactory experience, you may choose to tip on the lower end of the range or not tip at all.
Final Moving Cost
The total cost of your move can be a good guideline for how much to tip your movers. A standard rule of thumb is typically 20% of the total moving cost. It’s a good idea to check your receipt for this information before you tip so you know exactly how much each person worked on your move. If a mover does an outstanding job, feel free to tip more.
Distance Moving
Whether you’re moving locally or cross country, the distance of your move can be a factor when determining how much to tip your movers. For instance, for long-distance moves, you may want to consider tipping slightly more per mover to account for the additional time and effort required.
Condition of Items After Move
If your belongings arrived at your new home in good condition, this could be an indication of the care and attention your movers took during the move, which can be reflected in your tip.
Quick and easy way to tip movers:
For Local Moves: $5 to $10 per hour, per mover
What is the best practice for ensuring they get the tip?
As per any tip, it is easier for everyone involved if you have the cash on hand, divided equally, so you can hand it to each mover individually. This also ensures one person doesn’t pocket the entire tip.
Can I buy the team lunch instead?
Some people opt to show their appreciation this way, and it is a great solution if you are unable to provide a cash tip. Be sure to let them know you’d like to buy them lunch ahead of time so they don’t make other plans for their break. It’s also a good idea to ask them what they feel like eating (keep in mind they probably get offered pizza far too often).
What if I hired a very cheap mover off Craigslist and they broke many items?
As in any situation, it is always up to you if you should tip, and how much you should tip. If you are really unhappy with the service, use your discretion when making this decision.
What if one of the movers was great while the other was awful?
If you had a really positive experience with one member of the team, and a very negative experience with another, the best practice isn’t to punish the hard worker due to anything that happened with the other guy. Try to find a second alone with the mover who did a good job and give him a tip privately. You should also let the owner know about the mover whose services you were so unhappy with.
Can I tip the movers a beer?
While this seems like a nice thing to do for someone after a hard day of physical labour, it’s the kind of tip you should save for any buddies helping you with the move, not for professional movers. Alcohol is not allowed in commercial vehicles, and an employee will not want to risk being fired if they accept it.
TO TIP OR NOT TO TIP
You might be asking, “Tip? What tip? Don’t they get paid an hourly wage?” Well, yes they do, but so the waiter, hairdresser and the valet person who drives your car a just 100 feet to you. Movers are included in the service industry and tipping is the way to show your appreciation for taking extra care of you, your home and stuff.
Moving companies like CARGO CABBIE offer a valuable service by handling tasks you’d rather not do. They face physical strain daily, working in extreme conditions, making them truly deserving of a tip.
When to tip more:
✔When your movers must handle oversized or particularly fragile items
✔When your movers are personable and kind
✔When your movers work quickly
✔When movers go above and beyond to help you set up and assemble certain items
When to tip less:
- When your movers show up late or bring the wrong sized vehicle
- When your movers seem to work deliberately slow, like overwrapping materials or moving inefficiently.
- When you must do the brunt of the work yourself
- When your movers mistreat or break your items
Is $100 a good tip for movers?
The amount of tip you give to movers depends on various factors such as the quality of service, the size of the move, and the distance of the move. As a general guideline, it is recommended to tip between 15% to 20% of the total cost of the move. Therefore, for a $1.500 move, a tip of $100 would be a generous gesture if you received exceptional service. However, this is ultimately up to your discretion and budget.
Movers don’t always expect a tip, but they truly appreciate it.
Like any service industry job, they are being paid for their time, but if you are really happy with the service and the move went smoothly, it is good etiquette to provide them with a little extra so they know you were satisfied with their hard work.
The best tip you can give is a positive review.
If you were truly happy with your service, the best thing you can do is tell everyone you know about the great company you worked with, and write positive reviews of the company on Google, Homestars and anywhere else that would serve to let others who are looking know this is a moving company worth hiring. This is a business that sinks or swims based on word-of-mouth recommendations, so be sure to leave a positive review online for the company if you were happy with the move.
Get Moving with a Professional Moving Company
If you had in the past a moving team that showed up late, was rude to you or your family, used profanity in front of your children, took more than just a few cigarette breaks, and left scratches and scuffs in your walls and floors on the way out or in these are all viable situations to not tip the movers.
In a normal situation, if you’ve hired a reputable moving company or mover, none of these things should ever become a problem. The best advice we can give here at CARGO CABBIE is before letting the movers drive away after doing a sub-par job is to talk to the team lead and express your dissatisfaction with them and the crew. If they can’t (or won’t) help it’s time to reach out to the office / moving coordinator of the moving company and rectify the situation.
Now that you’ve been primed on how much to tip movers, it’s time to get moving! Start here to get a hassle-free, no-obligation estimate / quote.
CONCLUSION WHEN TIPPING YOUR MOVER
In most cases, hiring professional movers or moving company will make your move day and life easier than hiring a cheap mover with no liability from Kijiji. How much to tip movers might be the last problem to deal with after a day of stress-inducing and crazy-making situations; especially if you just finished a full home move outside of Toronto. You do not want to do is go into your moving-day with no idea what the protocol is for tipping movers. Moving is a hard job and if your movers worked hard to make your moving day easier, it is reasonable to give a gratuity / tip to show your appreciation.
And when you’ve decided to take the step, reach out to CARGO CABBIE for all of your home and office moving needs!