Tipping/feeding removal men

mi-key

There is a big difference between tipping a solicitor or surveyor, who probably earn a lot more than you and charge a fortune for their time for filling in a couple of forms, and giving someone a few quid who does physical work all day on minimum wage.

EssexHebridean

My inlaws move involved everything (and there was a LOT) being removed from their house up around 60 steep steps to the road. Those guys well and truly earned their tip - as besides the sheer physical labour of it, they could not have been kinder and more helpful to Mum & Dad-in-Law at what was a very stressful time for them.  we made sure they had access to tea, coffee, milk and a kettle, and also provided biscuits - and they seemed very content with all of the above! 

NameUnavailable

When I moved I gave the removal men drinks during the day and some sandwiches, then once it was all finished I took them to a nice pub for dinner and drinks and paid the bill.

I should add that they were mates who did the actual moving for free though. 

MalMonroe

I always offer everyone who does anything for us a cuppa, at the very least. There are always biscuits and maybe some crisps as well. Sometimes they only want water or a coke or something. Movers have usually always brought their own lunches which they have in the van/lorry or in the property we're moving into, up to them.

As long as there's a kettle and milk and tea/coffee/sugar. And water, of course. 

I've not usually tipped movers but would consider it if they'd had a particularly hard time with heavy furniture or many stairs and steps, etc.

I think you could play it by ear but do make sure you have the kettle and beverage-making things handy. If nothing else, they all deserve our national pick-me-up! That's definitely an essential. 

Drawingaline

I have never offered removal men food or drinks, we don't drink tea so don't tend to have the put the kettle on attitude and forget others do! 

We moved in Jan 21 and what should have been a nice smooth move with two stressed cats at my mums for the day, four kids in school and me and hubby off work and helping pack last bits and cleaning, turned into, two stressed cats locked in a bathroom, four bored kids all in one bare bedroom with no WiFi and one very super stressed out husband hotspotting his 4G into the most important meeting of his career! National lockdown so all kids of school,  coinciding with Sky turning our WiFi off 24hrs early and hubby's work announcing a mandatory restructuring meeting 2 days beforehand was not our idea of how it should be. 

Our removal crew were simply amazing. There were three of them, but should have been four, dismantled more furniture than agreed,  sorted the washing machine out at both ends, took all the heavy boxs up two flights of stairs at the new house, and did it all with a smile on their faces. I know this is their job, but they were honestly the best part of the entire six month debacle that was this move. 

£60 cash in an envelope was, to me, worth every penny. I also emailed the company to pass on how great they were (as someone who has worked in customer facing roles I know how important these kind of messages are) and left a couple of glowing reviews in various places. 

I didn't tip the estate agents, but they really did earn their commission, picking up the pieces after our initial buyer pulled out, and ensuring our new buyer was assisted in every way to get the move to where it needed to be. I left good reviews for them, and emailed a thank you to them directly. 

Noneforit999

DullGreyGuy said:

Surprised about people getting defensive about the fact they dont tip binmen/removal men and other low paid staff.

We had a couple of moves where the company didnt survey themselves and the guys said the job had been underestimated... one pair probably was true as they asked "what is your floor number" and the honest answer was "3", then "is there a lift" and the honest answer was "yes". The two facts that werent asked about was the fact the lift is tiny so several items couldnt fit in and secondly with the site being on a slope the van is actually on floor -2 and the lift only went down to floor -1. The form didnt have a free text field to provide additional information etc

There was talk of them telling the office about and an extra charge etc but gave the three guys £20 or so each and never heard anything else about it. 

I wouldn't lump bin men and removal men in the same category, bin men are here every week and its not always the same ones. Tipping them at Xmas seems a little odd because it may not have been the same ones all year, could be a new guy who has just started etc.

If you feel the need to tip tradesman then do it for the one offs that you feel have done a good job. How often do you actually have tradesmen in? 

I think people should offer drinks to them, I see that as part and parcel of having tradesmen in, especially if they are there for more than an hour but tipping should be down to discretion. If I feel they have done a decent job, I often give them a small tip. £20 each or something usually depending on how many there are. 

Tradesmen feed themselves, they are used to being out all day and eating in their vans, popping to McDonalds etc. They don't need you making them a sandwich. 

AlexMac

Lonnie Donegan had the definitive advice on whether to tip the Dustmen;

"Now here's a little story, To tell it is a must
About an unsung hero, That moves away your dust
Some people make a fortune, Others earn a mint
My old man don't earn much, n fact he's flippin' skint

...Some folk give tips at Christmas And some of them forget
So when he picks their bins up, He spills some on the steps
Now one old man got nasty, And to the council wrote
Next time my old man went 'rahnd there, He punched him up the froat...

(All together now)...
My old man's a dustman
He wears a dustman's hat
He wears cor blimey trousers
And he lives in a council flat... (repeat ad nauseam...)"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7GeZ3YmONw