Putting the "blue" in blue collar.
Everyone thinks removals is easy.
You lift and shift, put the gear on the van, drive somewhere else, then do the reverse, right?
Well I can tell you, it's more an art than a science. Angling a leather 3 seater reclining sofa that weighs more than you do through a doorway tighter than an emo's jeans isn't easy even when you know what you're doing.
Cue me and an removal man of 16 years experience at a nice, 30 something single lass's house.
Much flirting and cheekiness is going on between the three of us, good natured and innocent, passing the time.
My driver starts to tell me the basics as the lass puts the kettle on.
"Now," says driver, "when carrying a sofa, the easiest way is to put it "on it's knees". That means to roll it so, if you were sat on it, you would end up on all fours, back to the ceiling and face down."
"Then we angle it through the door way, putting as little stress on the sofa frame itself because they break easy if you rant and rave at it."
"But before we take it through the door way, we need to protect the leather so it doesn't rub and mark. That's why we bag it first."

The lass comes back into the room, hands us a cuppa and I parrot my new found knowledge, getting it straight in my head.

"So we throw it on it's knees, squeeze through the gap making sure not to bend it, and use protection to stop it rubbing to much, right?"

The £10 tip I got will never make up for the 6 months it took to live that one line down.
( Pointy Head poked another hole in my anorak on, Mon 16 Jun 2008, 0:28, Reply)