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NFT: Any suggestions on tipping the moving men?

Lurts : 7/27/2021 10:57 pm
I'm moving from LI down to SC (retired last month). Three BR house with a fair amount of stuff. Movers are coming Thursday and I am getting advice all over the place on what to tip the crew. I do think there will be a crew for up here and one for down there.

Also, do I set up/spring for lunch?

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.
Yes, definitely buy the crew  
nygfaninorlando : 7/27/2021 11:35 pm : link
lunch on both ends of the move. They will appreciate the gesture. Tipping in cash is also a definite but tricky depending on how many in the crew, the amount of work each person is doing and if it’s same or different crew on the unloading end. We moved a couple years ago and had a crew of 5 or 6 guys on the loading end and 4 on the unloading end. We tipped $75-$100 each and gave the driver (who also supervised the loading, did all the paperwork, etc.) an additional tip.
I've heard and used 5% of the move cost  
DonQuixote : 7/28/2021 5:51 am : link
distributed evenly among the crew with maybe the lead guy getting more.

So, 5K move = $250, or 50 each for 5 guys. Maybe the lead guy an extra 20.

Just a suggestion based on my experience.
Side topic  
US1 Giants : 7/28/2021 6:06 am : link
When I retired and moved from a 3 bedroom, it was an opportunity to downsize bigtime. Do you really need all that stuff in SC?
the driver and head of the crew gets tipped double  
gtt350 : 7/28/2021 6:57 am : link
$100 for him $50 each for the crew
definitely buy food / gatorade  
ImThatGuy : 7/28/2021 8:05 am : link
also find out if it will be the same crew doing the unload, because then you just need to tip at the end.

I'd say 100 per person is probably enough but I don't think you need to tip the crew head / driver any additional money - they all get the same in my book
I used  
Mark from Jersey : 7/28/2021 8:14 am : link
Hire a Helper recently. It was a crew of four each time. Both times they were there 3 hours. I gave them 20 dollars each and they seemed very happy. One guy basically hugged me. The 50 I am seeing maybe accurate if they are there a full day but it seems excessive to me. Your move is really two moves since you are moving a long distance.
..  
Named Later : 7/28/2021 9:29 am : link
Lurts --
Where are you moving to in South Carolina ??

2-story house ?? Any heavy lifting up those stairs ??

There will be 2 different crews on this job (they don't travel down to SC with the Truck) so you'll be tipping twice. There's a chance your stuff will be unpacked from the truck and put into a larger Moving Van with somebody else's stuff that may be headed south too.....so tip the guys in LI plenty so they handle your stuff with care if they have to do it twice.

Do NOT let the Movers handle anything of value -- Audio eqpt, Musical Instruments, Fine China, Family Heirlooms. Their Insurance Policy is figured on Weight & Volume, at pennies on the dollar.

The Amounts quoted above are about right. I had a 4 man crew at the load-out in Charleston. I gave the Head Honcho a handful of Twennies and let him divvy it up as he saw fit.

Good Luck with the Move. Welcome to the Palmetto State.
Thank you all  
Lurts : 7/28/2021 9:40 am : link
for the insights and advice. Gatorade is something I hadnt thought about that makes sense.
For out last move, somehow they way underbid themselves...  
rnargi : 7/28/2021 9:48 am : link
...five guys and a foreman worked their asses off for 14 hours for about 1000 bucks. We gave each guy a 100 dollar tip, and we bought them lunch, dinner, and unlimited drinks all day. I literally felt bad for them.
RE: Side topic  
Lurts : 7/28/2021 9:48 am : link
In comment 15314707 US1 Giants said:
Quote:
When I retired and moved from a 3 bedroom, it was an opportunity to downsize bigtime. Do you really need all that stuff in SC?


Been trying: sold a lot of stuff in yard sales and on craigslist anf FB and threw out lots more. But Im overwhelmed with the stuff --and duplicated stuff-- I still have.

What they say about boats--you don't own them; they own you-- seems true about most of the stuff we accumulate. The Latin root for material and mother--mater--is the same. It's hard but necessary to let go.
Named Later-- We are headed to Keowee Fan's backyard  
Lurts : 7/28/2021 9:54 am : link
in the NW corner of the state. Gorgeous country, Clemson football 20 minutes away.

Your comment is on point, as the house is built on a hillside with a few levels.
..  
Named Later : 7/28/2021 10:22 am : link
It's nice up in that area.

Funny story about our move down from NJ -- The Head Honcho had a clipboard and numbered stickers, he logged everything that went on that truck with a sticker. 10 pages worth of our stuff.

Down here, a different crew off-loaded the truck. Our stuff came out in rapid fire. Dynamite wouldn't have been any quicker....it just would have made smaller pieces !!

We got settled in over the next few weeks. But DW couldn't find any of our Family Photos. She had put them in a box clearly labeled 'Photos -- Handle with Care' but no such box was found in our new house. We envisioned some other family down in Florida gazing at our Daughter's Graduation Photos.

Months later, we got a warm February day. I went outside to light the Grill for steaks. I lifted the lid on the grill -- and there was the box 'Photos -- Handle with Care' Good thing I checked before firing it up !!

It's all about Volume on the Truck to these Movers. Putting that box inside the Grill saved them space!

Remember -- Take everything you value down here in your own car.
I worked as a mover for a few years in NJ in the late 90s  
mpinmaine : 7/28/2021 5:02 pm : link
both as crew chief and helper,
At that time the usual was 20 for each man. I never saw the driver getting more but who knows?

Sometimes we would get 40 each, lunch was usually pizza.

If you are giving 40 give it to the men directly half at the start and half when they are loaded, reverse that at destination...

Most likely a different crew.

If they know when you tip them 20 that there is another 20 at the end of the day they will be more careful with your stuff, gatorade is a good idea as someone said too,,,but whatever you do no beer!

$20 is nothing for a state to state move  
gtt350 : 7/28/2021 5:44 pm : link
$50 even #100. Imagine you doing the work it's tough stuff
Don't buy pizza  
oghwga : 7/29/2021 7:41 am : link
Everybody buys pizza.

They are sick of pizza.
The wrap up  
Lurts : 7/31/2021 10:06 pm : link
We had a crew of 6. Gave them $60 each, along with $75 for the crew chief. Bought them chicken breas parmagiana heros from the local Italian pork store we favor, along with Gatorades,, but it seems they had a bakery problem and served on day-old which was a little chewier than usual. Oh, well.

Chief said the tips were much appreiated, which I took as a favorable response.

And to the BBI fraternity, thank you for sharing.
RE: Don't buy pizza  
Greg from LI : 7/31/2021 10:50 pm : link
In comment 15316036 oghwga said:
Quote:
Everybody buys pizza.

They are sick of pizza.


We moved last week. Asked them what they wanted for lunch. 3 of 4 wanted pizza, the fourth wanted a chef's salad because he's diabetic.
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