how much to tip movers?

[montecristo#4]

Hired a moving company to do a move for me. Three guys on the crew. What should I tip? Flat tip for each? Percent of total move?

What do you guys do?

 

[thekunk07]

i paid $950 last time i moved and gave the 3 guys $100 to share.

 

[gnatty8]

I usually buy lunch, and then tip driver $100 and movers, $50 each. I have moved 4 times in the last 10 years so have some experience here..

 

[AintDatRite]

Regardless of tip, you must always have bottled water/soft drinks available for them; never provide beer - unless you want your furniture dropped and/or damaged. For my last move, I tipped $50/person - but they were moving 4200 ft² worth of 'stuff' and they did an excellent job.

From About.com:
The information below is based on receipt of good service. If you feel you aren't receiving good service, don't feel compelled to tip. Tipping should be reserved for movers who do their job right. If a mover goes out of their way to accommodate you, then tip accordingly.

1. Provide cold drinks, coffee or whatever is suitable to the weather and time of day. Also provide food if the move takes a while and extends over the lunch period; pizza, sandwiches, something quick they can eat while on the move.

2. If there's only one or two movers, tip between $40-60 (to split if there are two) depending on how hard the move was (stairs, heavy boxes, awkward items, etc...).

3. More than one mover, tip $20 per person and give all the money to the head mover or supervisor so they can divide it afterward.

4. If you received absolutely amazing service, tips can reach up to $100. But the movers need to be really good, really helpful and do something beyond the call of duty, such as helping with last minute packing, taking the time to carefully wrap fragile items, or in my case once, helping me catch an escaped cat. That's definitely the sign of a really good and caring mover.