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Why we’re closing Walnut

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Re: Why we’re closing Walnut

#11

Post by ghostly_s »

seibelj wrote: post #8

Amazing write up, thanks for this. Question though - I always thought hiring movers was a higher-end service that targeted richer people? Most people I know rent a truck or U-haul and get their friends to help move for a case of beer...

How old are you? I think most people find the pool of friends willing to break their back all day for free beer gets pretty small once they're all starting families etc. I hired movers for the first time this year and I'll never go without again. I'm 29 and make a pretty modest professional salary, so it was a big expense for me, but paying a few hundred bucks was well worth it for getting something done in a couple hours that would have taken all days and left me with a sore back for the better part of a week otherwise.

Re: Why we’re closing Walnut

#12

Post by rcarrigan87 »

Very few people understand just how difficult it is to operate in the moving industry. Having worked with a lot of moving companies, here are just a few reasons:

-In terms of stress, moving ranks just under death and divorce. Movers joke that half their job is carrying furniture, the other half is therapist.

-1 in 5 moves involves some kind of claim. This isn't because movers are careless, it's just the nature of moving furniture. Damage is a part of moving. Considering customers are already stressed, layer on some damage and things get really fun.

-Margins are slim. Most people assume movers are "making out like bandits" charging hundreds or thousands of dollars. The reality is most well run moving companies operate on 15-20% profit margin.

-The industry is cut throat. Bait-and-switch has become the standard sales approach.[0] This is due to a number of factors including deregulation(debatable), uneducated consumers, and the internet (movers are on the cutting edge of fake review schemes. We track a few companies who change their name every Summer.)

-The industry is also trying to deal with millennials who tend to move more frequently but have much less stuff to move. These small moves are harder to turn a profit on. Also, household goods drivers are a dying breed putting further pressure on the long distance moving industry.

[0]https://www.movebuddha.com/blog/2017-summer-moving-scams/

Re: Why we’re closing Walnut

#13

Post by seibelj »

ghostly_s wrote: post #11
seibelj wrote: post #8

Amazing write up, thanks for this. Question though - I always thought hiring movers was a higher-end service that targeted richer people? Most people I know rent a truck or U-haul and get their friends to help move for a case of beer...

How old are you? I think most people find the pool of friends willing to break their back all day for free beer gets pretty small once they're all starting families etc. I hired movers for the first time this year and I'll never go without again. I'm 29 and make a pretty modest professional salary, so it was a big expense for me, but paying a few hundred bucks was well worth it for getting something done in a couple…

I agree, and I also have hired movers, but anecdotally among my friend group I am the exception. 30 years old

Good points though

Re: Why we’re closing Walnut

#15

Post by rtpg »

yeukhon wrote: post #7

I am a Chinese so my family usually have some Chinese contractor do the moving. A couple years ago my family and I bought a home (finally!) and we hired a contractor to come in, after my family and I had packed up everything (since my dad is a jack-of-all-trade kind of a smart man). The contractor paid two Hispanic workers to do most of the heavy-lifting work, but we also helped anyway so we get the move done ASAP. T…

You've mentioned it yourself: Many of the people in these systems are likely underpaid. Systemic exploitation is the name of the game for a lot of the base infrastructure in our society.

I'm for communities helping each other, but in your moving example you think those workers have health insurance? Why do you have to sneak the tips?

I bet the bus drivers make a good amount of money though.

Re: Why we’re closing Walnut

#16

Post by praneshp »

seibelj wrote: post #8

Amazing write up, thanks for this. Question though - I always thought hiring movers was a higher-end service that targeted richer people? Most people I know rent a truck or U-haul and get their friends to help move for a case of beer...

In the bay area, last year, it was $70 an hour (2 movers, 90 for 3) with a 3 hour minimum. I just packed my clothes into suitcases, they grabbed everything else into boxes and left it roughly where I wanted them at the destination.

It was under $500 with tips; while not trivial, it wasn't a higher-end service for sure.

Re: Why we’re closing Walnut

#17

Post by sidegrid »

rtpg wrote: post #15
yeukhon wrote: post #7

I am a Chinese so my family usually have some Chinese contractor do the moving. A couple years ago my family and I bought a home (finally!) and we hired a contractor to come in, after my family and I had packed up everything (since my dad is a jack-of-all-trade kind of a smart man). The contractor paid two Hispanic workers to do most of the heavy-lifting work, but we also helped anyway so we get the move done ASAP. T…

You've mentioned it yourself: Many of the people in these systems are likely underpaid. Systemic exploitation is the name of the game for a lot of the base infrastructure in our society. I'm for communities helping each other, but in your moving example you think those workers have health insurance? Why do you have to sneak the tips? I bet the bus drivers make a good amount of money though.

Why in the US do you have to rely on the employer to provide health insurance? So weird.

Re: Why we’re closing Walnut

#18

Post by thatswrong0 »

sidegrid wrote: post #17
rtpg wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've mentioned it yourself: Many of the people in these systems are likely underpaid. Systemic exploitation is the name of the game for a lot of the base infrastructure in our society. I'm for communities helping each other, but in your moving example you think those workers have health insurance? Why do you have to sneak the tips? I bet the bus drivers make a good amount of money though.

Why in the US do you have to rely on the employer to provide health insurance? So weird.

A couple of pieces of legislation in the 1940s and 1950s had the effect of encouraging companies to offer health benefits in lieu of others forms of compensation. Seems to have just snowballed from there.

Re: Why we’re closing Walnut

#19

Post by SkippyGuy »

thatswrong0 wrote: post #18
sidegrid wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why in the US do you have to rely on the employer to provide health insurance? So weird.

A couple of pieces of legislation in the 1940s and 1950s had the effect of encouraging companies to offer health benefits in lieu of others forms of compensation. Seems to have just snowballed from there.

That doesn't make it right.
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