What do you think? (owners/tinters...)

[Guest willie]

Yea but you have to

[Slick]

Yea but you have to

[Guest haroldshouseoftint]

ROTFLMAOGFA

hey Pmuzik, feelings

[mcorautomotivellc]

Well, considering all the PM's I unexpectedly received asking for a job, I am obviously being MORE than fair. I appreciate all the shop owners prespectives, and I appreciate all the window tinters honest opinions. My tinter and I are going to sit down for a nice healthy talk during the next week to reestablish some goals, his future with the company, pay scale, etc. Don't you small shop owners just love "the talk"? Anyway, thanks again, I'll post how it turns out

[Texastintchick]

I'm hiring and I pay more than that

Maybe, but there are still a few perks I only want from MR P

[Guest Sprinter]

Maybe, but there are still a few perks I only want from MR P

what him staying in the office, to give you peace and quite while you tint

[Guest Sprinter]

sounds like he needs to do some more upselling on the detailing end and also on the tint end the av will come soon, I had a friend who ran the tint shop and he was paid 12 an hour flat and on saturdays he would get 1 full car in cash that he would keep kind of like a bonus he opened the shop and closed the shop it was open from 8am to 5:30pm unless they had a lot to tint. he priced the cars and controled inventory. his base was 600 plus a car on Saturday, it work out for them this way.

had my friend been paid 35% he would of made 84,000 a year. he never pushed for the % he was trained there and worked about 8 years there, they moved the shop 30 miles and then they went mobile and he bought the company at that point. the shop owner went into auto glass.

I say come up with some kind of bonus or incentive that the employee will be willing to do to inflate his earnings.

[Guest Key West]

I would like to hear from other shop owners and other tinters what you think of this deal: Tinter gets 500 a week as a minimum guarantee. Works Tues. thru Sat., 9am to 5pm. He gets paid 25 percent of the weeks total tint sales, gets paid that Saturday afternoon in cash for that weeks work, and only gets 30 bucks taken out for withholding. Tint sales average 1800 to 2300 per week. He works inside an airconditioned garage and has a brand new Graphtec plotter with only LLumar films. He pays for none of the tools (owner provides). He also gets paid 25 percent of all the detailing work that another employee does (he helps sometimes when his side is slow and he upsells detail work-detailing brings in addl 150 to 300 bucks per week to the total). Also, gets 25 percent of the profits from audio/video sales/installations (averages 200 to 300 bucks per week shop profits-just got into this area) and he does no installations at all-owner does installs for now). He doesn't have to answer phones but does greet customers a couple of times a day when owner is not out front. From these totals, he averages about 650 bucks per week. He ends up with a 50 dollar cash advance about twice a month due to being out of money in the middle of the week. Again, the 500 bucks guarantee ends up being every week even during holidays when shop is closed. And he was also fronted 2000 dollar loan that was paid back in 6 weeks to an attorney to keep him out of jail a few months back (just wanting to show that I give my employees a little above the standard sometimes when they need it). I understand that 25 percent may seem a little low, but I feel it is made up for in the fact that he gets paid off of the growing detailing and A/V business side that he usually has very little to do with (he wanted it that way). He is expected to open the shop by 9am (about three days a week when owner is out running errands). He is a good tinter and shows up for work everyday (although late once or twice a week by 15 minutes). He is now starting to push for a raise (a little unexpected) in the form of a higher percentage commission (about 30 percent of the tint/detail totals and A/V profit totals). I feel that I have been giving him a very fair pay but he says since he has been there for a year, he deserves a larger percentage of the profit. I told him I would put the information on our situation out to the other tinters/owners and get their honest opinions. He doesn't want to go anywhere, and I really don't want him to leave either (family/in-law type situation-I try to help take care of him and help him to mature-he's only 24). He has tinted in the shop he learned in (left and came back and left again), did it mobile for a year with a partner, worked for one more tint shop for a few months, then started here. Most tint shop owners in this area don't speak to each other (we are not located close to any others) so I am having a hard time finding out what the "norm" is. Please be honest and let me know what you think and possible resolutions...

Thanks!

mcorautomotivellc@verizon.net

I was gonna snip this for brevity, but I need to refer back to alot of parts. I can't believe what I'm reading!!!! Lets take this one issue at a time:

First, 25% with a guaranteed $500 minimum is a little high, but thats on you. I have paid (and been paid) either 30% no minimum, or 20% with a $300 per wk min. It's the tinters choice. Steady money all year, or good money during season & skinny checks out of season. On that point alone I feel you are being MORE than fair. But just out of curiosity, you pay him cash (Your bookkeeper must hate you), WHAT do you withhold 30.00 for? An escrow account for future bail money would be my guess.

Second, The plotter don't count. BUT you buy his tools. I pay for expendables. (Blades, paper towels etc.) They buy thier own tools. Where is the incentive to keep track of tools when you just buy more? Just wait until he carelessly leaves one in a back seat and some kid gets ahold of it. Can you say LAWSUIT?

Third, 25% on work he doesnt do is definately nepotism. He's gotta be family. Thats UNHEARD OF! Add in the 25% of audio, the perks of continuous cash advances, bail, etc. and the dude is definately spoiled. Is this your bastard son?

Answering the phone and greeting customers is everyones responsibility. It's in his best interest to do so, IF he's not doing a car.

Mountainmang is dead on. You are an enabler, and babysitter. This kid is DEFINATELY WELL TAKEN CARE OF already. Tell him no on the percentage increase, especially for work he's not performing. Unless he's a partner, he's not entitled to anything he doesn't do. Thats just a GIMME.

You have nothing to be apologetic about (except maybe to any partners you may have). Let this kid read this thread. Hopefully he'll wise up. Sounds like he's breaking the bank. Has he EVER had a job outside of tinting? If not, let him go elsewhere. I GUARANTEE you he'll come crawling back. But then again, maybe Wal-Mart will give him a percentage of all the other depts in addition to his hourly wage pushing carts!!

[Tinitman]

Sounds good to me on that post.

Each employee is a team member responsible to create profit for the company.

[Guest mischief]

This post may be cold, but I wanted to add my thoughts --

I think people deserve raises when an increase in their productivity results in greater $$ for the company. If he was being paid by the hour, then as he works faster, he should get paid more per hour. Since this guy is already being paid a percentage -- that wont work. No way you should be making less money because he knows what he's doing.

If he wants to earn more money, some how he needs to be installing more film. That will increase the pie for everyone.

That being said, you might want to find some way to say -- thanks. stick around. congratulations on being here a year. Maybe a bonus or a dinner or ...

Finally, He isn't a sub, he's an employee. You supply all the materials and tools, set the hours, etc, etc, etc. No way he's a legitimate 1099. By paying him as a 1099, you are saving about $40 plus whatever your local unemployment and WC costs are. My experience is most people paid as a 1099 will never pay their taxes and eventually the IRS, the state and the city come calling looking for their money plus hefty interest and fines. It creates a great big expensive mess (not yours, but still). Maybe you should celebrate his anniversery by putting him on the books!