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Do You Tip Furniture Delivery Men in 2024? Should You?

Do You Tip Furniture Delivery Men in 2024? Should You?

Do you tip furniture delivery? This is a question we’re asked all the time.

While it’s certainly not necessary, many people do. After all, the company is practically saving your back.

Read on to learn more about the tip.

Furniture Delivery Tipping Rule of Thumb

For a piece on should you tip furniture deliverymen, a hand extended holding two $20 bills

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Likely, you wouldn’t hesitate to tip at a restaurant or for food delivery, but do you tip for furniture delivery?

Yes, you should tip between $5 and $20 for each light, heavy, or complicated delivery, respectfully.

While tipping for furniture delivery means spending above what you paid for the furniture, it’s essential to keep these in mind.

Furniture delivery is a complex and physically demanding endeavor that requires skills and precision to deliver the furniture safely.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t pay well above the minimum wage. Tipping for furniture delivery is accepted, and we will break down the range of factors that will influence your tipping. Read on to learn more.

Should You Tip for Furniture Delivery?

Two men in white shirts with blue overalls and hats pulling a well-wrapped black metal shelf from a truck for a piece on whether or not you should tip furniture delivery men

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The furniture delivery team may not expect a tip from you, but it’s important to tip them to appreciate their service as a standard. The amount you decide to tip them is based on your preference.

However, it’s essential to reward them more, depending on the difficulty of the delivery. You may consider a few factors, like weight and size, or maybe if the delivery involves numerous pieces of furniture.

Alternatively, you may feel inclined to tip if the furniture delivery team is working under poor weather conditions or when you think the delivery service is exceptional.

Below is a detailed guide to factors you may take into account when tipping the furniture delivery team.

Cost of Your Furniture

The delivery team just delivered your $5,000 couch safely, and maybe they have to maneuver through the hallway without causing any damage to your sofa or hallway.

As a show of gratitude for their discreet service, you should consider tipping.

However, it doesn’t mean that the delivery team should get tips for delivering a piece of expensive furniture. They get paid for these, but such a safe delivery is worth a token of appreciation.

The Complexity of the Delivery

large refridgerator moving trough small door

LightField Studios/Shutterstock

In most instances, furniture is large, while the doorways are small. In some cases, the furniture is heavy, or your hallways are tight and the doors are narrow.

You are concerned about your investment’s safety because the chance of damage is high.

On the other end, the furniture delivery team has to endure these high-stress situations to deliver your purchase safely.

Sometimes they have to carry heavy furniture down narrow drives that their trucks can’t access. In some instances, they have to clear obstacles out of the way and even move furniture upstairs.

Without a doubt, such deliveries are time- and energy-consuming. Given their complexity, you might consider tipping.

Tipping each guy $20 or more doesn’t mean you are getting ripped off, but rather a show of appreciation.

Assembly

Some furniture purchases will require assembling. However, some furniture retailers will deliver and assemble for you, while others will only drop delivery.

Assembling furniture is a cumbersome process that you might not manage on your own. Your delivery person can offer to assemble it for you, even if it is not part of the services they offer.

Some go as far as removing the old pieces and cleaning up after themselves.

So, do you tip the furniture delivery? Was the service standard? Look at it this way.

This team has gone out of its way. They chose to assemble your purchase and not leave it on the porch. It’s best to tip them for this discretionary service.

Weather

Open Truck Delivery. Mover Men Moving Boxes

Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

Furniture delivery teams sometimes work in sunny conditions, blazing the extreme heat, or in cold, freezing conditions.

If you are expecting furniture delivery during such conditions that you wouldn’t wish to work, then this is the perfect situation to tip. Not like they are entitled to the bonus. But it is a sign of gratuity.

Alternatively, you can extend your humanity and offer them a cup of coffee or hand them a bottle of water, depending on the weather conditions. You may also allow them to use your bathroom.

To you, these may seem minute, but such little polite gestures are worth more than a tip.

Quality of Service

You will always use different signals to evaluate the quality of service you get from the furniture delivery personnel.

Maybe they left your furniture in the doorway, or they are hurriedly dragging your furnishings inside, exposing it to tear. You’ll probably not think of tipping them a penny.

However, if they offer to put your furniture in place, help you take out the packaging litter, or assist you in rearranging the room, you might decide otherwise.

Sometimes they will help you take the old furniture outside—such actions, although not mandatory, deserve a tip.

Time

Suppose your furniture doesn’t fit your doorway or elevator, and the only available solution is dismantling the furniture and reassembling it later or using the staircases. In that case, you’ll need more time.

The delivery team can decide to go beyond their call of duty to apply their skills and energy to get your furniture inside. 

Alternatively, you may not be at home, and the furniture delivery team had to wait outside for about 30 minutes for you to arrive.

Messing their timelines is a reason enough to tip them for straining their active engagements. Remember, they get paid on an hourly basis.

Be nice about delays by offering a tip. But if they make you wait for them outside the indicated time and end up late to work or a meeting, it is also a good reason not to tip them.

Why Do You Tip Furniture Delivery Explained

Two bulky young men in blue outfits moving a piece of furniture into a living room

Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

Sometimes there are fees tucked in for furniture delivery, and it may stink to tip, but look at it this way.

Furniture delivery doesn’t pay much. I’d follow this line of thought:

  • Was the furniture heavy?
  • Is the furniture complex to assemble?
  • Did it come with simple instructions that don’t necessitate technical powerlessness?

How much you decide to tip is entirely your decision, but never mind tipping them from $5 for small pieces of furniture to $20 for large items and even more for exceptional services.

Hard work and skilled deliveries deserve good money. The furniture delivery team appreciates an excellent tip to supplement their minimum wages.

So, consider tipping them; even a little goes a long way.