Anybody PAYING for Craigslist ads?

Went to post an ad on Craigslist yesterday for kitchen positions (day, night and dish available in case you don't make it over to the jobs forum to see that post) and they wanted $25 to post! Looked it up and it's for real. They rolled it out in major markets first (NY & LA, etc.) and are moving nation wide slowly. Welcome to Louisville Craigslist extortion. The good news, I guess, is that they are only charging for job postings so if you are still trying to sell grandma's dining room table or that old beater you're driving, that's still free. Just seeing if anybody else has run into this and if they are paying it? In an industry that is famous (infamous?) for high turnover rates this could amount to a nice little bit of change out of pocket. Guess the jobs forum and Facebook are the last free spots left. Don't get any ideas Robin. (BTW we have FOH positions open too.)

[Robin Garr]

Don't get any ideas Robin.

[Robin Garr]

Don't get any ideas Robin.

People don't like to pay for what they have been getting for free. I foresee some user-created workarounds in the near future, either within the C-list structure or from a newcomer doing what C-list used to do.

People don't like to pay for what they have been getting for free. I foresee some user-created workarounds in the near future, either within the C-list structure or from a newcomer doing what C-list used to do.

I actually found a YouTube video in the same search that said you could post in the "Gigs" section, which is technically for short term work, but it is free. Until that becomes widespread knowledge though who is really going to think to look there for a full time job? I guess my real question is, why not sell-out and put up advertising and keep the postings free?

[Robin Garr]

Does Craigslist work well for restaurant jobs? I've always felt (hoped) that our Jobs Board is effective because it has a highly focused audience of restaurant people rather than being a random audience like general classified ads.

And no, Alejandro, no worries ... we'll never charge for that!

Sadly, Robin I have gotten extremely few responses from posting here, but I get a deluge from C-List. Of that deluge, MAYBE 5% are hirable, but if we are only talking response, then C-List wins hands down.

Maybe my jobs are just undesirable.


Either way, people will figure out how to work around. They found C-List in the first place didn't they?

Not sure if I'd call it extortion. There are probably some aspects of the Craiglist operation that cost money, and those bills have to be paid.

[Robin Garr]

Sadly, Robin I have gotten extremely few responses from posting here, but I get a deluge from C-List. Of that deluge, MAYBE 5% are hirable, but if we are only talking response, then C-List wins hands down.

Maybe my jobs are just undesirable.


Either way, people will figure out how to work around. They found C-List in the first place didn't they?

Well, 5 percent of a deluge or 100 percent of a trickle ... how do the ultimate numbers work, Ronnie? Where do you get the good workers?

(PS: Mary uses Craigslist to get work done around the house, but she's very careful about doing due diligence, looking for candidates with a lot of positive reviews and checking them out.)

Where do you get the good workers?

You find the answer to that question and we'll all have a Merry Christmas.

I think the BETTER jobs are listed here , but craigs list has more jobs listed more people see from the fact more people prob know about craigslist .

[Robin Garr]

Where do you get the good workers?

You find the answer to that question and we'll all have a Merry Christmas.

I could get you an appointment with this guy.

bender.jpeg

I very recently posted a job for a baker on Craigslist, and I paif the $25 required without hesitation.

As much as it pains me to have to pay anything to place a help wanted ad on Craigslist, it doesn't bother me all that much. I think that $25 is very reasonable, considering that a lot of online sites cost over a $100 to post on, and that's not where restaurant workers usually look anyways.

The other thing I like about the new fee is that it is making the Help Wanted section much easier to navigate. In the past, some employers would sometimes post five or six ads for the same position every single day, so that they were constantly at the top of the posts. I would post a job, and within hours you could barely find it, due to how many jobs were posted throughout the day. This fee seems to have curbed that problem. You can't renew the post without paying again, which is very irritating, but if you look at the food/hospitality help wanted section, it's much easier to navigate. You can actually see jobs as far back as December 3rd on the very first page. This also means there isn't as much need to renew the add as often.

It's a hard time of year to find help. The restaurant employee shortage in this city certainly isn't helping. I am still looking for a baker, BTW.

I have to agree with Ronnie on this one. By far for number of applicants C-list wins hands down. When I posted that ad originally in October I got zero responses from the hotbytes post (however only 2 from the c-list). I'll grant that I'm sure C-list has costs to cover and that money has to come form somewhere, but why not charge the "for sale" section or the personals where I'm sure the number of postings far outweigh the numbers in jobs = greater income. The greater worry is that C-list will fall down the slippery slope (yes, I said it) and eventually charge for all ads. But that probably won't happen until they get bought by either Google or Disney (those guys own everything now)

for Robin