Tipping etiquette - hoard cleanout edition

September 22, 2021 6:01 AM

I recently engaged a disaster clean-up service (they specialize in fire and flood remediation, although this was not my situation) to help with a massive haul-out and deep cleaning of a hoarding situation in my parents' house. Not sure about tipping expectations. Location: OH, USA

The project involved 4 dumpsters and 4 days of work with a rotating crew of at least 8 different people. The estimate was ~$11,000, but I think the final tally will be substantially more, as that estimate was based on 2 days of work and 2-3 dumpsters.

The workers were phenomenal - kind, respectful, used good judgment in what they saved and/or conferred with me about (my parents are thankfully still alive and now living in their cleaned out home, but this made the task more delicate, since we couldn't just annihilate everything).

I was a bit overwhelmed with overseeing all of it -- sorting through my parents' dust-and-spider cloaked things, worrying over the emotional fallout, etc -- and it did not occur to me until afterwards about tipping. I did speak with the owner on the last day as things were wrapping up, and praised the team highly and said that I would certainly call on them again when the time comes to clear out the house entirely.

So, what would be the expectation for tipping for this kind of multi-day, complex, and expensive job? Some of the workers did make off (with my blessing) with stuff like unopened liquor bottles, books, gadgets, although obviously those perks were not of interest to everyone and I was glad to see the things not go in the trash. And if tipping would have been appropriate, how/is it possible for me to correct my oversight, now that I have returned to my home state on the east coast?

posted by tentacle to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

I forgot to tip my movers the last time I moved and I just phoned the moving company and asked them if they could add a tip to my credit card payment and distribute it to the men who worked the job. If the company you contracted accepts tips, I would imagine they could do the same easily enough.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:21 AM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

It's hard to say what would be appropriate and just tossing out a % may not be the best advice. What I have done in the past with multi-person tips is think about what actual amount of money would be meaningful for each person and work backwards from there (maybe $250? that would work out to $2,000 across 8 people or 18% for the $11K bill).

OR

You could simply call the owner back as you've already established some good will, and say, I'd like to show my appreciation to the members of the team with a tip and would love to know what other clients have done in the past. He may be able to provide you with some guidance. There's a risk that the boss can take advantage of that, but from the sounds of how the work team proceeded I suspect this person is a good boss.
posted by fortitude25 at 6:27 AM on September 22, 2021 [3 favorites]

If it were me, I would follow the guideline for tipping movers -- tip between 5 and 10% of the total move cost.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:34 AM on September 22, 2021

We just did this last year for a family member; it was 7 days and 12 dumpsters out of a 3 bedroom house. Total bill was $14K. It was the same four guys on the crew. We bought them lunch one day and then tipped them each a $100 bill at the end. I did something like fortitude25 suggested and talked to them a little bit to try to feel out what a good amount would be. Either they were good actors or we did okay; they were happy to get it and said that they don't often get tips and when they do it's $20 or so. (But now that I see the answers above I hope we didn't undertip...)
posted by AgentRocket at 6:40 AM on September 22, 2021 [3 favorites]

For what you're describing, $200-$250 per worker seems like a very reasonable suggestion. The physical/emotional work you're describing goes well beyond normal moving services. As jacquilynne says, you should be able to call the company and add a tip to the credit card charge.
posted by praemunire at 7:23 AM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

There is no expectation for tipping in this situation.

This isn't a couple hundred dollar moving gig and you're throwing the guys $20 extra. You've paid $11,000, maybe more. Save your money.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 11:44 AM on September 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

You don't tip professionals who make a living wage. It's insulting and awkward.

Why do you assume these guys are professionals who make a living wage?
posted by praemunire at 1:23 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

Sometimes the cheapest way to pay is with cash, and I think it's kind of you to want to thank these people for being so kind to your parents. 5-10% sounds reasonable to me.
posted by disconnect at 4:33 PM on September 22, 2021