Why we’re closing Walnut
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).<p>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. The hardest thing to move was the heavy massage chair so we let them moved the chair. They are strong...<p>I don&#x27;t know how much we paid the contractor in total, but I know it didn&#x27;t go above 1000. We tipped the contractor and also tipped the workers separately ($150 each). We are very generous when we work with nice and hardworking people. They deserve the bonus, especially knowing the contractor wouldn&#x27;t pay them a lot. So tipping to us have to be personal, and shouldn&#x27;t be part of a system.<p>I mention this story because the hiring process may seem bizarre to the non-Chinese immigrants. Contractors (construction or moving) usually hire workers off the street. There is a place the contractors will find workers waiting to get a job. So yes, these workers are literally picked that morning like 7AM and the guy came around 11AM since the contractor had another job early that morning. The contractor might find another pair the next day.<p>The truth is, every community has its own way to find people to do work for them. In the Chinese immigrant community, we almost never hire an expensive professional contractor. We (at least the people I know) believe Americans charge us way more for the same, if not, less quality work. We &quot;joke&quot; about how schools can save so much money if they&#x27;d pay a licensed Chinese contractor.<p>My dad also doesn&#x27;t use Uber because (1) he doesn&#x27;t speak very good English, and (2) he can call a driver for $25 going to JFK with just one call (plus maybe $10, $20 tip). We can go anywhere in the tri-state area in range of $20-$75 in a comfortable SUV. The Chinese community (Korean and Spanish community also have this) also have a shuttle bus that goes from Queens&lt;-&gt;Chinatown, Flushing&lt;-&gt;Chinatown, Brookyln 8 ave&lt;-&gt;Chinatown for $2-$3 dollar. You call the call center, tell the operator which shuttle stop to pick up from.<p>&quot;If it ain&#x27;t broken, don&#x27;t change.&quot; For the same service quality, why go for something more expensive?