Speaking of sweet old ladies...

[oneEXMARKfan]

Anyone ever seen an elderly lady struggling with a push mower out in the heat? If I see any this season, am going to try to cut it for them just to be nice. I figure it will always come back to me. A little bit of my time, and a little bit in gas, ect......I would hate to think I couldn't afford it. (now days there are alot of "sue-happy" people out there, and sometimes it doesn't pay to be kind.....but I think I'll take my chances)

[joshua]

i picked up a very nice older lady this year, man i'm happy i did, she is great to talk to after a long day when my route is over and i finish with her. her husband was a very good friend of my fathers, and he passed away last year and she needed someone to maintain her lawn, so i gave her a price $3 cheaper than normal and gave her the 1st cutting free, now her sister is going to call me do do her lawn and she's trying to get a few neighbors to switch to me.

the other day she called me to come and look at a bare spot (10' by '10) and she what i could do with it. after i told her, she said ok. then after that me and her must of talked for a half hour (b/s) and when i was about to leave i went ot shake her hand and she gave me a hug. this is a 1st, i have had customers say there lawn is the best on the street and would just smile at my work and be very pleased that i cut there lawn. this made my day even my week because it happened on tues. and i'm still talking about it, it makes me feel very good that not only am i doing a great job in the yard but that just by me taking time out of my day and talking to a nice older lady and helped make her happier because she had someone to talk to.

[oneEXMARKfan]

It is a good feeling Joshua. It always seemed to me like "older people" were easier to please (more grateful) [although, there are exceptions) I guess most were raised a different way. The only "problem" is that some like to "talk your ear off", but I'm sure that most are lonely, and I just hope that when I get old, there will be someone to listen to me every once in a while. (it's going to happen to all of us one day, and what goes around comes around) *Keep up the good work Joshua........Your deff. on the right track, and no doubt you'll have a great future in this business!

[awm]

you guys are cool as heck

[Fine Lines Lawn]

I started my business catering to elderly customers, and I'll never let them down.

[Charles]

Dont get me started on the elderly :). The elderly are my main money making customers. I am not a social worker. When I see an old lady out pushing her yard I see a person who most likely(maybe not) but in my business mindset has a stash of cash in her pillow case and is too frugal to spend it(or stingy). Or gives all her money to the local church or the tv preachers. So seeing as to how i have to eat too its my job to save her from breaking her foot or leg cutting her grass and making some money at the same time. When that woman goes to church, bingo and out with her friends she is going to tell them you cut grass for free. After dealing with elderly women for a long time. I have found them to be slick, tough, smart business people who like one elderly woman told me she and her friends like to stretch a penny.
That being said some are genuially poor and needy. But trying to when you start judging people like that you wont be in business very long. One thing I would look at is when you are doing someones yard for free it takes away from a job you could be making money off of. Here for free or there for 35+ dollars?

[nlminc]

I have an old woman who lost her husband to cancer last year. I had installed an irrigation system for them 3 years ago and they were very nice people. She called me last week to see if I could do a fert program for her lawn and when I called her back she had told me her neighbor was going to do it for free. I ask who she had to mow the lawn and she told me that she did it herself with an electric lawn mower. I know she has to be at least 75 years old. I told her that I would cut her lawn weekly for $5.00 just to cover some gas money. She is a happy camper! I couldn't see letting her pushing an electric mower around in the summer heat. She has no family in the area to help her.

Chris

So now I can say I have my first $5.00 dollar lawn!

[Chopper Lover]

You guys are missing the big picture by cutting for sweet little old ladies...

I can sum up the "payment plan" in one word...

COOKIES!!!!

Mark

By the way... You never know who you are helping. A kind act does go a long way... Who knows, she may be worth millions and have no family. You just may beat out her cat for the inheritance. Now wouldn't that be something!

[oneEXMARKfan]

People are always different, weither young or old. And it's true that alot are "tight", but I would amagine that living through the depession would have that affect. I don't know, I guess when it came down to it, I would rather go broke than look over when I'm driving in my new air-conditioned truck, and see one stroke-out. True, business should always be business......and that's always been my downfall, but I just can't change in these situations. (as of yet, MOST good deeds that I've done have come back to me) *always different ways to look at it, and good points on both sides to consider, though. [of 'course I did learn how to do many (legal)things to make $, and have never been married, never had any kids, never payed rent, ect... Always stay stress-free, and know how lucky I am.....just like to try to make (deserving) people's lives eaiser.

[oneEXMARKfan]

Oh..Chopper Lover! I've seen times I would "cut for cookies"

[Edited by oneEXMARKfan on 04-15-2001 at 10:11 AM]

[George777]

I believe that what you do will can back @ ya. buy doing good, good fortune will come back. Because of your mind set and helping someone in need you will be rewarded. It might not happen right a way, but next week you might pick up one awesome account.

[Grateful11]

I cut for Tacos yesterday. My SisterInLaw called and asked my wife if she would watch her daughter while she mowed. Well we had one last late stop to make to trim some Nandina and clean up among her shrubs some leaves. So we went over to my SIL's house and there she was riding the 2 year old on the mower while she mowed. My wife about went ballistic and went and snatched the child from her. Well there the yard was all ugly with windrows, piles of grass and no trimming. I still had all my stuff on the trailer and I just couldn't leave the grass like that. So i spent about 30 minutes trimming and about 15 minutes bagging the piles of clipping. I got the big mower off and hit some areas she skipped. Then blew off the sidewalk and drive. All this for 3 tacos but you know it was worth it, she had a smile. It didn't look too bad when I got through. Her sorry arse husband is too lazy to mow it for her. When he's not working he's off playing soldier or at the neighbors house.

[oneEXMARKfan]

Deff. got to respect you for that Chris. Be proud of that 5.00 (+ I'm sure the good feeling of helping someone is worth more than it would pay anyway at a the regular price)
I'd rather cut ALL for 5.00, than having a wheel barrow full of money,like a sleazy con-man cheating the elderly out of thier life savings (I'm sure there are alot of them out there preying on them)

Grateful 11, man....I wish I had of just happened by while you were doing that. I would have jumped in there with you for some "taco action".... (Never had kids, but I can see where your wife would not want to see a 2-year old on a mower... I've never liked to see them on mowers, motor cycles, ect.)

[Roger]

I have a few elderly widows, now one widower for customers. In a couple of cases, they have been very good customers, in others, I'm always wondering if I'm being snookered. One lady calls me to come when she thinks it is ready, but I know her lawn well enough that I can bet on the day she will call - I always pencil her in my schedule correctly. But, she only calls to be sure I'm coming - she is so lonely, she wants somebody to talk with. I make it the last call of the day, so that we can talk after dark, if that be the case.

Somebody made a comment above about being smart, tough, etc. Yea - I don't know if I'm taking food money off the table, or merely scratching the surface on a large cache of dough under the bed. Some of these have seen hard times during the depression and carry huge, HUGE amounts of of cash in their pocket. I have done leaf cleanup for one man the past few seasons. At the end, he pulls a money clip from his pocket and starts peeling off 50s. He must have a couple of grand in his pocket, always!

[boba]

George 777 reminded me of what my wife tells me. We have our health, can pay our bills and still have something left. In the winter she reminds me to plow the local church (community of 150) and in the summer do the small lawn for them. To top it off she sends the food pantry a donation of what I would have charged for the work!

[joshua]

charles, when i said i cut it for free i meant that i cut it the 1st time of the year for free. i don't mind doing something like this or knocking off half the price every once and a while for my elderly customers. it has always come back to help me when i do something like this. even if i didn't it wouldn't bother me because i know i did a good dead and if it doesn't repay me in business it will in life.
why don't you try doing a good deed 1 time this year and see how it makes you feel. you might just make you feel good after a long day. or are you afraid of something like that?

[linky]

It's good to here that people still do good deeds. The most recent good deed that i did was jump start a womens car. She was very thankful and offered to pay me and i said everyone needs a hand now and then and she would be paying me by going out of her way to help another whom needed it. She smiled and said gladly.I often perform good deeds for people whom deserve them. I will not fall victum to the moral decay of society. Everone needs help now and then and when a peron is kind hearted enough to give it they are due many thanks,respect and the favoir passed on. It seems that today everyone is looking out for themselves only, selflesness makes this world a much better place. You must make a good living for you and your family but throw in a good deed now and then and you will be repaid in more ways than one. My hats of to those of you that help people.

[Fine Lines Lawn]

OK, I have to admit...
I have one customer that I cut for cookies only.
The crew loves her.

[65hoss]

I have several elderly. Some are good, some got dumped last year. I'm sorry, but when they have a new house and a new crown vic in the driveway, I refuse to be the one they budget on. Expecting people to work for hours on something for $20. Do you think them or their husbands ever took less money from their jobs? Not a chance.

This is why people treat us like yard boys. We've got the reputation of working for min. wage. People don't see us as viable businesses. They see us a out picking up extra cash.

The cutters before us are responsible for the way people see us now, and we are responsible for the way those after us are seen.

With this said, I'm all for helping the needy or sick. A good deed sometimes is great, but as a viable business your responsible to your family, your employees and their families to keep a "going concern". Once the word gets around you'll cut real cheap your phone will be ringing from others wanting a cheap cut like old Mrs. Thomas. Trust me, this will happen. I have a customer that is partially mental. She is allowed at present to live by herself. I charge her a fair price for her very small lawn, but the little flowerbed I put extra left over mulch in. She tells all her friends about me. I get calls all the time from others like her. Once you start that train rolling its hard to stop.

[Edited by 65hoss on 04-16-2001 at 01:23 AM]

[Charles]

Joshua, thinks for the advise. But i think most of us on here do good deeds every dayum day by cutting some yards at the same price they were 10 years ago. To have all this free time to do "good deeds" some of you must not have the bills I do or make a helluva lot more money LOL or dont pay taxes, insurance yada yada yada. Or you wives and mommies and daddies support you

[lsylvain]

You've got to watch some of them old ladies. I've had 2 bite my head of for stopping to help. Said they may be old but their not helpless. :) I think that's great just hope they don't get hurt.

[joshua]

charles, i sure hope you read this. sorry but my mom and dad don't support me and pay for my bills. i pay taxes every 3 months, have insurance, i have payed for all my equipment out of my pocket, i paid for my truck, and i pay for all my cloths work or not, and almost all the time if i don't eat at home i pay for my dinner. all this and only 18, i hope you take this as a lesson, because it sounds like you can use one buddy.

ohh yea, about a good deed, since i cut the older lady i talked about before(for free 1st cut) , she has got me 2 more accounts and maybe another 1 on the way. so lets do the math on this charles, 1 good deed, more money.

back to you charles i would love to see the work you do. you probably couldn't even cut as good as one of my helpers.

[joshua]

i almost forgot to say, NEVER lost a customer do to quality, charles can you say that??? also in 5 years i have never asked any of my accounts to pay more, in fact i was thinking of dropping most of them $1 or $2 a cutting. its not a big drop but over the summer it will eqaul out to 1 free tim on me.

charles you don't want to start a war that you can't handle.

[Skookum]

I did that once. Stopped when I seen this OLD OLD woman mowing her yard in the heat of the summer. I turned around and went back and offered to mow it for her fro free. She said sure but I could not use my equipment I must use her mower because her neighbor mowed one time for her and scalped it all over with his tractor. I tried to assure her that I was a professional and I would not scalp her yard.

She said "NO"! So, I left her to mow and have a stroke in the heat if she wished to do so mowing that 1/2 acre lot with that 21" Lawnboy because I was not willing to do so!

[Charles]

NO Joshua, I have never lost an account due to bad service in the past 10 years i have been doing this. I own a home worth over 110,000$. Not bragging because the house payment is a killer. Do you own your own home? Do you pay taxes and insurance and electric and upkeep on a home? Thats good that you can do charity work. But I figure what the average lawn care person charges is charitible enough. Not going to get into a childish discussion with you about war though maybe when you grow up I will.

[joshua]

charles, when you say i grow up. i'm more of a man at 18 than you will ever be. like i said before i would love to see you try and make a yard look as good as i do yard in and yard out.

[Charles]

Ya right, Joshua you too funny. hate to break it to you but you not the only person on this forum who can do good work. I know you mamma told you that you were but thats what mama are for. Now buzz for I swat you

[Eric ELM]

Is the topic of this thread and it's turned into a sour one.