1/2: I do not understand how people who fancy themselves "independent businesshumans" do not understand economy, supply-and-demand, basic mathematics, and the nature of business and capitalism.
A dude charges $300 to pressure-wash a 15'x30' deck in 30-45mins. I counteroffer $100. He balks and tells me I am insulting him. I tell him rather than pay him, I'll get the fella who cleaned the deck last year:
$30/hr. + ~$70 to buy the cleaner. I already bought the bristled heads and the mop handle.
2/2: Fella takes 1.5 to 2hrs. to clean and rinse the deck, and it's spotless. That's $60. Plus the cleaner, that's a total job of $130, and it's less than half the cost of dude pressure-washing.
Dude says, "But it takes longer." I reply, "It does just as good a job, and it's less expensive." He says, "Well, I paid for a good pressure-washer, and I gotta make a living." I reply, "That isn't my responsibility."
He said I don't appreciate The Workin' Man. I ribbed him and told him that the...
3/2: ...other fella works harder than he does.
It's weird how there's not a shortage of folks who seem to believe that they are owed patronage, and I'm glad they're countered by people who practice the Fair Price for Fair Labor/Goods and whose hustle isn't hustling people out of money.
I called my dude, and he's booked up for three weeks. His son's also now working with him, and he's booked out a bit, too. I'm now slated for his son to come clean the deck on 17 August.