The day is finally here – you are about to move to your new home somewhere in Orange County. Although exciting, the relocation has its difficulties even when you’ve managed to pack everything you own. One of those issues is tipping movers. How to tip movers in Orange County? If you have no clue what is expected in these situations, keep reading to find out.
How much do you tip local movers? Should you do it at all? There are some usual guidelines most people follow, and we will share them with you. Don’t worry, this isn’t such a complex issue – you will figure it out in no time. In this article, we will explain how much, when, and how you should reward your crew for all the good work they have done.
Before Your Relocation Day, You Should Learn How to Tip Movers in Orange County
Should you give out tips for your workers after local moving to a new home? If so, how much? If this little riddle adds to your moving stress, know that you’re not the only one. It is a commonly asked question – people don’t know what to do in these situations if they have never moved before or never used professional service. But, honestly, this isn’t a difficult problem. If you’ve managed to pack fragile items and avoid all those crazy moving scams when hiring a relocation company, this will be a piece of cake for you. So let’s dive in and see what you should do on relocation day.
Are You Obligated to Give Tips to the Relocation Team?
No rule says you have to give tips, but it’s a common way to show your appreciation for the hard work each mover has done for you. People sometimes forget how exhausting it is to move heavy boxes and large furniture, especially in the summer months – which are a peak of the relocation season. Hard physical labor every mover does daily is often overlooked. But your move won’t be cheap, you already know that. Your moving expenses checklist is lengthy, and maybe you won’t have plenty of money after buying a place in one of the best cities to live in Orange County. Which leads us to another question – how to avoid seeming cheap? What if you offer a smaller amount than the one your team is used to? Don’t worry – we can help you avoid that mistake. Keep reading to find out what the best amount of money is in this situation.
#1 You Can Give Tips, Offer Lunch, or Do Both
What to tip movers? Have you asked yourself whether money is the best way to go? Well, we believe that any mover would be the happiest if they received some cash after the great job they’ve done, but if you don’t want to give money, it’s perfectly fine. After all, it is your choice. An alternative to cash is treating the whole team to lunch, and of course, you can be extra generous and treat them with both. It’s on you to decide – ask yourself how much every mover has helped you. Perhaps they helped you pack plates because you didn’t have time to do it yourself since you had to pack to move in a hurry. Maybe they were simply polite and delightful to chat with, thus helping you move efficiently and effortlessly. How much do you want to reward them for a job well done?
Pro Advice – Pizza Isn’t the Best Lunch Option
You should keep this in mind if you want to treat your team. Yes, sure, they all probably like pizza, but do you think you are the only customer who thought of that? Those guys are offered pizza all the time, and they would be thankful if you got them something else after hours of moving large items. So, let us share a simple trick – ask them what they would like. That’s the best way to avoid mistakes. Also, you can offer them takeout from some of the local places you know to be good so that they can try something new.
#2 Always Have Water and Other Beverages to Offer the Relocation Crew
This goes without saying, but we will mention it just in case. It would be cruel to leave workers to sweat in the hot California sun and not offer them even a bottle of water or a cold soda for hours. Imagine how exhausted you’ve gotten after packing dishes – they now have to move all those heavy, breakable items (and many more) to your new home in the safest city in Orange County. So it would be best to have water bottles by your side if nothing else. You should get a lot of those – you might need them as well (or your pet, if you are moving with pets). Additionally, keep in mind that if workers from the moving company are set to arrive in the morning, it would be nice to offer them a coffee or tea, for an energy boost before the job.
Snacks Are Acceptable as Well, But Beer Isn’t
It’s not a bad idea to keep some snacks around. It will give workers the much-needed energy to get all the work done without any mistakes. It isn’t easy to be on top of your game for hours – everybody needs an occasional break, especially after heavy boxes. Remember when you were packing books and couldn’t decide which ones to get rid of? Well, your workers now have to load all of them on the truck. Not an easy task, wouldn’t you agree? Don’t worry. Professionals would never abuse your kindness – they won’t sit around for hours eating chips if you offer them a quick snack.
While we’re on the topic of food and drinks, we must emphasize that you should never offer beer. Every professional company has rules against consuming alcoholic beverages while providing a moving service – you wouldn’t want to get anyone in trouble for simply trying to be polite and accepting your offer.
#3 Tipping Based on a Percentage of the Final Price Isn’t Such a Good Idea
Tipping a certain percent of the final price isn’t a very good idea. You might be wondering why this doesn’t work as it would with waiters, for example. Think about it – the estimate for your move is based on the distance and the number of belongings you have. Since the distance of the move has a role in the price, your local move may not adequately reflect the worker’s effort because the moving distance wasn’t considerable. So, you better note this somewhere, even on your to-do list if you don’t have anything better right now – tipping should be based on the hours of work provided for you. But, if you for some reason decide on tipping based on the percentage of the price, know that the standard range is 5-20% of the final price.
#4 Here’s How Much You Need to Tip
How much do you tip a packing crew or workers who are loading your boxes onto the truck? Usually, the best way to show them your appreciation is to pay them by the hour – we mentioned this above. Here’s a quick guide that will help you avoid mistakes and give the right amount of money according to the time spent on packing boxes and loading the van:
- 4 hours – $10 to $20 per person,
- 8 hours – $20 to $40 per person,
- 12 hours – $40 to $60 per person.
This is an excellent rule of thumb to follow. Of course, you can up the number or lower it depending on how satisfied you are with the job done. Maybe the workers had to move some items to the storage and not only your new home, so they had an additional job unloading boxes and placing them in a storage unit. You can show them your appreciation for taking care of your items by giving them a larger amount of money. If the workers who weren’t packers helped you pack furniture or reminded you of some of the most commonly forgotten things to pack that you’ve overlooked, it would be logical to thank them by upping the number. Also, you shouldn’t hesitate to reward a particular worker who stood out and showed themselves as more valuable than the rest. Trust us, these kinds of gestures can mean a lot.
#5 Make Sure You Have Cash on Hand
This may sound like an obvious thing, but you wouldn’t believe how forgetful people can get when they are in a rush, swamped with numerous tasks. Even though you are pretty happy to be relocating to one of the best buy locations in Orange County, that doesn’t mean you will remember to check off every item on the list. But, this is quite important, so make sure you have enough money in your wallet since you can’t offer workers your credit card.
Some companies can offer to include the tip on your bill, so you can pay when you pay for the move. Although it is a bright idea, it would be better to give the money in person rather than send it virtually. It lets workers know that you indeed like how they handled your belongings.
#6 The Best Ways to Show Your Appreciation
Do you tip movers when they load or unload? Since you are about to have a local move, the chances are that the same workers will be doing loading and unloading. In that case, it is best to show your appreciation after the move is over. However, if different workers take care of these two stages of the move, make sure you give tips to both teams.
Never Give the Whole Sum to One Worker to Share With the Rest
There are two reasons for this rule. First, you can never be 100% sure that the worker did indeed divide the money fairly between all of the teammates. They might as well keep it all to themselves. You never know what to expect from people. The second reason would be this – offering money to each individual shows respect. It is polite. It sends the message that they did great and motivates them to continue with such excellent services. Also, make sure to thank everybody for their professionalism and dedication to keeping your items safe.
When Is It Okay Not to Tip Your Local Orange County Movers?
If you had carefully researched the relocation team before hiring them, you probably won’t have any issues with their services. But, now and then, there are some terrible relocation crews in not-so-reputable companies. If you’ve run into such workers, know that they shouldn’t be tipped, and you shouldn’t feel guilty if you didn’t like how they handled your belongings. Here are some of the situations where it is entirely okay to avoid any kind of rewards for the workers:
- They showed up late.
- They damaged some of your belongings.
- They took multiple breaks even when they didn’t need to.
- They used other time-wasting techniques, knowing you pay them by the hour.
- They were disrespectful of your wishes or rude.
- They left some of the boxes in your old home.
- They didn’t unload everything once they arrived at your new place.
We Have the Best Professional Movers in Orange County, CA
Residential relocation in Orange County is simple with our crew. We can promise you a smooth and relaxing move without any glitches. Rest assured that our team will be so efficient and professional that you won’t hesitate to give them the highest amount you can. You will enjoy having us as a part of your move to one of the best places to live in Orange County, CA. We can assist you with both a house and apartment move. If you want to relocate your office and have trouble packing electronics, we have a solution for you as well – our commercial relocation service is perfect for these situations.
Our OC Moving Company Can Provide You With An Excellent Service – We Hire Only the Best Orange County Movers
Besides items workers won’t move, our crew can help you relocate everything else. Nothing is too hard for them – they can move a piano in the blink of an eye or carry heavy furniture to the truck effortlessly. If you decide to go for our labor-only service, you know that your belongings are safe in their experienced hands. We can also provide you with excellent packing assistance. Our packers are quick, know all the relocation hacks, and handle every item with utmost care. If you are still confused about which service you need, it is best to go with packers and movers both – better safe than sorry, right? Also, keep in mind that we can help you with in- and-out-of storage relocation as well. Whatever you need, just contact us – our OC relocation company is always there for you.