Years ago I met a chap I’ll call ‘Lloyd’. I didn’t realise how mean he was. (We use the word ‘mean’ in Jamaica as the title describes).
This was man who would look for every possible way to save a few cents.
He went into business and began doing well. However, his internal need for cheapness caused him to underpay his staff so badly, they would steal.
They would steal in items, in resources, in any way they could to top up their salaries.
He couldn’t keep an employee long as his cheapness caused them to hate him, rip him off, damage the business.
As most adults learn, either through their own experience, (average people) through the experience of others, (intelligent people) or as Lloyd, never learn (stupid people) he kept making the same error.
No matter how many times it happened, he never changed his cheapness. He never paid a person what they deserved, never gave any benefits.
Cheap people are the ones who usually get ripped off.
For example, a very rich man decided to zinc his roof. He had a huge place. The quotes he got from established roofers were too high, in his estimation.
To save money, he rounded up some youths from across so to zinc his roof.
The youths gave him a price, (far less than established roofers as they had no overhead). Of course he balked and decided to pay them half what they asked.
The youths did half the job, putting two nails in each piece of zinc.
When Hurricane Ivan arrived it took his entire roof with one gust, causing extreme damage to his furniture and fixtures.
The money this man lost by his cheapness was close to 10x what the roof, properly done, would have cost.
Lloyd, for his part, wanting to have a web page for his business found a really cheap and crummy company.
He didn’t think to himself; (Hmmm… why do all the name brands charge $XX and this company charge $X) he saw the low price and grabbed it.
The cheap company did a cheap job. He decided not to pay and was sued.
The right price for the Web Page would not have cost him as much as the absence of a page, or the law suit.
Lloyd did not, and will not learn from this experience.
He will continue to under pay his employees so that they steal three or four times what a proper salary would have prevented, he will pay three or four times more for goods and services from crummy companies.
As a Jamaican he would be expected to know that one doesn’t haggle. Not the first time.
If you want painters, you ask how much does this cost and you are told. Your answer is yes or no, not, “Can you take something off?” for in Jamaica, what is taken off is quality.
Sure, if you hired Winston to paint your kitchen and he charged you $X and your paid him $X when you contact him to paint your living room, he’ll give you a ‘discount’.
This is how it goes.
As Lloyd wants everything as close to free as possible he winds up paying half price for nothing.
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Pinch a penny until it screams? LOL. Never heard that expression. What we say about a stingy cheap person is: "They squeeze a dollar bill so hard, they make George Washington cry!" Obviously y'all can say that in Jamaica. :) Point taken in your post though. Sounds like a sad but true story.
It is a true story. If I had to run his business for three months I would more than double his profits by simply paying the workers what they deserve.
'Take care of your penny and the pound will take for itself' Probably he read this before starting his business :grin:
When you underpay the staff underworks and steals. The best may steal time... doing nothing and unworking. Others walk out with what they can carry.
In our place, people often mistaken the word cheap from being thrifty. It's not bad to be thrifty as long as the quality of the thing or services you are purchasing will not be affected. In fact, there's a saying that "save penny for the rainy day" but as always, too much is bad.
Thrift is using scrap paper for scratch paper. Taking old documents or messed up ones, and using the back for notes. It doesn't take from anyone or oppress them. Being cheap is expecting employees to bring their own toilet paper.
In our place, people often mistaken the wordcheap from being thrifty. It’s not bad to be thrifty as long as the quality of the thing or services you are purchasing will not be affected. In fact, there’s a saying that “save penny for the rainy day” but as always, too much is bad.
Being cheap costs more at the end. A man was selling something for $XX. I didn't squawk. Because I didn't he virtually hand held me through out the process and checks on me. Why? Because although I paid $XX and didn't beat him down to $X1/2 he feels he owes me.