Tipping is a reward for great service
The reason behind tipping is that service industry jobs are often hard work but aren't very well-paid, so tips can be handy as a bit of extra income. The people in your removals team may not earn a lot for the strenuous job they do, so if you get great service, it is nice to thank them for their effort by giving a tip.
Equally, if you are not pleased with the service, you aren't beholden to give a tip. If you do, it may cause mixed messages if you also feel the need to complain about anything that happened on your move. It is easy to see why the removal company might not take your complaint as seriously if, at the time, you were happy enough to give a tip.
How much should I tip my removals team?
There is no set 'appropriate' amount, as every move differs. Remember, you shouldn't feel obliged to give more than you can afford, but it might help to consider the following factors when deciding how much you will give:
- The difficulty of the move, and the length of time it took
- The amount you paid the removals company for the job
- The number of people in your team
- How invaluable their help was
Alternatives to tipping
Moving home is notoriously expensive, so if you can't stretch to giving a tip as well as paying for the job, there are other things that you can do to make the day more pleasant for your movers and to show that you appreciate their help. Consider providing hot or cold drinks and some snacks that are easy to eat on the go, like apples, crisps, biscuits or sandwiches.
You might think it's a good idea to give them a chilled beer at the end of a tough job, however, obviously the driver will not be able to partake and the rest of the team may have another job to go to after yours. If you want to buy them a drink, it's probably best in this case to just give them the money so that they can enjoy one at a more appropriate time.
Write a testimonial
An additional thing you can do, if you wish, is to write a testimonial or add feedback to promote the company. This won't cost you anything, but your kind words will be rewarding to read and will benefit the movers by helping the removals company attract more customers in the future - meaning more business for the company and more work for the moving team. We know that many removals firms value their feedback and reputation with enormous pride.
Updated August 2020