What is it with young people today? NF

[Big Cliff]

I have been trying to hire someone to help me do jobs around here, nothing fancy, rake the yard, stain the decks, clean the evestroughs..... jobs I just find really hard to do myself anymore!

 

I finally got a guy to come and sand and stain my decks, took him two days, cost me $1250.00. (My bad, he quoted I accepted, I just remember it took me several days to do them last year, I figure it took him about 10 hours). Afterwards I had a few people come to me and tell me I should have asked them, they would have undercut him. Ya, they would have done it for $100.00 an hour!

 

I have been trying to hire help to do lots of little jobs around here, I've been offering $15.00 an hour cash. If they do show up, they spend more time talking or texting on their phones than they do working but in most cases they don't even show up. Finally managed to hire a guy to cut my lawn, takes him an hour cost me $45.00, actually it use to take me two hours and I was bagged so not such a bad deal.

 

Even my own son; he is currently laid off, offered to hire him for a week $600.00 plus we'd spend some time fishing; "sorry dad, I'm too busy, I want to go smelt fishing!".

 

Yesterday I worked 15 straight hours, I make $16.00 an hour and I think I am lucky to even be able to have a job at 70, just doesn't seem right somehow.

 

Time to sell everything, move into a small low maint. place, change the will to leave nothing to the son (he doesn't seem to need or want any help).

 

Old, tired, frustrated!

 

 

[manitoubass2]

Geez, thats brutal.

 

Up here cliff, your deck woulda cost a case of beer between two guys.

 

Lawn mow be about 15 bucks. Or id send my 12 year old and hed just do it for free or donation

 

You live in the wrong darn place lol

[Big Cliff]

Geez, thats brutal.

 

Up here cliff, your deck woulda cost a case of beer between two guys.

 

Lawn mow be about 15 bucks. Or id send my 12 year old and hed just do it for free or donation

 

You live in the wrong darn place lol

To be honest I have had some wonderful help from many of the members on this board over the years but they all have their own lives to live too and I can't keep asking them for help every time I need something done.

[Acountdeleted]

Geez, $15 an hour is good money.

 

If this was a year ago I would have taken you up on that in a heartbeat. Work doesn't come by easy no-a-days. Especially above minimum wage.

 

The world is changing sadly.

[Sinker]

You can't blame the kids, its their parents. Kids nowadays get everything handed to them. I had to work for everything i have, even when I was a kid. They just don't know any better.

 

S.

[netminder]

What is it with parents these days, is what I'd like to ask.

 

Truthfully, there isn't much incentive to take a job seriously that you're only going to be able to do for a few hours a week at $15/hour, especially when a lot of young people are still living at home because they can't afford the cost of living these days. And how do you know the time they spend on their phones isn't trying to line up the next $15 job so they can afford more than a sub and bag of chips from subway today?

 

As for the guy staining your deck, of course the other guys would have undercut him after the fact, but I think that's on you for not shopping around.

 

As for your son... See my first line above.

 

I wonder what 70 year olds were saying about "kids these days" when you were in your 20's.

 

Don't worry, I already know I'll be like you when I'm your age. I already am for the most part.

[manitoubass2]

Most people seem to not even have their kids do chores these days.

 

Not so in our house

 

I dont even worry about the lawn because my boys do it, unless of course I feel like doing it(which I oddly enjoy)

[Dutch01]

The kids are around here (Markham) are all driving high end BMW's and Benz's. Pretty sure they didn't get those from part time jobs.....smh

Edited April 22, 2016 by Dutch01

[manitoubass2]

And as a kid i woulda killed for those jobs cliff!

 

Around 12 to 15 I made good money staining decks, painting fences etc. Shovelling off roofs and sidewalks/driveways were the winter jobs

[Steve]

kids are smarter, better educated, and more in tune with technology than ever before.

 

this is what will move our society forward.

 

not brute force.

 

what used to be normal for kids just isn't anymore.

[wormdunker]

Wow, sad story Cliff. I attempt to do most of my own work. The only job I can't do any more is climb my roof to do trough maintenance. I'm fortunate to have a young neighbor who comes over in the fall & offers to clean my troughs. I ask him how much? He says 20 bux! I'm in! He even took my hose to flush out the downspouts. I gave him $30.00. He did a great job.

[AKRISONER]

part of the problem you are dealing with Cliff is that you cant find people that actually want to work to do the jobs that you have. The ones that actually want to work and are good workers have jobs of their own already.

 

There was a time in my life I would have been all over this. But for those that actually care to work hard, those times are usually short lived.

 

What you are dealing with is a bunch of bums that dont have jobs to begin with...and thats usually for a reason.

[manitoubass2]

part of the problem you are dealing with Cliff is that you cant find people that actually want to work to do the jobs that you have. The ones that actually want to work and are good workers have jobs of their own already.

 

There was a time in my life I would have been all over this. But for those that actually care to work hard, those times are usually short lived.

 

What you are dealing with is a bunch of bums that dont have jobs to begin with...and thats usually for a reason.

Thats why ya get the 12-15 year old kids.

 

I was on the gring at that age, $1000 bucks would last me all all summer and some!

[SirCranksalot]

A few years back I hired a couple of guys to help me split a whole pile of wood. There weren't really young kids---maybe around 30. Paid $15 an hr. One had a job, his bro didn't. Man oh man, they attacked that wood with a vengeance. Can't paint them all with the same brush.

[woodenboater]

your kid won't help you out Cliff ? If I was offered $600 and I was out of work, I'd be all over that like flies on u know what.

[crappieperchhunter]

Cliff I'm sorry to hear your woes. The world is different today and that's all there is to it. The problem as I see it can't be blamed entirely on the kids. I grew up doing farm work and having exposure to many different forms of physical labour and reno/repair work as most of my generation and older generations did as well. My son on the other hand grew up in the city and lived in a brand new house that never needed anything done other then painting, so I never got to share any of my knowledge with him. He's smart and not afraid to work....he's just out of his depth. He could cut your grass for you and that's just about it.

 

And don't be too harsh on your own son. Maybe he really wants to go smelt fishing and looks forward to it every year or he's just exhausted and wants to enjoy his downtime from work. We are crazy busy at work and I told the boss when I worked my last OT shift on April 9th please don't ask me for the rest of the month. I got some seasonal fishing coming up I enjoy, I got my veggie garden and yard work to get done, tiller and lawnmower's to service, boat to get organized. And we are preparing to move back into the cottage the 1st of May. Extra hours at work just don't fit into my schedule right now. All I'm saying is perhaps your son has lots on the go now as well. Being laid off doesn't necessarily mean he isn't busy or doesn't deserve to enjoy his downtime at his own leisurely pace.

Edited April 22, 2016 by crappieperchhunter

[manitoubass2]

See, thats a weird thing right there.

 

All the work I did for my parents/grandparents I wasnt asked, I was TOLD.

 

Eventually I really liked it.

 

To this day my mom or dad need help I jump and if I dont they will tell me they arent asking lol.

[grimsbylander]

Has there ever been a generation that didn't have that exact complaint? Let's start a thread next about haircuts and crappy music. Hey! you kids...get off my lawn!!!!

[captpierre]

Used to run home from school in the winter after a snow storm.

Had a few driveways to shovel in the neighbourhood. $5.

If I got there too late might have lost the job to competition.

Made my 4 kids get a degree.

And we paid for half.

Cut them a cheque for

$7k per year.

They worked their butt off for pool companies all summers.

No debts after university.

Tough love is a good thing.

[DRIFTER_016]

It's the everyone gets a trophy generation.

Mostly a lazy bunch of entitled brats.

[fishing n autograph]

The kids are around here (Markham) are all driving high end BMW's and Benz's. Pretty sure they didn't get those from part time jobs.....smh

Those are the parents who call the police when their kids won't listen to them

Edited April 22, 2016 by FishnNAutographs

[manitoubass2]

Those are the parents who call the police when their kids won't listen to them

I suppose you actually have to follow up on these calls?

 

Thats just brutal

[KLINKER]

Well lets see, for someone to legally come work on your house he might need a ladder for that he will have to be licensed, he will need a truck for the ladder so that will be a couple grand at least plus safety and e-test. For the truck he will need insurance at around 5 grand and liability insurance at another 5 grand or so. He will have to have his comp paid up at whatever that comes to. He will also need a HST account and maybe local licenses. So now that he is all set up in the handyman business no one will hire him because its cheaper to get someone under the table. Is it possible that young people aren't lazy but we have regulated them out of work.

[GBW]

The kids are around here (Markham) are all driving high end BMW's and Benz's. Pretty sure they didn't get those from part time jobs.....smh

Growing up there I watched those changes and SMH too...

 

It's the everyone gets a trophy generation.

Mostly a lazy bunch of entitled brats.

Correct!

 

However, the "new generation" has technology advantages others never had. BUT they have as I will say "typist hands" or soft skin and don't want to break a nail or even a sweat for a dollar. They would much rather take $10 an hr standing still vs $20 and working for it.

I may have grown up in Markham but I worked ASAP for everything I had. My older sister was I think phase one of the "gimmy erra"

[crappieperchhunter]

Finally managed to hire a guy to cut my lawn, takes him an hour cost me $45.00, actually it use to take me two hours and I was bagged so not such a bad deal.

 

 

 

Honestly Cliff your getting a good deal at $45. Maybe 5 years ago I was at a garage sale in Bobcaygeon. Got talking to the homeowner...an older gentleman...and complimented him on his beautiful lawn/yard. He told me then it was costing him $60 a pop to get his grass cut and his yard would be 1/2 or 1/3 the size of yours. Told my mom and she said many of her senior friends have told her the same.

 

That's the going rate. As long as my health holds up I was planning to take on a couple of lawns when we retire up there. $100-$200 a week during the summer for less then 5-6 hours work a week...will give me all the spending money I will ever need.