Weird day...

CHEESE2009 · #1 06-30-2009, 04:59 PM

So today we had a high chance of showers & a thunder storm. I was up all night watching the movie, "Knowing" & I hated the ending... So it's 5am, it's raining... 8am, grass is still pretty wet, if I don't mow it though, it's supposed to rain till next Monday, screwed.

10Am, the grass is drying up, great!

I get my gear ready, gas everything up.

I bang out a few customers & a couple of new ones. My mower is dry.

I pick up gas at the corner & fill my mower.

Now, I have no idea what was in this magic gas, but my mower has NEVER been this good. It's speed was incredible, the power etc.... I was fast as lightning...

The down part of the day was my trimmer. I wanted to smash it to pieces!

Every second I would be down to just the trimmer head. For some reason it just get snapping off. When it was short, banging it didn't let any string loose. So I was taking it apart maybe 5 times today. The first time I thought I tightened the string too much, the second time I had no idea.

The trimmer wouldn't let string loose, the string broke off randomly all day.

So my mower is on steroids, my trimmer is hungover, though I got another new customer.

Today was HARD. I started late, but I did great.

A lot of my customers are starting to get on my nerves right now though. 2 customers are friends with eachother, & they are both missing payments. They also both have the smallest lawns on my list.

I had hired help with me today, but it was a mistake. I've never been so grumpy & frustrated with someone.

I told him, "You don't get to do anything yet, you keep an eye out for me, when I flag you down, I dump my grass, & you bring it to the truck. When I'm almost done trimming, you get started on using the blower"

Problem... The guy would sit on the customers deck & stare at a wall, instead of keep an eye out for me.

I'd tell him to head to the back yard with the grass can, while I'd start mowing the back... a few minutes pass... I stop the mower & walk to the front, he's sitting on the steps... this is where I yelled, "

HEY!!!! CHRIS, WTF ARE YOU DOING? Stop being a tard & do something! What the hell do you think your here for?" I startled him & he started to do his job.

Next thing I know, I'm done trimming & I haven't heard the blower yet... He's sitting on the grass now... I tell him to stop making Breeze look like crap & blow!

I load the other equipment in the truck & he's fiddling with the blower... I grab it from him & turn it on, & chuck it at the grass and tell him to work!

I watch as my blowers fuel is being wasted.. He starts blowing the grass all over the place.. I give up, I grab the blower, do what needs to be done & tell him to sit in the truck & I drove him home.

I think I was pretty fair. $10/hr, all you have to do is relax with a can & wait for my mowers bag to fill... I dump the grass & he brings it to the truck.. Half the time I would let my mower drive the grass to the truck because only one bag fills. Not difficult at all. I'm sure it's boring, but I want him to watch me & learn.

I let him use the mower once & he fell... He got up & it launched into a hedge...

Can people be this .... .... damn!!!!

I think the more experience you have, the more patience you lose while training others. You expect them to know things, sometimes I could understand.

I trained one other guy & he always forgot to dump the grass from the mower... I let it go all the time, it's a newbie mistake. it also took him a month to learn how to pull a cord to start the mower.

Adjusting the wheels is something you need to supervise, they often forget, & you also forget to tell them & you come back from doing your share of work, the grass is either too short or too high.

Over all, It was an interesting day. My garden weeder also tagged along & heard me arguing with the new guy, later she was laughing with him saying, "He's short tempered, but it actually helps me remember everything" (my radio earmuffs were off while I was tying the equipment down, and they were getting in the truck) the other worker apologized, & said it's not a job he's interested in... I saidm fair enough, but why?

He said, "It's too hot, I hate bugs, I hate the smell of grass"

then I said, "If your with us for winter, you'll hate the cold, your bugging me, & if you don't cut grass, you wont get ***"

this guy was someone who doesn't leave his bedroom, plays games all day or something. Ghost looking...

majoe7 · #2 06-30-2009, 09:35 PM

Lawn care business tips

Scott,
I would quote this but I keep on reading it over and over and over again.
You are one funny SOB. The stories or should I say adventures you have daily would make me go nuts.

“Entertainer of the Month”…..Breeze

John