Car Repos on the Rise

[Inthehighdesert]

There‘s still a major shortage of labor. From McD’s to HomeDepot, and especially in the trades. I am constantly turning down work, and not bidding on projects because of a lack of trades and subs. They’ve been pushing this narrative for months. Go to a Costco, Sam’s, Cabella’s, etc, there‘s no shortage of people spending money. The thread is about repo’s, and dealers are still paying top dollar for vehicle’s. There’s also almost no inventory sitting on lots. Adm’s are still present, and the list goes on and on. At some point you stop listening to the noise and move on with life.

It is 3 weeks give or take from Thanksgiving, and the pink slips have started to fly.
Mostly in job's that the employee's thought would not even have to worry about getting canned, if they changed job's it was by choice.
Walmart is already canceling orders for inventory.
It is going to get bumpy real quick.

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[RagmopInKona]

There‘s still a major shortage of labor. From McD’s to HomeDepot, and especially in the trades. I am constantly turning down work, and not bidding on projects because of a lack of trades and subs. They’ve been pushing this narrative for months. Go to a Costco, Sam’s, Cabella’s, etc, there‘s no shortage of people spending money. The thread is about repo’s, and dealers are still paying top dollar for vehicle’s. There’s also almost no inventory sitting on lots. Adm’s are still present, and the list goes on and on. At some point you stop listening to the noise and move on with life.

Shortage, nope.
People willing to work for crap wage, for a job that they WILL need a side job, 2nd job and the businesses schedules them for shifts making having that 2nd job not an option.
Have stopped bothering. The businesses know full well their hours offered (lower than what force them to offer health insurance) and a wage that you can not life on in the area of the job. but then schedule them so they can't have a 2nd job to keep head above water. So now they don't even try.
Any business with wages and hours that are fair pay that doesn't have a history of being ballbusting, hot heads don't have labor issues , never mind those claiming they are hiring and claim they can't fine any help, have a stack of resumes, but do nothing with them. because it is better for their bottom line to tell the other employee's they can't find any help, you'll have to do more.
It isn't the '90's groups have ways to call out this b/s. . By way of the group applying at a company for the listed job opening and all 432 of them never hearing anything, and when they do call asking , they get we'll have the hr/hiring manager get back to you. but the managers/boss/owners will claim they can't fine anyone .There ARE groups on the internet that call them out on the b/s. and have the documentation to prove itAND POST IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA FORUMS and SUB REDDITS. The INFORMATION age. welcome to it. Shyt don't fly like it used to. The labor shortage is a farce. businesses are not hiring that claim to be, and the jobs that you can't even afford your car insurance with, that treated the help like trash for decade give or take are now up shyts creek, you know all the ones that threatened their help that they replace them with a touch screen. And the wonder why they can't get help to say "you want fries with that.
The job market was before covid the employers held the ball, now it is in the workers hands, the employers just haven't got the memo yet. As they just tell the staff they have we can't find help. Right.
Odd thing is the business owners and companies that didn't treat their help like garbage are not having this issues. There might be something to that.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I am constantly turning down work, and not bidding on projects because of a lack of trades and subs.

Any business with wages and hours that are fair pay that doesn't have a history of being ballbusting, hot heads don't have labor issues ,

Charlie, can you clarify how many of those categories you fall into?

 

[RagmopInKona]

Charlie, can you clarify how many of those categories you fall into?

And what you honestly are paying, and treat your help.
I don't expect honesty here.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

And what you honestly are paying, and treat your help.
I don't expect honesty here.

Okay. I get it. Charlie fired you. Time to let it go.

 

[RagmopInKona]

Okay. I get it. Charlie fired you. Time to let it go.

As the owner/boss. no one fires me.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

Sure. I’m a GC. Do commercial work and higher end residential remodels, and retail specs. The guys that work directly for me have so for a long time in most case’s. The sub’s are all bidded work, so there bids are there own, and I don’t set those costs directly. Generally there’s a market value range for whatever that particular job is there doing for me. There’s a major shortage in the trades here, and even more so if you want high quality trades people. Hvac for example getting equipment is an issue and those installs are out 4-6 months in some case’s. That‘s for retrofits. I don’t do new construction sub work for hvac. Plumbers, for rough ins and top outs for example, are challenging to find subs. Drywall finishers, stucco, crete, and painters are an issue as well. Electrical is the one trade that isn’t an issue for me. What I deal with mostly is trades guys that are newer and less experienced. They’ll submit bids for work that are at the top of the market but the quality of there work is questionable at best. Generally speaking I don’t sub out finish work unless its flooring for commercial or carpet. I keep things like, tile and stone work(do stone almost exclusively), cabinets, beam work, etc. all in house to keep the finish work at a high level. I’m currently scheduled out till Juneish of 23. I pretty much turn everything away at this point due to short staffing. The amateur economist mentioned crap wages. That’s … . For example I just had one of my flooring subs install glue down simulated wood vinyl plank in a commercial location for a national chain. We did a complete gut and rebuild to spec. 1600 square feet, fairly simple install, two installers, was $3200 for labor for basically two and a half days. I’ll attach a pic for reference. Hardly crappy wages.

Charlie, can you clarify how many of those categories you fall into?

 

[shogun32]

As the owner/boss. no one fires me.

actually your consumers/customers. do.

So a friend has been exploring the Metro-DC area for an unskilled job of late. It was eye-opening what was on offer.

Warehouse at NAPA auto parts - $11/hr
Working at dog shelter/kennel on in the sticks - $13/hr
Cleaning cars at Dulles airport (6-2/2-10 shifts) - $19/hr
Delivering meals by van (6-2) - $16/hr
McDonalds - $12/hr
ServPro dispach receptionist - $12
"book keeping" for friend's marina/auto-dealer network - $20-25/hr
dealer 'errand/delivery' driver - $20/hr, 3hr minimum, highly erratic hours, on-call

Back in 2003 I humped furniture and household items for $16/hr (overtime eligible) as seasonal help for Allied Van Lines. Chicago isn't cheap but it's not as bad as DC and 20 years ago a dollar went a lot further than it does today.

It's no wonder the natives don't want to work, or have to live with mom+dad, and these sort of jobs go to illegals or retirees.

 

[RagmopInKona]

actually your consumers/customers. do.

So a friend has been exploring the Metro-DC area for an unskilled job of late. It was eye-opening what was on offer.

Warehouse at NAPA auto parts - $11/hr
Working at dog shelter/kennel on in the sticks - $13/hr
Cleaning cars at Dulles airport (6-2/2-10 shifts) - $19/hr
Delivering meals by van (6-2) - $16/hr
McDonalds - $12/hr
ServPro dispach receptionist - $12
"book keeping" for friend's marina/auto-dealer network - $20-25/hr
dealer 'errand/delivery' driver - $20/hr, 3hr minimum, highly erratic hours, on-call

Back in 2003 I humped furniture and household items for $16/hr (overtime eligible) as seasonal help for Allied Van Lines. Chicago isn't cheap but it's not as bad as DC and 20 years ago a dollar went a lot further than it does today.

It's no wonder the natives don't want to work, or have to live with mom+dad, and these sort of jobs go to illegals or retirees.

But the business owner thinks the pay is great.
And don't forget , most of them are going to be part time, with that carrot that you'll get full time, if you prove yourself. That never comes as they rather you stay under max hours before they have to offer health insurance.
We start them off at 20.00h part time for 60 days. If at 60 day review they either get full time and a bump to 24.00 hour or walking papers. It is up to them. The bathroom phone bandits get the walking papers.

 

[sk47]

Hello; The conversation has turned interesting. I am out of the labor market since 2004 which was the last full-time job I did. In the years (decades) before I worked extra jobs all the time. I taught school. I drove a school bus. I installed carpet & vinyl flooring during any non-school days and weekends. I took in repair work on automobiles from time to time.
The thing was I did not have some check or other program to fall back on as seems the norm anymore. I saw it happening all along my working life. A "check" culture has become established in my area. Even got down to middle school and high school students.

Had a number of troublemaker students who would start showing up at school. No interest in doing the lessons for the most part so got bored and started problems (Side note- by then the authorities had taken away my ability to discipline.) I talked to some of the students about why come to school if they do not want to learn. The answer was often some judge was going to take away their check if they kept missing school. Miss enough days and the truancy gets reported.
There was a fancied notion from on high that these students would start to fall into line to fit in with the good students. Like so many notions fosted upon the schools from those so called "education experts" this did not work out.

Back to my point. Seems a lot of folks are not hungry enough. That they have lots of fall backs so can walk away from work and still have money, food, shelter and such. I worked for poor wages a lot simply because I had a wife to take care of and needed to make rent and bills. These folks who can scoff at low wages today must have some way to get the necessities of living that I never had.
I am on a check in a sense- a pension check from decades of public school teaching. I also get $198 a month from SS. They take most of the SS quarters monies I earned away because I have that teachers' pension. I get now how having an income I do not have to work for feels. I am still able to do work and sometimes get asked to do jobs for folks. I turn them down now days as I am not hungry enough.

A business has to have a product or service it can sell to a customer at a price it can afford. It is not that a company or contractor can just pay any amount to get workers. Pay too much wage and if the customers are not willing to pay the extra, you go out of business.

 

[RagmopInKona]

Sure. I’m a GC. Do commercial work and higher end residential remodels, and retail specs. The guys that work directly for me have so for a long time in most case’s. The sub’s are all bidded work, so there bids are there own, and I don’t set those costs directly. Generally there’s a market value range for whatever that particular job is there doing for me. There’s a major shortage in the trades here, and even more so if you want high quality trades people. Hvac for example getting equipment is an issue and those installs are out 4-6 months in some case’s. That‘s for retrofits. I don’t do new construction sub work for hvac. Plumbers, for rough ins and top outs for example, are challenging to find subs. Drywall finishers, stucco, crete, and painters are an issue as well. Electrical is the one trade that isn’t an issue for me. What I deal with mostly is trades guys that are newer and less experienced. They’ll submit bids for work that are at the top of the market but the quality of there work is questionable at best. Generally speaking I don’t sub out finish work unless its flooring for commercial or carpet. I keep things like, tile and stone work(do stone almost exclusively), cabinets, beam work, etc. all in house to keep the finish work at a high level. I’m currently scheduled out till Juneish of 23. I pretty much turn everything away at this point due to short staffing. The amateur economist mentioned crap wages. That’s … . For example I just had one of my flooring subs install glue down simulated wood vinyl plank in a commercial location for a national chain. We did a complete gut and rebuild to spec. 1600 square feet, fairly simple install, two installers, was $3200 for labor for basically two and a half days. I’ll attach a pic for reference. Hardly crappy wages.

Construction pays spit. As the g/c have got it in their heads what the sub/c do isn't their problem, Whelp. It is. and when the sub's expect the help to work dawn to dusk for crap pay, Grab day workers from in front of h/depot,lowes. And break every labor law on the books. Shocking they can't get help.
The help they get are whom ever that day is in front of the box store at 5-6 am. Ya the construction trade did this to themselves. They reaping what they've sowed.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

Your so clueless it isn’t even funny. Just another troll that pops in here from time to time. On ignore you go.

 

[shogun32]

maybe off-tangent but used car values are getting squeezed big-time and the "absolutely non-negotiable ADM" mysteriously evaporate with but one word. Dealers know they've got big problems coming their way and fast.

 

[ice445]

maybe off-tangent but used car values are getting squeezed big-time and the "absolutely non-negotiable ADM" mysteriously evaporate with but one word. Dealers know they've got big problems coming their way and fast.

Yup, the constant stream of suckers willing to pay yuge markups is probably coming to an end pretty quick here. Reminds me of wolf of wall street, dealers got so addicted to the huge profits and cocaine parties they didn't have the thought to look ahead just a little bit lmao

 

[04mazdaspeed]

Hello; The conversation has turned interesting. I am out of the labor market since 2004 which was the last full-time job I did. In the years (decades) before I worked extra jobs all the time. I taught school. I drove a school bus. I installed carpet & vinyl flooring during any non-school days and weekends. I took in repair work on automobiles from time to time.
The thing was I did not have some check or other program to fall back on as seems the norm anymore. I saw it happening all along my working life. A "check" culture has become established in my area. Even got down to middle school and high school students.

Had a number of troublemaker students who would start showing up at school. No interest in doing the lessons for the most part so got bored and started problems (Side note- by then the authorities had taken away my ability to discipline.) I talked to some of the students about why come to school if they do not want to learn. The answer was often some judge was going to take away their check if they kept missing school. Miss enough days and the truancy gets reported.
There was a fancied notion from on high that these students would start to fall into line to fit in with the good students. Like so many notions fosted upon the schools from those so called "education experts" this did not work out.

Back to my point. Seems a lot of folks are not hungry enough. That they have lots of fall backs so can walk away from work and still have money, food, shelter and such. I worked for poor wages a lot simply because I had a wife to take care of and needed to make rent and bills. These folks who can scoff at low wages today must have some way to get the necessities of living that I never had.
I am on a check in a sense- a pension check from decades of public school teaching. I also get $198 a month from SS. They take most of the SS quarters monies I earned away because I have that teachers' pension. I get now how having an income I do not have to work for feels. I am still able to do work and sometimes get asked to do jobs for folks. I turn them down now days as I am not hungry enough.

A business has to have a product or service it can sell to a customer at a price it can afford. It is not that a company or contractor can just pay any amount to get workers. Pay too much wage and if the customers are not willing to pay the extra, you go out of business.

Not to side rail this thread even further but why is your SS check getting taxed because of your pension? Here in IL, teachers and others that have pensions still get the full amount of SS because pensions are not counted as "taxable" income that would lower your SS benefits. Is this not the same in TN? I personally know 2 teachers collecting their pensions and getting 2k a month for SS on top of their pensions.

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