A Shoe shiner (boot polisher) is a person who cleans and polishes shoes for making a living out of the money he receives from it. They apply polish (which is made from a type of wax) to give a shiny lustre. Shoe shiners generally polish black shoes and give them a shiny and clean appearance to it. Let us know What are the ‘Salaries For Shoe Shiner’.
Salaries For Shoe Shiner
Besides cleaning shoes and bringing them to their best appearance they also mend the shoes that have been damaged down and degraded over time. The damage can be tearing up, removal of the sticky area and damage in the soul of the shoe.
People choose shoe shiner as a career option when they do not have sufficient qualifications to go for some other regular salaried job. As they say “No job is small or big”. It takes a lot of sweat to be a shoe shiner as well.
Salaries Level Of Shoe Shiner In America
With no requirement of educational qualifications, a shoe shiner in America can make $25,973 on average. The shoe shiner’s efficiency and material quality make him distinct from the others.
The average salary of a shoe shiner ranges from $17,680-$35,300 annually. Some of the highest-paying cities for shoe shiners are
- Williston, ND which offers about $ 32,568 per year and $2,714 per month.
- Arlington, VA lays off $32,415 annually and $2,701 per month.
- New York City, NY in which the average salary is about $2,673 per month and $32,083 per year.
These are among the top three places in the USA where a shoe shiner can settle and improve his earnings.
The lowest paid salary on average is around $17,680 yearly. It is quite obvious from the facts and figures that the remuneration of a shoe shiner is comparatively higher in America than in any other country.
Salary Of Shoe Shiner Based On Location
The salary of a shoe shiner primarily depends on the location. Places, where more people are working in the corporate sectors and have to wear formal attires day in and out, have a higher requirement for shoe shiners regularly. So the earning of them in such places where the requirement is comparatively more than any other places in the USA. Getting your shoes shined gives them a beautiful lustre and increases their longevity over time.
Shoes are the first thing somebody notices before any other thing in an attire of a person. Unclean and worn shoes create a negative image. As they say “First impression is the last impression” One should be cautious about how his shoes look.
Factors Affecting Shoe Shiner’s Salary Levels
The salary of a shoe shiner is affected by several factors, some of which are as follows:
- Area of work: The terrain in which a shoe shiner is working is directly proportional to its income. The more posh the place, the more is his income.
- Efficiency: The efficiency of a shoe shiner earned over years of hard work is a requisite and an important factor that helps to determine the salary of a shoe shiner.
- Residing people: People that work in corporations are very particular about the lustre of their shoes and they do not prefer to compromise on it. So the people around which you are working should be the ones who require their shoes to be clean and neat.
- Practicing: As they say “Practice makes perfect” constant practice and expertise in this field is a significant factor that determines the shoe shiner’s salary.
- Choosing prime time: Determining the correct time to open your shop is of great importance. Choosing office times and prime times would be a factor that could affect the salary of a shoe shiner.
How To Increase The Salary Of a Shoe Shiner?
- Understanding the urgency of people: Putting customers first and understanding the urgency of the customers help them achieve a greater tip and income.
- Statistics: Based on facts and figures the estimated prospect of shoe shiners will increase significantly by a percentage of 21% in the next five years.
- Side hustle: To earn a higher amount he/she should look for some other jobs. This way he could fetch a higher income.
- Pleasing the customers: The salary of a shoe shiner depends on the capacity of pleasing the customer. Because they are entitled to give the shoe shiner some sort of tip.
- Tips: The shoe shiners are entitled to get an amount of tip from the customers as a sign of gratitude. The percentage of tips varies from 10% to 40%. 40% however is the highest tip a shoe shiner can attain.
- Creating good connections with customers: Creating a close relationship with the customer and making sure that he returns to you increases the salary of a shoe shiner significantly.
Conclusion
A shoe shiner is not required to have educational qualifications. He or she is required to have good communication skills, efficiency in the work, precision and the ability to please someone through his work. According to statistics, it is proven that there is almost an equitable distribution of wealth and no job is seen as respectable. Everyone who provides service is entitled to respect and recognition.
A shoe shiner earns $14 for each hour of work. Which might not be a lot but at the end of the day it is quite decent to make a living out of it. In the coming years, we will see a hike in the recruitment and importance of shoe shiners all over the world.