Hey Nigel, don't you love customers?

[LMNO]

Babysitting parents are all the same too.  Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch.  Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time.  Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere.  I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially.  Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant.  Like the one I'm working for now.   

Take the $10/hour, screw your boyfriend on their couch.  Leave stains.

[Suu]

Babysitting parents are all the same too.  Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch.  Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time.  Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere.  I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially.  Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant.  Like the one I'm working for now.   

Take the $10/hour, screw your boyfriend on their couch.  Leave stains.

This should be advice puppy material.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Babysitting parents are all the same too.  Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch.  Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time.  Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere.  I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially.  Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant.  Like the one I'm working for now.   

When I nannied, for a flat salary that would have covered me at minimum wage for 5 hours a day, the mom expected me to do their laundry and would yell at me if I washed and dried it but didn't fold it and put it away. Also she BADLY took advantage of my salary and would leave me with the kids sometimes 12-16 hours at a time so she could go to a bar after work, with no extra pay. It was awful.

[Suu]

This is when signed contracts are your friends.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

This is when signed contracts are your friends.

A lesson well learned.

[Doktor Howl]

Babysitting parents are all the same too.  Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch.  Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time.  Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere.  I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially.  Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant.  Like the one I'm working for now.   

When I nannied, for a flat salary that would have covered me at minimum wage for 5 hours a day, the mom expected me to do their laundry and would yell at me if I washed and dried it but didn't fold it and put it away. Also she BADLY took advantage of my salary and would leave me with the kids sometimes 12-16 hours at a time so she could go to a bar after work, with no extra pay. It was awful.

My daughter has done some babysitting.  Nobody so far has asked her to do housework.  I shudder to think of her reaction if they did.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I had done quite a bit of babysitting up to that point, and no one EVER asked me to do housework. The most they asked of me was if I could tidy up after myself in the kitchen, ie. wiping up any messes *I* made and making sure dishes were in or beside the sink and not all over the house. I was also paid hourly up to that point; granted, not much, but it was the 80's. I made like $3/hour or something, and pretty much everyone paid double for anything past when they said they'd be back. This gig seemed reasonable when I started it, $200/week for short days, and then, like an abusive relationship, gradually escalated into a complete monstrosity before I knew it. Of course by then I was really attached to the kids, which has always been my achilles heel.

[Doktor Howl]

I had done quite a bit of babysitting up to that point, and no one EVER asked me to do housework. The most they asked of me was if I could tidy up after myself in the kitchen, ie. wiping up any messes *I* made and making sure dishes were in or beside the sink and not all over the house. I was also paid hourly up to that point; granted, not much, but it was the 80's. I made like $3/hour or something, and pretty much everyone paid double for anything past when they said they'd be back. This gig seemed reasonable when I started it, $200/week for short days, and then, like an abusive relationship, gradually escalated into a complete monstrosity before I knew it. Of course by then I was really attached to the kids, which has always been my achilles heel.

That's kind of creepy on the parents' part.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I had done quite a bit of babysitting up to that point, and no one EVER asked me to do housework. The most they asked of me was if I could tidy up after myself in the kitchen, ie. wiping up any messes *I* made and making sure dishes were in or beside the sink and not all over the house. I was also paid hourly up to that point; granted, not much, but it was the 80's. I made like $3/hour or something, and pretty much everyone paid double for anything past when they said they'd be back. This gig seemed reasonable when I started it, $200/week for short days, and then, like an abusive relationship, gradually escalated into a complete monstrosity before I knew it. Of course by then I was really attached to the kids, which has always been my achilles heel.

That's kind of creepy on the parents' part.

Yep. It was. Also the dad creeped me out. They ended up getting divorced shortly after I left their employ.

[Doktor Howl]

Yep. It was. Also the dad creeped me out.

Oh, nice. 

[Richter]

Babysitting parents are all the same too.  Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch.  Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time.  Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere.  I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially.  Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant.  Like the one I'm working for now.   

When I nannied, for a flat salary that would have covered me at minimum wage for 5 hours a day, the mom expected me to do their laundry and would yell at me if I washed and dried it but didn't fold it and put it away. Also she BADLY took advantage of my salary and would leave me with the kids sometimes 12-16 hours at a time so she could go to a bar after work, with no extra pay. It was awful.

My daughter has done some babysitting.  Nobody so far has asked her to do housework.  I shudder to think of her reaction if they did.

If they do, we need to start a betting pool on how long it takes the offending family to find "it".

[BADGE OF HONOR]

So glad I don't really have to deal with customers. 

Though occasionally I have to process customer returns, it's awesome when people put their used product inside the boxes and then carefully glue/tape them back together.  Sorry, no, you do not get money for that.  Once I got a lens case with two contacts inside with a note that said "I didn't use them".  Occasionally you get photocopies of product instead of the actual thing, or sometimes not even the right product at all.  I've found Christian karaoke cds, bottles of wine, extenze, children's clothes...and don't even get me started on packaging.  Between the people who lovingly wrap their product in layers of bubblewrap and packing peanuts to people who just slap a shipping label on the contact lens box and expect it to get through the mail all right I spent a lot of time muttering "why the hell would you do that?!"

I don't even do returns that often.  I'd hate it more but it's kind of an adventure into stupidland.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

One thing to remember about returns, and why they are usually so awful, is that most of the time the buyer didn't choose the product wisely in the first place; they didn't really know what they were buying, and then they used it and decided they didn't like it.

[BADGE OF HONOR]

Actually it's mostly people getting new prescriptions for their contacts and sending in the ones they didn't use from their last prescription.  Although it's true there are plenty of shitty uncomfortable brands out there.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Hm I guess with contacts it's a whole different story.

Ewww, people send OPENED contacts and expect a refund???