Moving Day, Grab the Crew!

With a large number of individuals relocating during the summer, the ever popular “moving season” is upon us! Moving can be a stressful time with a “To Do” list that seems to grow by the second. To help reduce some of the stress, many people will hire movers to help with the process. How can you utilize movers to ensure you have the best move possible?

1. Be Organized
   • If you have elected to have your movers pack your belongings, be clear about what you want packed and have those things organized. As the movers are packing the boxes, this is not the time to start throwing things out. Schedule time for yourself to “de-clutter” prior to the day the movers arrive to pack your boxes.
   • Label boxes in a way that makes sense to the “public.” While specific notes are helpful to you, the biggest label should be which room the box goes to in the new location. 
2. Be Ready
   • If you are packing yourself, have everything packed and staged for the movers prior to their arrival. If the movers arrive and you are still packing boxes, this will delay their work and be an inefficient use of their time.
   • Ensure you provide the moving team with the correct address for both locations. Also, if there are special instructions for parking, loading dock location, or elevator usage, ensure you provide this to the team ahead of time.
3. Be Courteous
   • Everyone is nervous about moving (mainly hoping nothing breaks), but this does not mean you should hover over your moving crew. If you have boxes or items that are fragile and need special attention or packing instructions, let your movers know this ahead of time and be sure to point out those items on moving day.
   • Have water and/or sports drinks to hand out to the movers, especially if they will be working in the extreme heat of the summer.
4. Should I tip the moving team? Tipping your movers is much like tipping waitstaff at restaurants, you base it on job performance. If you are happy with the job, tip the team. If you are unhappy and had problems throughout the job, you do not have to tip.
   • How much should I tip the movers?
     • In contrast to tipping waitstaff, it is more popular to tip movers a flat amount rather than a percentage of the moving cost. However, this amount will vary based on the extent of the move (overall time, size of move/amount of items and furniture, etc.).
     • Suggested tip amounts (for each mover) are:
       • Short Move (less than 4 hours): $15 – $20 per mover
       • All Day Move (8 hours): $30 – $40 per mover
       • Extended Move (more than 12 hours): $50+ per mover
       • In lieu of tipping your movers, you can treat them to lunch. If you decide to do this, ask them their meal order!
     • It is best to provide the tip in cash.
     • Remember to individually thank and tip each mover! Do not hand an overall sum to one mover.

To everyone moving this summer, I wish you good health, endless happiness, and much love!

Happy new home!

AB

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