• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Pay for Part-Time Help.

decalit

New Member
My small sign shop has gotten busy enough that I alone cannot keep up with the production work that is coming in. I recently "hired" a guy to come in during the day, since I work in the shop nights and weekends due to my full time job. Neither one of us wants to do hourly pay because he also has a job that he is on call for and sometimes has to leave with out notice, and take sometime lengthy phone calls. So we have been discussing pay. I was thinking around 10% of total sale of each job. I am giving out to much or not enough???? Anybody ever been in a simular situation? THanks for any input. And this is all "production" work, not new jobs, artwork has been done long ago.
 

visual800

Active Member
I have done part time help when I was very slammed and I always paid according to the job. If it is was a large job and we both hustled and got done they were paid well.
I have always paid well and was thankful for the help. As I get up in years I am not able to do what I once did by myself. Always paid cash under the table. keep it simple. Dont see any reason in getting the Uncle involved

10% doesnt sound bad if they hustle and get it done...if the whole world worked on commission you would see a big difference in peoples attitudes and their work ethics
 

threeputt

New Member
So we have been discussing pay. I was thinking around 10% of total sale of each job.

Huh? So a job that sells for $150.00 he gets 15 bucks? Regardless if he's interrupted by customers, phone calls etc. That sounds too cheap to me.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Huh? So a job that sells for $150.00 he gets 15 bucks? Regardless if he's interrupted by customers, phone calls etc. That sounds too cheap to me.


I kinda think so, too.

However, $150 job is probably only gonna take 20 minutes to 1/2 hour to do, in reality, so the guy could be averaging out at $30 an hour. Therefore, it might be too much.


We just lettered a truck, from a fleet we've been doing for years. It takes about 15 minutes to cut and weed the whole thing. It's not much and all die cut. It takes about 15 minutes to put it on and about 10 minutes to prep the truck. So, it's less than an hours time from start to finish. We get $350.00 per truck of this size we did today. That would mean the guy would get $35. ?? Our top person is only making about $27. an hour and the people who do this kinda task are about $16 or $17. Sounds like 10% is too much, if you're prices are in place.

This morning, we just did 2pcs diebond 4' x 8's 2-sided. Total cost [customer's cost] for boards and printing was $1,160. It took roughly 10 minutes to load the boards in four times for both sides. The rest of the time, the printer was chugging away. It took about an hour to print all 4 sides. Is he entitled to $116. for doing basically nothing but babysitting ??

You're gonna have to find either a piece-rate pricing structure or just bite the bullet and put it on the books and count on him to be honest and report his hourly time and pay him that way.
 

Desert_Signs

New Member
Without telling us about your sales, 10% is sort of meaningless. Are you selling $10k a month or $100k?

Are you talking vinyl truck lettering or pan channel letters?
 

petepaz

New Member
I have done part time help when I was very slammed and I always paid according to the job. If it is was a large job and we both hustled and got done they were paid well.
I have always paid well and was thankful for the help. As I get up in years I am not able to do what I once did by myself. Always paid cash under the table. keep it simple. Dont see any reason in getting the Uncle involved
this is what i do also and it depends on the work they do. i have some installs that i get two people to help me, the one guys has been helping me for years and can work on his own so he gets paid more then the other guy i always have to tell what to do next. on average the guy who know what he is doing gets $15-20 hr and the other guy get $10-12

10% doesnt sound bad if they hustle and get it done...if the whole world worked on commission you would see a big difference in peoples attitudes and their work ethics no doubt!
 

decalit

New Member
Truck lettering customer applied. Cut work only. I would say he is averaging about $25 / hr. But I thought with me only calling him when I need him, a good trust worthy person being on call, that would be a descent pay???
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Umm yeah $25 / hr is a damn good wage to be cutting and weeding vinyl. Can I come work for you? I'll weed your helper under the table :ROFLMAO:



That just didn't sound right........ I'm thinking you meant something else, huh ?? :rolleyes:
 

Billct2

Active Member
$25 would be great here, and I though the cost of living in Indiana was lower than the great New York area? so even better.

How anyone pays cash nowadays I don't know. I can't afford to pay someone and not be able to expense it, and I can't take the risk of them getting hurt and suing me
or getting PO and dropping a dime on me.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
I will beat your helper at a weeding competition...

Better? :ROFLMAO:



Nope, not really. Remember Michael Jackson's..... Beat it, Beat it............


I think you should just go have a drink and forget about doing things under the table with other people's employees no matter how good you are or aren't at beating things. Back in Vietnam they had smilie girls. Had something to do with someone being under the table and all the GI's sitting there playing cards or whatever, had smiles on their faces. :rolleyes:
 

704signs

New Member
If you pay well I find they will go above and beyond to help you out...And when you don't you get what you pay for.
 
Top