I know we love the blue collar types, but..

Private equity and financial consultants are a big part of this.

ShopKey (or similar programs) + the right tool(s) = good to go. Hell, you can learn pretty much any warranty swap job on YouTube.

Everything is already diagramed for you and easily accessible on the web.

With a little will and patience the average Joe could do A LOT of maintenance work himself.

Advanced Diagnostics is another story, but a lot of these shops aren't doing that either. Just replace the entire unit baby!!

They kinda have too as a buisness. It is the law of supply and demand. Supply of skilled workers that do these jobs are low and demand is really high. When you add small jobs into the mix with already strectched resources than you need to make it worth it. I live in Germany and it is the same problem here, not nearly enough young guys are going into trades like plumbing, HVAC, construction, and bunch of blue collar jobs. My wife and I own several properties here and we just gutted a house and put a brand new heating system, new plumbling, 2 new bathrooms complete with everything and when it is said and done that job will run us about €65K ($75.5K). The company we use are at a point where they have to cut back on small jobs ,because they have more jobs like mine than they can handle and it is like that with all the companies in the area. The small jobs that this company does do are for existing customers like me and my wife. In another house we rent my idiot tenant got pissed at his wife and slammed the shower cabinet and shattered the glass. Now they are crying on how expensive it will be to replace. The company we use said they would squeeze it in for us and the quote is €2,300 with tax. I told the tenants they can get quotes and compare if they think they can get it cheaper and so far of about the 10 companies that they called only 2 agreed to give a quote and the rest flat out told them they don't have time. One gave them a quote and they are waiting on the other and the one they got was €2,400 with tax. I know alot of people don't want to hear it ,but if you open a legit buisness and do it correctly than you have overhead, insurance, taxes, costs for equipment, you have to be competitive with pay in a job with a shortage of skilled workers especially if you are a small or medium company, then with gas prices going up the jobs you do it has to be worth your time. No one goes into buisness to break even. That may be hard for granny to hear ,but it is not the 70's anymore, shite costs money.

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ShopKey (or similar programs) + the right tool(s) = good to go. Hell, you can learn pretty much any warranty swap job on YouTube.

Everything is already diagramed for you and easily accessible on the web.

With a little will and patience the average Joe could do A LOT of maintenance work himself.

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The problem with this is not many are willing to do this. You also have more single women who are homeowners and though I love my niece it would be halarious to watch her try to handle any tool and repair something. Sadly, alot of average Joe's are like this too. They grew up on a computer, not turning wrenches. It is just reality and as I posted above it is supply and demand along with the cost of doing buisness. Also you know how much tools cost? Even renting them isn't cheap.

Blue collar types are making as much or more as college education people today. There is a lot of money in service work if you are willing to do some dirty work.

Millienials and younger guys are generally hopeless when it comes to fixing things. Not saying they are stupid.

I’m talking simple things. Kid I know going to medical school and he can’t change a tire. Another one can’t change a battery. Can’t fix a toilet. Change lawnmower blades/belt. Can’t change oil/air filter.

With the internet there is zero excuse. Videos, forums, and manuals all online for free.

But then they cry they are having it tough. It’s sad but pathetic. They really don’t know how good they have it.

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Blue collar types are making as much or more as college education people today.

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You ain’t kidding. I call for some concrete work estimates and guys are showing up in brand new F-250 Platinums.

I’m about to learn how to foreman a concrete driveway myself.

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I probably shouldn't have made this thread because I don't feel like arguing too much. I'm probably being tone deaf and not accounting for how lazy a lot of people are.

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Lazy is part of it.

There are people I know that cannot believe I can change my oil and rotate my own tires. They make it sound like it's performing knee replacement surgery. Hell I was doing that on my parents vehicles with dad well before I could drive.

Even back in the 2000's.. I had my 300zx pulled apart replacing the timing belt and components. People came by looked at it, was shocked, and practically said I had messed up and it would never run again. It was back on its wheels with fresh parts the following day. They thought I was freaking Smokey Yunick after that. A simple timing belt job.

End stage capitalism. The drive for profits inevitable overcomes ethics and morality. It spirals from there.

We're in it.

I don't know what to tell you. Supply and demand. Blue collar people ate shite starting in the 80s and into the 00s. People saw that and told their kids to do something else. Pendulum looks to be swinging back bigly with 50% of high school males entering trades on the promises of riches

Also, people who earn a living enough to support a family are expensive. If you set up an appointment for one of them to drive over to your house and get the mail out of your mailbox, you would not like the price for that either.