I don't know, I know everything is more expensive now and I am feeling the squeeze. However most of the people I know are making the same or less than what they were making in 2009.

$20 a person is incredibly cheap. It's 2014, minimum $40 per person.
Tipping is out of control, but tipping movers has been the convention forever.

20-25 a guy plus pizza.

The last time I moved, I tipped $30-$40 per mover, with the guys doing all the heavy lifting getting a bit more. I also fed them - big box of donuts and coffee in the morning and for lunch I ordered pizzas. They seemed to be happy with that. My advice is go with what you can afford in cash tips and throw in at least one meal for these guys.

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Well that and airline pilots make a real wage, have benefits, job security and don't become physically unable to perform their job in their early 50s due to years of physical abuse.

If you're moving boxes for a living the chances are very good you don't have a lot of other options, yet you're willing to bust your ass trying to make a living any way you can. Life is such that they are not getting a heck of a lot of money for their hard work and I'm more than willing to help out the guys who bust their ass every day just to get by.

If they do good work, this is the right time to be generous with a tip. $20 or $50 or $100/guy, depending on the scope of the job.

LAM1959 it sounds like you're on the right track.

Yikes. I actually think they deserve tips if they do a good job! And I'd be inclined to give more if it snows/storms like madness/other hardship. I wouldn't give booze--it just seems wrong to me and never crossed my mind. I just want to give what's fair & I think I've determined that. Thank you all...

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oh really? do you tip your airline pilots? why not? because society didn't tell you to do so?

It cost $600 to ship my things from the UK to the US - why in the world would I tip $400 to the 4 guys for carrying some boxes and furniture? A tip is just a "hey, thanks" to me, not a "Wow you guys are human beings you had to put sweat and stress into your job so here!" .. Maybe you underestimate how strong us guys can be ;)

Maybe we're talking about totally different scales of moving. If I was moving from a 3/4 bedroom house to the same, then I might consider a larger tip, but not for apartment moves, no way.

I think it is outrageous to tip people schlepping huge heavy boxes and furniture and valuables $20. I think it is insulting. I moved at the end of June during a heat wave and I gave each guy $100 on top of the cost of the move. My ex just moved last weekend in the middle of the snowstorm and the move took TWELVE HOURS. He tipped them $100 each. People who sweat and labor and haul my crap for $15 an hour and manage not to break, lose or steal it deserve thanks, not $20. Tipping may have "gotten out of control", but if there were ever a case to show gratitude with extra money, it is the people transporting your life safely from A to B.

Tipping has gotten out of control. Every damn job has a tip jar or expects tips.

$20 per mover is fine, $5 per mover is fine. It's a tip, not payment of salary.

I would inspect how carefully items were moved into your new home and determine the tip after that. If they did a shitty job why tip at all. Also ,no alcohol (like a six pack or a bottle of wine) should be given as a tip,it is not allowed in commercial vehicles and most companies will fire it's employees for having it.

Thank you.

Maybe they'll hand me a sheet of paper--I'd welcome it. When I asked the guy who did the estimate he was cagey. But this all sounds fair. I'd rather be a bit over than under, unless, of course, they do a lousy job.

I didn't think of lunch--nice touch, especially if they are nice! Fingers crossed.

I used Alpha Movers and 3 people came. I gave them $20 each. They wrapped my furnitures in blankets. Wrapping the mattresses from bedbugs was $35 extra.

They had a sheet of paper that had suggested tips on it.

I think we did $30/ guy and bought them lunch, but my wife handles the tips so I don't recall exactly.

It's been a long time since I moved and that was a 'get your friends to do it' experience. I've hired movers, and I know I'm supposed to tip them. (And not like your friends, who you can tip in food and lots of beer...)

It's a local move. Brownstone out, ground floor of new building in -so one short flight of outside steps there. Biggest thing to move is the sofa and lots of books.

Some people have told me $20/guy but that seems...cheap? (Clearly, I've lived here for too long!)

Help!