BajaNomad

Bargain hunting in Baja

Osprey - 3-15-2005 at 08:10 AM

Just Kidding


Newcomers I have met recently, here in this little corner of Mexico, have all had one thing in common. They have a deep-seated and abiding need to enjoy a bargain in every product and service they buy. Their joy or discontent seems to hinge on whether they got the very best "bang for the buck" (in this case peso) on cement work, gardening, the purchase of a product, comestible; ownership, right to quietly enjoy every conceivable kind of house, boat, car, trailer, fishing rod, etc., etc. Not just a fair price but a price much lower than any paid by their neighbors or contemporaries. Their compulsion is never more visible than when they hire things done, at their homes, by Mexicans. The women actually have casual ad hoc meetings about what they should pay young Ramons or Javiers to weed and water. If Maria cleans the houses of adjacent neighbors, it is of utmost importance that she be paid the same by each homeowner.
The idea is to pay not one puny centavo more than is absolutely necessary to satisfy (and keep employed) the young and able who are willing to clean, rake, paint, water, plaster, without interruption; who will take the money in a calloused, sweaty palm with a smile and a kind of bowing of the head, walk into the sunset. In this environment it is dangerous to overpay. Anyone caught overpaying will not be seen at future meetings; their names might be mentioned in statements made by those who use rough language.
God has dropped me into this garden to play. What a chance for a little good-natured fun. I am patient. I wait until they are gathered; dinners, c-cktail parties, birthdays. It starts slowly:
I open with "We just hired a new gardener. His name is Manuel, Cristo's son. He's about 17 or 18. Still in school. So we just have him working weekends."

Then I wait for THE QUESTION.

"Is he any good? What are you paying him?"

My remarks are not meant to scold, hurt. They might be said to be "little left jabs of satire", not harmful roundhouse blows. I guess I am trying to be "mirror man" -- show them how they really look (full length, front).
"Well, he seems to do a good job. He works two hours Saturday and two Sunday. I hope I'm not overpaying him, spoiling him, but he is good...and he's a nice kid. I give him a hundred bucks a month." I talk right over the gasps. "I got a new truck this summer so I gave him my old Ford. He loves the 4 wheel drive. It's an 89, in pretty good shape.
Also I set aside some money each month for a scholarship. If his grades are good next year maybe we could sneak him into Stanford. Lynda says we are doing too much. I think she's right. I've decided to cut back on his seafood buffets at the hotel and I?ll cut his masseuse way back to once a month. When I tell him, he's not going to be happy.
I can handle that. I'll get him a helper."

Bruce R Leech - 3-15-2005 at 08:39 AM

yes Osprey. well sed . I don't know how some of these people sleep at night . I know they come to Baja because they cant afford to retire anywhere else but they are just to cheep . the Mexican people don't understand this behavior.
:no:

PacO - 3-15-2005 at 11:26 AM

I experienced a little of this recently. I am having someone do some skilled labor and he asked me to pay him about 50% more than he was working for the friend who recommended him. I did not want to cause problems by inflating his pay, but Jesus, he'll work a whole day for what I can make in an hour and 1/2 of OT. I could b-tch but I've got it pretty damn good and the impact this will have on him and his family is significantly greater( for the better ) than any negative impact for me. Sometimes the bargaining is, I'm not sure what the right words are, not morally right when I see how I am comparatively living.

elgatoloco - 3-15-2005 at 11:40 AM

Osprey

I like your M.O.! Keep up the good work!

I can see the looks on the faces of the assembled 'employers' and it makes me smile. :biggrin:

Subastador - 3-15-2005 at 02:57 PM

On the other hand....
The case can be made that to pay significantly more than the prevailing rate for services creates bad situations, not only for the Gringo in need of services, but for the local Mexican business man or contractor as well. Don't kid yourself, there is a widespread communication network amongst the indigenous service people of Baja, and they know soon enough when someone got paid much more for a job than they are getting. If the local Mexican contractor is paying 200 pesos a day for a mason, and you hire an independant for a small job and give him 500 pesos, he is not going to be happy for long working for the contractor. Same with domestic help,,if you consistently pay more than your neighbor, soon the neighbor's cleaning person demands more.

I think it is better to establish a rate in line with the expectations of the work force in the area, and then, if warranted by the quality of the work, provide a bonus based on your degree of satisfaction.

PacO - 3-15-2005 at 06:24 PM

I guess that's why I am such an advocate for organized labor.
Live better, work union. It's not just a saying.

Me No - 3-15-2005 at 07:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Subastador
On the other hand....
The case can be made that to pay significantly more than the prevailing rate for services creates bad situations, not only for the Gringo in need of services, but for the local Mexican business man or contractor as well. Don't kid yourself, there is a widespread communication network amongst the indigenous service people of Baja, and they know soon enough when someone got paid much more for a job than they are getting. If the local Mexican contractor is paying 200 pesos a day for a mason, and you hire an independant for a small job and give him 500 pesos, he is not going to be happy for long working for the contractor. Same with domestic help,,if you consistently pay more than your neighbor, soon the neighbor's cleaning person demands more.

I think it is better to establish a rate in line with the expectations of the work force in the area, and then, if warranted by the quality of the work, provide a bonus based on your degree of satisfaction.


Oh my Gawd. Can you imagine a person wanting to make 500 pesos a day for hard labor.:lol:

Call me what ever you want, I pay my employee's the same no matter what side of the border I am on. Hard Labor goes for about 100 dollars a day. Maid service and someone who is in a trusted position I pay the same.

If I can't afford to pay it, I do it myself.:O

We all know the cost of living has been affected on the Mexican side, by the American economy. Is it too hard to imagine that those working for us want a similar wage?

[Edited on 3-16-2005 by Me No]

Bruce R Leech - 3-15-2005 at 07:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by PacO
I guess that's why I am such an advocate for organized labor.
Live better, work union. It's not just a saying.


scabs rule Unions have out lived there usefulness.

4baja - 3-15-2005 at 07:32 PM

union = lazyness, did it for 6 years and would never do it again.:coolup:

tim40 - 3-15-2005 at 07:39 PM

Market driven economy is the only answer....when we agree or disagree with the personal implications....the market over time will always set the price.

Unions.....won't even touch that one....

Well, Jesus Christ..

PacO - 3-15-2005 at 07:46 PM

I'm agreeing w/Me No. That's the gosh darndest thing!:lol::lol:
And Bruce, holy chiites, you obviously did not have union teachers the way you spell and communicate. Stuff that in your septic tank!
Steve, I'll talk to you about lazy fookers when I see you on the 27th! I'll have a few 'gars this time!

Bruce R Leech - 3-15-2005 at 08:25 PM

Yea PacO maybe one day we will all be singing cum Ba ya around your septic barrel together roasting marshmallows and stuff.:lol:

[Edited on 3-16-2005 by Bruce R Leech]

woody with a view - 3-15-2005 at 08:36 PM

'tis the double edged sword=

if HoseB works for 500 pesos a day and HoseA is smart enough to ask for 1000, and gets it-who's the dummy? the one who pays or the one who didn't ask?

i'm of the opinion that if you don't ask, you'll never recieve.

Fair is fair

Price - 3-16-2005 at 02:53 AM

We have had alot of work done on our house in San Felipe by local craftsmen - we have never haggled about price(all very low) all the work has been good - Luckely our realestate agent is our best friend & keeps us in line about tipping - he also treats our house as his as far as charges - the last thing we had done was shelving in the kitchen at a very low price I suggested a tip and our agent said it was too much so we went with less and the guy was thrilled(we will use him again!) We are very luckey to have our agent as a friend !!!!:yes::yes::yes:

What is fair?

Juan - 3-16-2005 at 10:35 AM

Personally, when I need work done in Mexico I simply ask the workman what the price will be. If it is too much I don't pay.

I the guy does a good job, and the price is reasonable, I will probably give him a good tip. Prices vary considerably from town to town and often neighborhood to neighborhood so I don't know how a person can arbitrarily say how much they are willing to pay local people. Ask and you may be surprised by the response.

Whether you like it or not Baja is not southern california.

Dave - 3-16-2005 at 12:20 PM

My concern is not cost but quality of workmanship. The old adage, you get what you pay for, applies.

What good is cheap labor when you have to pay over and over instead of once?

Around here, quality labor is in high demand. And still a bargain compared to the States.

Me No - 3-16-2005 at 07:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Juan


I the guy does a good job, and the price is reasonable, I will probably give him a good tip. Prices vary considerably from town to town and often neighborhood to neighborhood so I don't know how a person can arbitrarily say how much they are willing to pay local people.


My point wasn't that I arbitrarily pay a certain amount. It was that I don't nickle and dime people in an attempt to get a bargain.

After all, as Dave pointed out, What is a bargain if you have to have the work done more than once.