Movers berates customer for taking more than 20 minutes to tip for their services: 'Demanding a tip is a great way to ensure you don't get one.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Apr 26, 2026 7:45 AM EDT

The customer needs to look at her stuff and figure out if their services were worth a tip.

I understand the common cultural sentiment that tipping has gone too far. I don't think that we need to abolish the system altogether because, under a tipping system, waiters and bartenders are actually able to make a living wage in America. I don't trust that if waiters were making a fair hourly wage, they would make as much money as they do with tips, but that's just me. I understand how annoying it can be when every customer service interaction where tipping is not typically expected now suddenly has a little button asking if you'd like to tip 20% when all the employee did was turn an iPad around. I usually tip 20% anyway because I can't bear to look a worker in the face after I've supposedly stiffed them, but that's probably because I'm a coward. I do have some standards, and tipping at a self-checkout kiosk is a level I won't stoop to. 

There is an expectation that you should tip your movers, but that can be complicated if you don't have enough time to inspect your stuff to make sure that nothing was broken in the process of moving. If the movers broke your Fabergé egg, you might regret that you tipped them. Movers typically expect a tip before you have a chance to look through your stuff, so you either have to be comfortable with the possibility of tipping for sub-par services, or withhold your tip until you're certain the service was good. The customer in this story did the latter, and her movers were not pleased about it.

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  • Portrait of a delivery man courier with cardboard boxes in hand
    via Getty Images (UInsplash+)

    Mover moves boxes into his customer's apartment.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Am I the bad guy for not tipping my movers after they demanded that I do so within 20 minutes after they finished working?

    I hired a local moving company to move my furniture out of my storage unit to my new apartment. It was for a one bedroom apartment
    via u/Evergreen955
  • and due to the relatively short distance between the storage center and my apartment, the entire move took about 1.5 hours. I have no issues tipping workers, especially having worked a few manual labor jobs myself.
    via u/Evergreen955
  • Foreman or industrial worker working in warehouse
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • In this instance, though, after dropping off my furniture, one of the movers (out of a team of three) told me that he wanted the tip to be payed via Apple Pay only and mentioned that he
    via u/Evergreen955
  • wanted it done within 20 minutes as that would be convenient to him so he could divide the tip amongst the team. At this point I had already paid the actual cost of the move.
    via u/Evergreen955
  • Before they left, I told him it wouldn't be an issue to tip over Apple Pay and I would get to it once I set up my bed frame, unzipped my mattress. from its packaging, and sorted through my boxes.
    via u/Evergreen955
  • A room filled with lots of boxes and plants
    via Dina Badamshina

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I also didn't have Apple Cash set up to pay other people, so it would be a few minutes to link my accounts.
    via u/Evergreen955
  • While I was doing this, I saw that he had called my phone 4 times and sent a text stating "I guess we're not getting this tip. Can you let us know so we can go home now?".
    via u/Evergreen955
  • That didn't sit well with me. Is it normal nowadays for people to be so aggressive about tipping? When I worked service jobs I never demanded that I receive a tip by my
    via u/Evergreen955
  • preferred method within a specified timeframe. Am I out of touch here? I opted not to tip because I didn't appreciate the aggression on the part of the mover.
    via u/Evergreen955
  • FonkinJones Demanding a tip is a great way to ensure you don't get one
    via u/FonkinJones
  • mnth241 My movers refused to unload my stuff before i tipped them.
    via u/mnth241
  • NewCheesecake4425 He wasn't planning on splitting the tip. I had a shady third party delivery from Living Spaces where the guy I gave the tip to stuck it in his sock like a true street punk while the other guy was waiting in the truck.
    via u/NewCheesecake4425
  • OfAnOld Republic Yeah, this was my thought when I read the post. I always make sure I have cash on hand, and distribute the tip to each person individually, in front of the whole team.
    via u/OfAnOldRepublic
  • CabanaBoy3 NTA - tipping "culture" has gone over the edge. It used to be cash was king...and here he is, demanding on how you tip them? Nope...you made the right call.
    via u/CabanaBoy3
  • karma_raven That sounds like Mr. Aggro knew they fked something up, and he suspected that once you went over all your stuff you wouldn't want to tip them at all anymore due to theft or damage. I'd check my stuff thoroughly (fragile, sentimental, and high resale value items, at least) to be sure I didn't need to make an insurance claim right away.
    via u/karma_raven
  • cat-pernicus You paid for the actual service, now had it been very long, hot day, and maybe a two story house, and they helped you arrange the furniture, sure, I would've tipped, but just doing the job they're paid to do? Nah It's like when you pick up a to go order and they're like "would you like to live a tip?", I'm, no
    via u/cat-pernicus
  • perspectivepics When I used to work for tips you could get fired for even suggesting to clients to tip you. Times have changed...
    via u/perspectivepics

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Tags

impolite labor aggressive work customers demanding tipping moving money apple pay
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