You’ve paid hundreds of dollars for your new piece of furniture and possibly paid a delivery fee as well, so do you also need to tip?
Tip $10 to $20 for large items of furniture, but do not feel obligated to tip small items. We found about 50% of customers tip for furniture delivery, and when they do, the average tip is $10 per person or $20 for great service or a tricky delivery.
Tipping might seem like an unnecessary added expense when you’ve just spent so much on the furniture itself, but it is worth remembering that the delivery team are doing a difficult, labor-intensive job, are paid a very low hourly wage, and are unlikely to ever see a dime of the delivery fee you paid.
P.s. not ordered that furniture yet? You should check out our sustainable furniture guide, packed full of sustainable brands that create great furniture.
Purchased New Furniture? Check Out This Top Tip
Purchasing new furniture? Don’t forget to protect your floor! Floor protectors, like these felt furniture pads (amazon) and these transparent protector caps (amazon), provide protection from scratches or scrapes that can happen as your furniture moves.
How Much To Tip For Furniture Delivery?
Our research found that most people tipped about $10 per person or $20 for a really good service. A few outliers tipped more, and about 50% of people didn’t tip at all. Because of the cost of furniture, it would be considered excessive to give a 15% tip as you might for a meal, although we did find a couple of people who reported doing this!
If you do decide to tip, we suggest you consider the following factors when considering how much is appropriate:
The Difficulty of the Delivery
Delivering furniture is back-breaking work, but even so, some deliveries are much more difficult than others. If your delivery is particularly heavy or requires a flight or more of stairs, you might want to consider tipping. Other factors include the steepness of your drive, the tightness of your hallways, and even the weather – would you want to deliver a solid oak wardrobe in the middle of a snow or rain storm then cart it up five flights of stairs?
The Cost of the Furniture
Two guys (or women) just safely delivered your brand new $6,000 couch up your steps and through a narrow and twisting hall without damage to either the sofa or your home. Personally, we’d say that was worth $10 in tips each in appreciation! It might not seem like much, but for the people working delivery jobs, tips can be a very welcome bonus that supplements the low income that a delivery person makes.
Timeliness
You’ve booked the morning off work to receive your delivery… and it doesn’t come. An abrupt phone call five minutes after your delivery slot ends informs you they’ll be along in a few hours and you’ll need to wait… yeah, we wouldn’t tip either. Being on time isn’t necessarily a reason to tip, but being late and not giving any notice is definitely a reason not to!
Assembly
Does anyone really love assembling furniture? If your furniture delivery team assembled your furniture for you, worked quickly, and cleaned up after themselves, you might want to consider that when choosing a tip.
Quality of Service
Only you can judge how high the quality of service you received was and if it was worth a tip. However, if they dumped the furniture through your front door and refused to move it any further, we’d suggest they’re probably not tip-worthy.
On the other hand, if they helped you move your other furniture so you could get your new piece in exactly the right place – and did so without complaint – that might be a different matter.
Friendliness & Attitude
A good attitude can go a long way. If you like them, why not tip them!
A Tip Isn’t The Only Way To Show Your Appreciation
Regardless of whether you tip or not, it’s not the only way to show your appreciation for a job well done. Why not offer them a glass of water, a cup of coffee, or a biscuit? While you’re at it, let them use your bathroom! Little gestures like these are much appreciated by busy delivery teams – possibly more so than a tip.
New furniture arriving soon? You might want to check out our articles about how to get rid of that new furniture smell or our guide to couch cleaning to help keep your new couch looking perfect.
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