Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again

In article ,
says...


Jon Walters wrote in message
...

First of all -- the kids of this generation are spoiled
and "do no wrong" in the eyes of their parents. They are
right and you are wrong .... especially when a 13 year old
wanted $40 to shovel the snow from my sidewalk recently. I
told the kid I'll give him $10 and he walked away. Good. I'll
wait until it melts before I pay that much.

Ah, so you think just because he's 13, he ought to do it for less than
an amount that he considers worth his time? He doesn't owe you
service. The only thing I can think of is that he might not have been
polite, and that's the only thing that he might have done wrong. But,
I've seen people like you grump over the polite ones, too.

What are you talking about? The kid wanted one price, the poster offered
a different price. The kid walked away without even a counter offer.
Unless the sidewalk is very long and the snow very deep, I too would think
that $40 is unreasonable.

Shoveling snow is hard work, and it's no fun.

So is washing dishes. I don't think dish washers get paid much above
minimum wage.

And if you contract
with an agency that does stuff like that, they charge $75.

For $75 I would expect my drive way plowed too. But the truth is I wouldn't
pay someone else to do it. I would shoveled it my self. Nothing wrong with
some exercise when it is cold out.

I've heard this so many time before...old codgers who think the
neighbor kids owe them labor for cheap. And for whatever reason, it's
always over shoveling snow.

I think the poster was pointing out the exact opposite, kids who think they
should be paid outrageous amounts for unskilled labor.
-----------
Alex

In article ,
says...

If your 13 year old neighbor seems to be charging too much, look at how
much walkway you have to get cleared. Consider how long it ought to
take him to do a good job, and in your own head work out a fair hourly
rate. Then negotiate, and include both how much you think the job is
worth, and what the job specifically entails. Do you want just a narrow
path, or the full walkway uncovered? Does it include the full sidewalk
in front of your property as well as the walkway? A walkway to the back
or garage? The driveway? Does he put out salt or dirt as well? For
labor of this demanding nature, we figure on a wage equivalent to $7 or
$8 per hour with a $10 minimum.

So given all that, was $40 really out of line? If only by a little,
perhaps you could work on teaching the child how to negotiate, and throw
in some hot apple cider on completion.

this sounds like the reasonable thing to do.
-----------
Alex

Cathy Weeks wrote:


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

One of my new neighbors from 2 doors down (we just moved to this house
in August) not only does my neighbor's driveway, mows his lawn, rakes
his leaves (he is very old), every snowstorm so far this year he has
done MY driveway and sidewalk. I never asked him to, and have yet to
catch up to him when he is around during my work schedule to thank him.

In article , Alex Rodriguez wrote:

I think the poster was pointing out the exact opposite, kids who think they
should be paid outrageous amounts for unskilled labor.

They should unionize, then it would be acceptable.

On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 23:05:25 -0500, Alex Rodriguez
wrote:

Shoveling snow is hard work, and it's no fun.

So is washing dishes. I don't think dish washers get paid much above
minimum wage.

But if someone doesn't want the wage offered for dishwashing and
refuses the job, what is the problem with that person? Nothing, imo.


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

Mike Helm wrote in message
...
On 8 Jan 2004 15:52:52 -0800, (Rob
Kleinschmidt)

Well, Bush is working on a plan to allow him to hire a migrant worker
who is willing to do it for $10, most of which will be wired back to his
home country.

wake up! The migrants are already here. Let them pay taxes and car
insurance.

Reassembler

Nan wrote in message
...
On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 19:13:01 -0800, Scott in Aztlán
Actually, I have a Psych degree, Business degree, and a Journalism
degree and have owned my own housecleaning business.

Nan


Mail order degrees with "life experience credit?"

Reassembler

Jon Walters wrote in news:3FFCF30F.C9E687C9
@noway.com:

this will change when one of them is seriously hurt! They even
ride through this neighborhood at night with no lights attached
to their motor cycles. Where are the parents?



My question is: Where is your clothesline?


--
IBA# 11465
http://imagesdesavions.com

Jon Walters wrote in news:3FFCF30F.C9E687C9
@noway.com:

right and you are wrong .... especially when a 13 year old
wanted $40 to shovel the snow from my sidewalk recently.


The little ****er probably needed that much $$ for his next crack fix...

--
IBA# 11465
http://imagesdesavions.com

Mike Helm wrote in
:

During the '80s, I got $20 to mow the yard, which of course includes
edging, sweeping the pavement, and it was a big yard.


During the mid-80's I kept food in my belly by shoveling snow in the
winter and doing yard work in the summer and fall for $5 an hour. Spring
was a very lean time for me. Even though I got paid by the hour I
usually did 2 hour's worth of work in that 60 minutes...

--
IBA# 11465
http://imagesdesavions.com