I'm So Clueless: The PCS Edition

Due to the overwhelming success of the first edition of I'm So Clueless, I need some more help with PCS tipping etiquette.

While I'm sure that there are more people that I should tip, I'm mostly concerned about the movers.  After all, nearly everything I own is in their hands and I want to do whatever necessary to make sure that the movers like me.  We already buy them a semi-decent, usually fast food, lunch every day that they are moving us.  Some movers protest a little (at first) but they all seem to be appreciative.  I also try to keep bottled water and Gatorade available.  It isn't until the end of the move that I start getting really  nervous.  I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to tip someone, and I'm not sure who, or how much.  Do I tip everyone the same, or does the driver get more, or less?  What if you have one crew at one end and another crew at the other.  What if a packer comes for two days but doesn't come on the third day, when I'm handing out tips?

I would love to hear your thoughts, knowledge and experience.  Let the sharing begin!

Comments

[Linda]

I feed them and give them beverages. I've given some of my personal items away to those who have admired them (baby blankets and such, since I had so many, etc). But I draw the line at tipping. They get paid to do the job they are doing. They are not underpaid. If they are day laborers (which many are, believe me), I don't feel any different.

Since I feed them and provide them other stuff, that's good enough.

[ArmyReserveWife]

In 11 years and 5 PCS's I have never ever tipped. We provide drinks and if they are really hard workers I will order in lunch.

I will be curious to see who else tips.

[airforcewife]

No - we don't tip either. Drinks and donuts are it.

[audette]

Well, I've only done two army moves. For both, we had soda, gatorade and bottled water on hand for the packers and the movers. Plus, we brought in lunch for them for both moves (sub sandwiches the first time, so DH and I could enjoy one last philly cheesesteak from our favourite sub shop back there, and burger king the last time, because it was convenient to the house)

The first move, too, the head packer asked if we had any plans for all the condiments and freezer stuff in the fridge and freezer. When I said no, he asked if I was OK with him "giving them to some deserving folks", which turned out to be the packing team. It was that or throw them out, so I certainly had no problem with them taking it. The second move was across post (they had re-ranked our street, and basically booted us off of it), so we just dumped that stuff into a cooler ourselves, and hauled it across the base.

[Slightly Salty]

I've never tipped as well for the above-stated reasons. They are already paid. I do treat them really well however. They get pizza or fresh sandwiches and any beverages they want. When we PCS'd from CA to VA, they even got some of our liquor b/c we couldn't transport it. Whatever I can do to keep them hydrated and fed I will do and from my experience they are usually happy with what we've provided. I know the guy that got a darn-near full bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label was a happy camper. :)

[Tiffany]

Ditto with the above. We've never tipped, and I've actually never even thought about it. I provide drinks, and food if it looks like it will be a long day, but we don't have much stuff so it usually doesn't take too long.

[Love My Tanker]

I have never tipped and honestly never plan to. These hard working folks get paid to do their jobs and normally they get fed well (free lunch) each day that they pack.

We feed them and have drinks on hand, but PCSing is way too expensive for us each time (DLA helps but doesn't cover it all, then dealing with privatized housing companies and the delay in BAH remibursement from one location to the next), so I honestly cannot see a time that I would tip any mover. Although I am sure they would appreciate it - I won't be tipping! :)

[Jewel]

Ditto with us too; we don't tip. We provide drinks and lunch, but that's it. It usually takes our movers about 3 days to pack and one to load so if you calculate about $20/day in the cost of lunch plus the cost of drinks for every day they are there, we spend at least $100 bucks on the packers each and every time we move. That's a pretty big chunck of change!

[Jewel]

BTW...I'd almost rather give them the money I would have spent on their lunch rather than having to drop the hundred chores I'm working on and have to schlep to the base Burger King to get their lunch every day!

[Andi]

We feed them (they almost always request Subway, which is fine with me because I love Subway too and grab my lunch with theirs) and have a cooler of drinks for their use, but we often tip as well. Oddly, I don't think we've ever tipped the packers, but only the movers. We usually have three movers and I'll tip $10-$20 each.

One time, the movers got into an argument and one of them left. It was a very unprofessional scene. A shouting match in our living room! The guy must have walked home because they all arrived together in the same truck. I didn't tip that time. We've been fortunate and, other than that incident, have had great packing/moving teams. Our last three moves have been in the dead heat of summer into tri-level houses. They earned their money, and then some on these moves. Thankfully, we're getting back down to a ranch house with no stairs for our next move. I'm sure the movers will be grateful to see that, I know I am!

[plibarmywife]

I tipped the guys this last time, because they came on an emergency basis (the ones we thought we had to just help us unpack the uhaul, we didn't have!) so I called in a panic! them, I tipped. and water and sandwiches and cookies.

LAW

[ArmyWifeOfThePefectHusband]

We have not moved just yet. My husband will be getting out of AIT in about 12 weeks.

Is it easier for us to move ourselves?

Or should I allow the military to move us?

All of our stuff is in a storage unit, and we are in a different state.

Does anyone know how that will work?

And they just move your home belongings correct?

What if we have more vehicles then we can drive, once we are together after his AIT?

And if we decide to move ourselves, does anyone know of the amount they provide to us and when it is dispersed to us?

And what is the name the allotment is referenced as?

Thank you so much in advance for your advice and/or opinions!

[DL Sly]

I don't tip the packers, the movers or the unpackers. Lazy SOB's they get enough from me what with drinking all the beer in my fridge, eating the food right out of my cupboards, even expecting me to grill for them when it's all done.......oh, wait, MH and I are the packers and movers and unpackers....
Never mind.
heh
0>;~}

[She of the Sea]

AWOTPH -

Whether to move yourself depends on a lot of questions: how far, how much stuff do you have, do you have children, how do you feel about driving a huge truck for possibly thousands of miles.

If you look on the right hand side of the page, click on PCS and you will find a ton of previous posts about this. Hopefully most of your questions will be answered there.

We have done PPM (Personally Procured Moves, previously known as DITY, Do-IT-Yourself), had the goverment move us entirely, and done some moves that were a combination of the two. There are pros and cons to each choice.

One thing to consider is that a moving van may not be able to get near your storage unit space. That depends on how the units are arranged and how close together the buildings are placed. Also, if your things are already packed in the storage unit and you utilize the government procured movers, they will either have to unpack and repack everything, or they will note that it was packed by you and that will limit their liability for damage.

I think that the military will currently pay transport or mileage for two vehicles and you are responsible for the expenses for any extra vehicles. (Assuming you are staying inside the Continental US (Conus).

If you decide to move yourself, the payment is based upon the weight of the goods. You have to have the truck weighed at an official weigh station when it is empty, then again when it is full. You can make money doing a PPM but it is a lot of hard work. I believe that you can get an advance on a portion of the PPM payment if you need to. PPM payments are usually, if not always, taxable. See Love My Tanker's post about this by putting Personally Procured Move in the search box at the top right.

Good luck to you. PCSing is always an adventure and you learn something new every time.

[plibarmywife]

IF you do a DITY - see if you can get a list of guys from the vehicle rental guys - they just load and unload the vehicle. We did it with UHaul.. if you are coming into the DC area, let me know, I've got the name of some really good guys!

LAW

[Marine Wife]

I just found out the area we are moving to usually requires 1st and last months rent PLUS security deposit equal to a months' rent upfront (we are talking about thousands of dollars here) so I can't afford to tip anyone. They'll be lucky to get lunch and water this time around!

[g]

The tipping thing is getting out of hand. People are paid to do their jobs, just because their job is of some service to me, does not mean I feel any need to tip them. At a restaurant you are paying for the MEAL, that's why you tip the server, in all other instances I find it absurd. We have PCSed twice and never tipped or provided food. One move the packers brought their lunches and went outside to eat it. They obviously weren't expecting a lunch to be provided. We've also never had anything lost, broken, or stolen. These people are professional and don't need to be "bribed" to handle you stuff with care.

[Diane]

We usually tip .. it just feels good. I treat the packers & movers as welcome guests in our home and do whatever I can to make their time with us pleasant. Moving in the summer with extreme heat and humidity ... I do whatever I can to help them stay motivated and get the job done. In the end, you get what you give!

All the best to those of us PCS'ng this summer .. May all of our moves be smooth and uneventful.

[kirsten]

Except for entering the military in '93, I've only PCS'd involving crates on a boat floating across oceans.
So I only know packers-the guys who load up all my stuff, stick it in a crate, seal it shut and drive away. Some other truck in some other country pulls up with my crates and different guys to open them up and unload my stuff.

We always have water and sodas in the fridge for the workers.

We always take their lunch order from a convenient fast food place.

Once we even provided some pizzas for dinner when they were busy until after dark.

We've given away furniture too but never liquor or condiments-that's what neighbors are for LOL!

[e.b. in northern virginia]

Wow, I'm a little shocked at how few posters have tipped their movers. We not only bought the packers/movers their breakfasts and lunches, we gave each of them $50 -- and that's on both ends. It totaled a few hundred bucks, but they were all so careful and pleasant, and they had nearly all my belongings in their hands! I cannot imagine being a mover for one day. It's hard, hard work (especially when you're moving to northern Virginia, where they schlep everything into a 3- or 4-story townhouse). I guess I consider it karmic insurance. Our stuff usually has to sit in storage in between, which is not ideal, and I am just oh-so-happy that it even makes it to the next place at all! I knew our tips were worth it this most recent time after my husband and I bought a large piece of wooden furniture and had to carry it upstairs ourselves. It took forever, and he almost broke a finger -- and that was for ONE piece of furniture. Those movers did it over and over, sometimes up three flights of stairs, and didn't complain once.

[Jewel]

e.b., more power (and money) to ya! These professionals are paid well for the job they do. I think to buy them meals AND tip them so they treat our stuff with care is a little like extortion. Heck, I don't even like feeling as though we are expected to buy them lunch, but we do. Most families don't have the resources to buy two meals a day plus tip these guys, nor should we be made to feel that we HAVE to in order for them to care for our belongings like they are already getting PAID to do. We have moved 10 times in our 22+ years of marriage and we have never had a bad move. We treat them with respect and let them do the job they are paid to do.

[Mover grrl]

FROM A MOVER:
Being a mover I can tell you. About 70% of the people tip. Women are less likely to tip then men and the older the person, the more likely they are to tip.

It really is a bit strange because when I waited tables as a kid, the older people tipped worse. I would agree that most people see it as the happier they are that they don't have to do it, the better they tip.

The average tip is $20 per mover. $10 is the low end and $50 is the high end. If you have anything really nasty like a sleeper sofa that has to be carried up a crooked staircase or a memory foam mattress that holds no shape, tip them extra.

If you cannot afford to tip you can still do other things. We really love cold bottled water on hot days. Our crews aren't allowed to eat on the job but often our customers buy pizza or get snacks for us to take with us afterwards.

[She of the Sea]

Thanks for all the comments. It is so helpful to know what is happening in the PCSing world. I don't know if this will change if and how much I tip, but at least I feel empowered by a little knowledge.

[Kenneth Shade]

The joke in the moving business is confirmed here, military people are terrible tippers.They don't pay for the move ,and expect special treatment.I was in the Army and it really amazes me that people cannot use proper etiquette.Also, the better moving companies won't do military moves! ?