That Tuesday last week was an absolute nightmare on a commercial job

I was fitting carpet in a new office building downtown and everything that could go wrong did. The glue I ordered didn't arrive until 10 AM, so I lost a couple hours just standing around. Then I cut a piece wrong for a weird angled room and wasted nearly 20 square feet of material. The customer kept walking through while I was working and tracking dust everywhere, which drove me CRAZY. To top it off, my power stretcher broke mid-stretch and I had to borrow one from a buddy across town. By the time I finished at 8 PM, I was exhausted and barely made any profit for the day. Has anyone else had a job where the glue delivery messed up your whole schedule?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameronf8818d ago

Nailed it with the glue issue man, that's always the killer. I swear suppliers have zero clue what the delay does to your whole day - you show up early, mentally prepped, and then just stand there watching the clock eat into your profit margins. The worst part is when the glue finally shows up you're already behind and rushing, which is exactly when you mess up cuts like that angled room you mentioned. Gets me every time. And customers walking through while you're stretching carpet? I'd rather them just stand in the corner and complain than drag dirt across fresh glue. You saved that job by getting a buddy's stretcher though, at least you finished the day.

charliestone18d ago

Rushing after delays makes you screw up" I dunno, sometimes the pressure helps me lock in better.

scott.drew18d ago

My first boss had a rule about glue delays - he'd charge the supplier a "standing around fee" after 30 minutes and actually got paid once. Nobody thinks about billing back the wasted time, but if the material's late and you're hourly, that's lost money from your pocket. How do you handle the money side when the supply chain screws you over?