Timelies all!

I've only done long-distance moves twice.(By long-distance, I mean from one state to another) The first time was when I was going to grad school, and I was not bringing furniture. (First time renting a place, and I rented a bedroom set) Second time was moving from NC to MD, and I hired movers and a truck for everything but the stuff I needed for the next few days. Last time we moved we hired movers, even though we were only going a couple of miles.

Well, the move ended up being billed at 5.75 hours, which I find a little ridiculous (charging the cost of time to go from the office to me and back!?! Even at 15 min each way that's stupid). But because of the morning vs afternoon mixup I got ten percent off. So, I tipped 50 bucks ($25 each). Which is a little over ten percent after discount or a little under before.

Has anyone ever worked as a temp for Manpower?

quester, not worked for but we do use Manpower at the office when we need 20 or 30 people to help with big distributions. Everyone I've come in contact with has been nice, they show up on time, do the job quite well. I think they don't pay a huge amount but the manager we deal with is very nice and the people seem to enjoy working for them.

All this move talk is really stressing me out. This is the first move ever that the Army isn't doing for us. We are only moving less than a mile away (like, two streets over), but Joe is determined to do it all himself, with a few friends to help move the heavy stuff.

We are stuck paying to rent this house for the entire month, even though we only need two weeks, so we will take our time. But still, the sheer volume of stuff to move is overwhelming.

I was fully intending to tip our movers $50 each on account of the stairs, but I downgraded it to $20 when they tried to fleece me (they claimed that the stairs weren't on the work order and said I'd have to pay them extra, in spite of the fact that it said "4th floor walk-up" on EVERY FREAKING PAGE).

I had a similar experience when I moved to Oakland from across the bay. The movers (a two guys, one truck dealie) gave me a $375 estimate once they came and looked at all of my stuff. I got out $500 cash, so was going to give them $125 tip when all was done. They made rude comments about my cd collection and damaged my dining room table and television. And then told me, when all was said and done, that it came to "$475". I gave them the $500 and nothing more.

I had also ordered pizza and drinks, which they happily consumed. That was before I noticed the inch missing from the bottom of the tv (it was only cosmetic, but still) and the scratches on the dining room table (they unpacked after pizza and soda break).

I was a temp for Manpower, but it was a situation where I was at my old job as a temp from Sepherion, then they put me on as a company temp, and then was made a temp through Manpower (basically my boss wanted to keep me and I needed more money so they could give me a raise by hiring me through Manpower).

If I remember correctly Manpower had pretty good benefits for a temp agency and paid holidays off decently. Like if your office was closed for two days for a holiday and you worked the day before and the day after those 2 days you'd get paid for the holiday.

They had pretty decent dental benefits too.

in spite of the fact that it said "4th floor walk-up" on EVERY FREAKING PAGE

We had friends move us from a third-floor walk-up to a fifth-floor walk-up in Manhattan once. I think I promised them our firstborn.

I was also really glad we hadn't chosen the sixth-floor walk-up after that move.

My move was about $500, and I tipped ...a lot, I think. Maybe too much. But seriously the cheapest bid, they broke NOTHING, there was a moving truck snafu on the part of UHaul, and they fought that out and were still on time, had to carry down 3 flights, up my front steps, and then there was the heavy stuff to go on the second floor. And it was a freakish 95 in April (hrm, sounds familiar.) And it was pretty much done in some thing ridiculous, like 3 or 4 hours.

javachick sent me on a trip down memory lane, 14 years ago.

We used strong-backed relatives to load a one-way truck and towed our car cross-country. And then we hired "a guy" and "a buddy of his" for $60 plus $25 tip for both (not each) to unload the heavy stuff off the truck. They were fast and super-careful, and put everything right where we said to.

The second load was H's van packed to the gills and a tow-along trailer, ditto, which we unloaded ourselves.

But there was the cost of gas and motels for seven-eight nights cross-country, both trips, offset by the overnight stays with kind Buffistas with parking space.