Jweebothee
Well-known member
Shop got slow this afternoon. So decided to color my ratchet to match its handle 
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Bored at the dealership today
- Thread starter Jweebothee
- Start date
JoeMcGov
Well-known member
Are you too shy to share the details???
Ton ton
Well-known member
Nice.
Notgrownup
Well-known member
Looked like you had the blues.
Htscheg
Well-known member
I have done that to all my wrenches, sockets and ratchets, for me it makes it real east to see them
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Been slow here too. It picked up for awhile but now is back to being slow at all the shops around me not just mine. That’s why I am looking for a place that pays hourly.
kelpaso1
MEMBER EMERITUS
Why would that be any different? If it's slow you would get sent home with no pay anyway. Most shops aren't going to pay employees to sit around and twiddle their thumbs.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I didn’t think about that but I guess you are right. Some days I don’t even get one car to work on. At least I’d get an hours pay somewhere that paid hourly if I was to get sent home.
Can't you start a mobile platform and work on your schedule?
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richfinn
Well-known member
Are these "Zero Hours Contracts"?
In the UK you show up and you get paid regardless of whether management have done their jobs and sold the hours!!!!
Obviously there are sales jobs that only pay commission etc.
Auto Mechanics always get 8hrs pay per day minimum though, even if your mopping the floors and sweeping the car park!!!
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
That’s cool. We only get paid if there is work to do. If you show up and there is nothing you get nothing. Some shops will pay you flat rate and hourly so if there is nothing you still might get a little something.
Ton ton
Well-known member
Qqzj, do you mean like a mechanic shop on wheels?
Professional Tool User
Well-known member
You still get sent home either way if it's slow. The difference is with hourly, you get paid to show up for x amount of time. With flat rate, if they force you to show up for less than a half day and there's not enough work to beat the hourly pay for the amount of time you are showing up, that's a problem. In fact, if it isn't busy enough to bill more than 8 hours a day, that's a problem as well. I'd much rather take the day off and have some fun or schedule some side work.
My problem with flat rate is if I have to risk getting paid less than hourly for the same amount of time worked, I might as well work for myself to max out the upside. The amount of money spent on extra tools to be able to do certain jobs/gain a marginal speed advantage and the ability to pick and choose what jobs you take on are just two reasons that I can think of off the top of my head.
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Professional Tool User
Well-known member
Pretty much. What the US lacks in social benefits it makes up for in lower entry barriers/tax efficiencies for small businesses and other ways. This is why certain things like VAT rates in Europe are so high. This is coming from a Canadian perspective by the way.
BrandoJames
Well-known member
If that’s the case, then why not just become a shadetree mechanic and work out of your home. Then you keep all the profit. You can also do the “mobile mechanic“ thing, right.
Just load up your tools, floor jack, jack stands, etc. You may need to invest in some cordless tools.
It’s easy for me to say that, I’m a programmer and DIYer. But I don’t see the upside in what you’re doing now.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Well the problem with that is not having a home garage. If I was doing something there. I have plenty of shop equipment and an air compressor too. I did the mobile thing for awhile back in the winter and it sucked I can’t work in the cold like that. I could do the mobile thing it’s just I would need a truck for that because I was doing it out of my pickup and didn’t have nearly enough space and often had to run and get something.
Now it's warmer, life should be easier. If you take the unemployment benefit from states, with $300 boost from fed, and work as mobile mechanic, life should be okay if you can locate customers.
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Sent from my SM-G981U1 using The Garage Journal mobile app
merkyworks
Well-known member
Paint pen? Lacquer-Stick? Crayon?
OP
Jweebothee
Well-known member
Just some acrylic paint, smeared it on and let it dry, then scraped it off with a plastic razor blade
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richfinn
Well-known member
It's just the way it is over here (not socialism particularly) if you show up to work you get what your contract says your entitled to (we also get full sick pay and 35 days vacation pay too)
You may as well be self employed otherwise!!!!
What happens if you can earn more at home doing side work one day??? Do you guys just skip work and take the money??
BrandoJames
Well-known member
Blake, I think you're on the right track about getting an hourly job. You'd be better off working at Home Depot/Lowes/Ace and taking side jobs on the weekend. Try to get a Noon--8 pm shift at the big box and let your garage manager know you're free weekday mornings. At least you'll get a steady paycheck every week.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yeah. Luckily I’ve gotten lots of work to do for family and friends so that’s good. As long as I have enough to take care of my dog and insurance that’s what matters. New tools are nice too
.Professional Tool User
Well-known member
If you have a job, you obviously show up provided you aren't ill and they don't mess with your work schedule when it comes to hours, what days, and overtime. You build up your side hustle over time. If it ever gets to the point where the side hustle gets big enough to significantly outweigh the steady income and work life balance from a full time hourly or salary job, that's when you fill out the registration papers for a legal entity like a limited company or limited partnership to limit your liability and go into business full time.
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richfinn
Well-known member
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
It's all about area and week to week. Last week I netted almost 2k. This week I doubt I'll hit 1k. Lots of BS this week, working on numerous junk-yard level rusty cars, every job going sideways, I felt about ready to quit. Ups and downs, that's how it goes.
Blake, if they can't give you a single car, ******* leave - that's an absolute joke.
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
I do the same thing, tho in bright lime green on ALL my tools, that way I can tell my tools from the others... usually as they're coming out of wrappers.
One of my buds there saw my stubby 1/2" ratchet floating around the shop, asked where he got that... Oh, it was in a box in the toolroom... My bud said "That green and red box? You mean Sue's?" Culprit sez "She's out today, she won't mind"... He said those green tools are Sue's, and if you value your life you'll keep his (deleted) paws the (deleted) out of her toolbox before she takes a (deleted) hatchet to your (deleted) sticky fingers... Idiot child thought he was joking, until he realized he wasn't.
One of my buds there saw my stubby 1/2" ratchet floating around the shop, asked where he got that... Oh, it was in a box in the toolroom... My bud said "That green and red box? You mean Sue's?" Culprit sez "She's out today, she won't mind"... He said those green tools are Sue's, and if you value your life you'll keep his (deleted) paws the (deleted) out of her toolbox before she takes a (deleted) hatchet to your (deleted) sticky fingers... Idiot child thought he was joking, until he realized he wasn't.
demarpaint
Well-known member
Sounds like it might be time for another shop or a career change, and do auto repair as a side job for extra $$. You're young enough to make a change.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yeah I’ve been looking. I don’t want to change careers I love this one way too much. The graveyard offered me a job working on the back hoes and mowers and weed eaters but it’s only 29 hours a week and those 29 hours I’m scheduled to be at my other shop. The Ford dealership is hiring I thought about applying.
How long have you been in the game? I was lucky and had a fantastic mentor, working hourly, underpayed but learned.
These days the newbies get thrown into flat rate without knowing real life fixing things.
I was at my old dealership for 25+ years, 20 under the original ownership, got recruited by my old GM at my local dealer, a few miles from my house when she got dumped from the new owner.
Now days I throw parts a problems, life is good.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Been in it almost 2 years. 6/24/19 was my start date of my first mechanic job.
You have any older guys in the shop? If you do don't stare at your phone as many of the younger guys in my shop do, I try to give what I know but it has to be into a willing vessel.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Our oldest is 63 he is the owner and does a lot of work when we have it but he also gives us work if it’s available too. Youngest is 16 I’m training him at the current moment. He is teaching me electrical because he is an electrical nerd and I have very little knowledge on electrical because it’s just something I’ve always struggled to learn. The older guys pretty much sit around all day too when we have no work some days we literally don’t have a single car show up we are somewhat rural so not a whole lot of traffic through the area and most of our customers are older and said they don’t feel safe coming to the shop during these times so we just hang out and make the best of it. When we weren’t slow they would teach me a lot. I really value any knowledge anyone can give me or a better way of doing something. I really would hate to leave because the boss is just too nice and cool it’s by far the most respectful shop I’ve worked in out of the three I’ve worked at. I’m just a young guy so I’m sure I have a lot more to experience and learn in this industry though.
****, you'd be surprised. My shop pays a guarantee, 18.80 for light duty and 27.15 for Journeyman and they almost never send people home. Show up and get paid, twiddling your thumbs or sitting out back getting some sun. I'm like PTU and would much rather take the day off than show up and twiddle my thumbs or get less than 8 hours, but some guys need the cash. The ****** part is they will NEVER call you and not have you come in, so you have to get up, go to work, twiddle your thumbs for two hours, then ask if you can leave, and they'd rather you not...despite there being no work or maybe a single car. So then I go eat lunch, kick my feet up...collect another hour. Then I ask again and finally leave, having wasted half my day. Guess I should be thankful I'm getting paid, but it all *****. Anyways, I'd definitely recommend finding a shop with a guarantee...our a little something is a lot better than a lot of shops, and we usually have work. It then scales, so you can do pretty well so that even say a slow week every other month doesn't matter if you stack hours while its busy. Don't stick around somewhere that wont find you hours unless there's other things keeping you there (flexibility or otherwise etc) as hours either guaranteed or incentivized is key.
That said they'll just find another way to **** you anyways, "maybe since labor rate increased in your union contract you can be paid less on mount and balances, you're all paid to much on those anyway" - Management. I've been in the trades for ~8 years, ~7 of them in a mechanical field (EVT/Car mechanic) and I'm nearing 30, I want out, haha
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anndel
Well-known member
Very nice!
jonesg
Well-known member
they're not twiddling thumbs, they're manicuring tools.
American Locomotive
Well-known member
It looks good! Makes it stand out compared to the rest. Interesting that you chose to let it dry first. Usually when I do something like that, I wipe off the excess while it's still wet. Usually it leaves whatever is inside the letters alone.
As far as hourly shops sending you home? In my experience most hourly businesses are usually fairly reluctant to send people home, since that could mean not being able to service anyone if a bunch of people decide to call in and show up. Unless of course there's a hard, sustained reduction in the customer base lasting many weeks. But I doubt most shops in a healthy financial situation would send someone home for just a single random slow day per week.
Keep in mind that federal minimum wage still applies to flat-rate work. So if you show up all week, and your accumulated pay/hours works out to less than minimum wage, they have to make up the difference.BlakeTheCarGuy said:
As far as hourly shops sending you home? In my experience most hourly businesses are usually fairly reluctant to send people home, since that could mean not being able to service anyone if a bunch of people decide to call in and show up. Unless of course there's a hard, sustained reduction in the customer base lasting many weeks. But I doubt most shops in a healthy financial situation would send someone home for just a single random slow day per week.
BlakeTheCarGuy
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Interesting. I wasn’t aware of that. The first shop I worked in was hourly and the first time there wasn’t a customer in 30 minutes to an hour people would start going home. It was lowest guy first, second lowest guy, third lowest guy and so on.