On 8 Jan 2004 11:34:11 -0800, (Cathy Weeks)

(Beth Kevles) wrote in message ...

For
labor of this demanding nature, we figure on a wage equivalent to $7 or
$8 per hour with a $10 minimum.

That seems low to me. I'm thinking back to that "mother of all
snowstorms" that hit the east coast about a year ago.

Think of a typical snowfall instead. Obviously you'd charge more to
shovel 2 feet of snow than to shovel 4 inches. When it snows where I'm
from, nobody shovels anything - we don't have snow shovels and the city
doesn't have plows. Of course, it all melts in about an hour, so it's
no big deal.

During the '80s, I got $20 to mow the yard, which of course includes
edging, sweeping the pavement, and it was a big yard. I can't imagine
shoveling 4 inches of snow off of someone's front walk would be even
half as large of a job. Half the job, half the price and I'd generously
double the money to make up for increases in the cost of living.

Here in NJ we
got two feet of snow. We dug out only one of our cars and the bare
minimum of driveway and a path to the door (only about 5 feet of
path). This is actually a very small area (our front door is RIGHT by
our driveway, and our house is VERY close to the road). The job took
hours (4 or so). If I could have paid someone $25 per hour I would
have HAPPILY paid the $100 (or perhaps more). I was stiff and sore
for days after that job.

But it is still the case that everyone values their time differently,
and as long as the teen wasn't rude, the man shouldn't be insulted
about "today's kids" because the kid wouldn't do it for less than $40.

By the way, *I* might shovel someone's snow for free (if they were
friends, and were unable to do it) but I wouldn't take on a shoveling
*job* for $10 (unless it were quick and easy).


Yeah, but you're probably not a teenager without a regular job either,
are you?

Cathy Weeks
Mommy to Kivi Alexis 12/01