My maid went to work today

[Sue C]

No, not my personal maid. I don't have one. Melissa went off on her merry way (I was sleeping so I don't really know how merry she was) to be a Merry Maid. She has to get up at 6 am each day, and I'll be snoozing.

Remember those 9 pm nights when our kids were little and they came out and said, "Mom, I told the class I'd bring cupcakes tomorrow"? Well, last night at exactly 9 pm, after all the stores were closed, Melissa comes out and says, "I forgot that I need khaki pants for my job tomorrow. Do you have any I could borrow that maybe I could hold up with a belt?" I wanted to laugh but held it in. She's a size 3; I'm a size 12. I don't know what she ended up wearing today; I don't care. MAYBE she'll plan better next time. Maybe. (but I doubt it)

I still give her two days on the job before she quits. husband gives her a week. She already informed me Saturday that if she can't have off when she wants to take a vacation, she will just quit. :rolleyes:

I'll let you know later today if she says how the job went when she gets home.

Sue

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Sue,

I'm sorry, your post made me laugh, and coffee came out my nose. I've seen merry maids. I've yet to see one of them look anything remotely resembling "merry".

I do, however, hope that she beats the odds. Ya never know. Hugs.

 

[KFld]

I cannot wait to hear the update on her first day and how Merry she comes home this evening.

 

[DammitJanet]

LMAO....this is just too funny. Somehow I cannot picture Melissa as a Merry Maid. Maybe she will learn to clean her bathroom...lol.

 

[Sunlight]

I am giggling too. if you cant get her to keep her own room clean, how is she going to be merry about cleaning someone else's room?
I have to say our kids keep getting jobs though. I have been at the same one for 26 yrs. maybe I shoulda tried some other career moves.

she will learn something from this experience even if it is only a day or two.

 

[Jen]

difficult child or not that is all of them that look at work that way. OK, the majority of them.

Jen

 

[Sue C]

Well, husband and I had to run an errand and when we got back a little past 2 pm, Melissa was home already. We saw her car in the driveway. husband and I looked at each other and said at the same time, "She quit already?!" We went inside and she was calm as could be. She said they had finished up early today. (she did not quit) She said some days she might not finish 'til 6 pm and that that "really sucked." She said she's training with a supervisor the first two weeks and that this week she has to clean bathrooms. She didn't sound upset about it at all. They don't give them gloves to wear, and I think that's disgusting. She said don't worry, she washed her hands really good.

It sounds like the pay is really crummy. $7/hour for the two weeks of training. After that, you get 20% of what the person is paying to Merry Maids to have their house cleaned. She said the prices average $60-100/house. Today they only had 4 houses. She was told some days she might have 6 houses. They have to use their own cars and are only reimbursed 20 cents/mile. She was sooooo better off at the bicycle warehouse, but it's her life/her decision.

She left to go buy the khaki pants she needs.

BigBadKitty -- Sorry coffee came out of your nose. Ouch!

Sue

 

[Abbey]

That's too funny. easy child's room smells like a locker room. I absolutely hate it. It's that 'guy' smell. (sorry guys) :slap: Us ladies know what that means.

When he got a job a few months ago, I was shocked at how he cleans there. He ends the night meaning the whole place is washed down, etc. I sit in the car waiting to pick him up in total amazement waching him mop, wash, etc.

On the plus side, *if* she does a really good job, there are many people who will pay top dollar for a good maid. When I lived in FL, there was this one maid that had a LONG waiting list of potential clients. She'd just take the highest bidder when she had an opening, but she did a darn good job. My next door neighbor waited almost 2 years before she hired her. I believe she made more money than I did as a teacher.

Some people like to clean. It can be therapeutic. Maybe this will work for her. Fingers crossed!

Abbey

 

[Sue C]

Melissa was blowing her nose all afternoon and evening yesterday. She said she thinks she might be allergic to the cleaning supplies. I already know she has hayfever and have suspected she is allergic to dust. I wouold not be surprised if she were allergic to the cleaning supplies (or some of them), as I am allergic to sooooo many things including certain cleaning products. I need to buy everything I can find that comes in "fragrance-free." I'll have to see how she does today and the rest of the week.

She told me last night that they do not get a lunch break. She was told she could eat in the car between houses. Working for this company sounds like a really sucky job to me.

Sue

 

[WhymeMom?]

<span style='font-family: Comic Sans MS'>Looks like your "Merry Maid" may have to wear a mask to clean....

It doesn't sound like a job I would like, but at least you would have variety and I'm sure she is signed up for all the rich, neat people's homes. I would rather mow lawns....</span>

:smile: :kisses:

 

[Sheila]

It's honest work and developing a work ethic is important, so I'm not sure I'd be worried about anything else with the job on this level. Some of my earliest jobs gave me the knowledge I needed to know "this is not what I want to do with the rest of my life." lol

Just as a head's up: I could be wrong, but this is a commission job which may reveal itself to be a "self-employed" type situation. In other words, there's the consideration for payroll taxes not being taken out of a "paycheck." If this doesn't happen, difficult child will have to be self-disciplined enough to save money to pay income tax, all (including employer matching) social security, etc. This may not be the case at all, but I'd hate for a difficult child to put out the effort venture into the adult world by working and then be blind-sided by unexpected expenses.

 

[Hound dog]

Doesn't sound to me like Merry Maids have much reason to be merry. It's honest work, but I doubt if I'd want to do it. lmao

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Merry, merry, quite contrary...

 

[Sue C]

Well, was I right or was I right? She came home today and said "I'm going to quit." I knew it would only be 2 days. But it's not 'cuz of the work. It's 'cuz of the money. Today she only had 3 houses and was done at 1:30 pm. The supervisor she worked with asked her how much money she was expecting to make. She told her at least $300/week. The lady told her she will be lucky to make $200.

I told Melissa she needs to find another job before quitting this one. We shall see if she listens to me.

Sheila -- Thanks for the heads up. We'll have to watch for that.

p.s. I still cannot believe they do not supply gloves. Melissa has been cleaning toilets. One house alone had 5 or 6 of them. And she said, "Mom, I have to scrub the pee with a stone thing. I think I'm going to get AIDS from it." I reassured her she could not get AIDS, but she can get yucky bacteria, so she's thoroughly washing her hands. (Remember how she thought the rich people kept their houses cleaner???? Hmmmmm.....there's pee on the toilets. LOL)

Sue