Greasing the wheels of customer's kitchens...a random thought.

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Marc-Antoine said:
I'm not the one to ask something. Excepted if I'm very very thirsty and I forgot to take my bottles, but it's very rare.

I see all the schemes, from the HO staying at home and not showing his nose outside, to the big lunch, even the diner sometimes. The most often, it's a coffee. Beer, wine or alcohols are offered in some cases, but all that's a big no no (after the work, why not).
It's pleasant to have a little break and feeling that our job is at least a little appreciated. That doesn't take much time and that's a little plus on the relationship, with the customer and inside the crew.

The hard part is when a customer says "don't climb again now, I bring the coffee", and then, it takes sooo long to prepare it. I want to be up there !
But when a town asks for a mandatory silent from 12 to 14 o'clock, it's really good that the customer offers a lunch !
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That's when the battery saw is a godsend.
 
Everyone stops for lunch, noise is frowned upon, workers often go to restaurants for a large lunch with a number of courses. This is paid for by the company who can write it off against tax (it may even be subsidised by the government)

This keeps restaurants open and provides recreational time with co workers.

When I've subbed for various landscape companies I've been dragged into it.

It's not for me as we're "job and knock (off)" but if I was employed I'd like it.

It's only really applies in built up areas.
 
I 'll take whatever they offer. I love it and they get a better cleanup for sure. I love breaks myself. Have definitly had trouble with the coffee on top of coffee overdose.
 
I'd never think of begging for drinks or food from a customer, whether it be through little hints or outright. I think it is a deplorable practice.

Wow Mick, I'd go nuts having to stop a job for two hours just when the day starts turning hot...or having to start back up all cooled off on the bitter cold days. I'd be freaking out about the lost/wasted time keeping me from finishing the job and extending my day another two hours every day. I suppose there are workarounds (like your battery saw) one could plan in some instances, but it would be totally foreign to my usual methods.
 
No you wouldn't go nut.
Maybe at first, but not for long..

Used to bother me when I worked in Schweiz, but it is such a part of the way thing work there, that I soon got used to it.

Just like the extremely late dinners they eat in southern Europe used to bother me at first, then I got used to it.

We are, after all, a very adaptaple species.
 
You're probably right in the long run Stig, but the way I'm built it would be one hell of a struggle getting used to it.:whine:
 
CurSedVoyce said:
When I come down, I break.
If it means eating a sammie on the way off job to my errands before home.
But then again, I go hard for only 5-6 hours.
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I agree with the 5-6 hour days (on the jobsite). Being in my 50s I'm too old to work 14 hour days any more. Even 10-15 years ago working through the heat of the day and into the late afternoon would leave me drained the next day. Working while exhausted like that leads to accidents and injuries. I'm rarely still on a job after 2pm these days. Most days we skip lunch in order to finish early, then eat after. I usually stop and buy lunch on the way home.

Stopping at noon for 2 hours would ruin my day. I'd have to start even earlier in order to be finished before the forced quiet time. Chainsaws at 6am, anybody?
 
Oops.....sitting there eating my lunch yesterday I realized that one of the only reasons I get to be smug about turning down food and drink offers from customers is that my wife preps a nice breakfast I can eat as I drive to work, and lunch for me every day. And I thought I was pretty good about not taking things for granted.
 
Exactly Brian. More injuries occur after 6 hours work. On our often steep ground, not safe to push guys. If the consensus between the crew to push out another hour or so on flat ground and everyone seems fresh nough to do so, I will.
 
Ha, I remembered one other thing. Early in my career I was trimming trees on a high end property and it quickly became apparent that they were going to have me trim and shape every tree and bush on the property - ended up being 3 months of work. The lady would have me come inside the house every day for tea and coffee cake and an hour to hour and a half of talking. After about 3 or 4 days of that I told her I really needed to keep at my work otherwise I would have to keep the clock running and charge for tea time too. She said fine.

That was a fairly painful three months. Stopping like that and then being mentally slowed down for the rest of the day was hard on production levels.
 
MasterBlaster said:
Ha!

THAT sobered her up!
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No Butch, when she said fine, she was totally okay with paying me to have tea and cake each day. Three months of that. Put me on edge.

Kevin I'm always amazed at how different we all are as people. I have since learned that 3 days on a job is about my max before I would rather be off to a different place/people and doing different work.
 
Merle Nelson said:
No Butch, when she said fine, she was totally okay with paying me to have tea and cake each day. Three months of that. Put me on edge.

Kevin I'm always amazed at how different we all are as people. I have since learned that 3 days on a job is about my max before I would rather be off to a different place/people and doing different work.
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I guess if she was creepy it wouldn't be so great. I normally love easy ornamental pruning with a nice tea break. I'd much rather trim bushes than take big wood.
 
Feel the same way Merle. 3 days and man I just need new scenary.
Have one we do for a week straight. Drives me buggy. He needed to free up a week in October so we gave him two more days after last week. Good god man, I just want to dissappear after this.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #49
I'll read to people's grandkids, for the right price.

I like a change of scenery, too.

Two day jobs are nice.
 
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