More Culture Shock

Dear Readers (especially those in the Boston area),

Can anyone tell me why there are so many landscaping companies around here?  Just about every day, another truck (or two) is on my block to mow somebody's yard.  I'm constantly navigating around them when I'm out and about.

Normally I'd think that people are just contracting out a job they don't want to take care of.  I get that--a yard can take a lot of time and effort to maintain.  You might want to let a professional take charge of a big job.

But here most of the yards are the size of postage stamps.  Seriously.  Landscapers just mowed the yard next door, and if it took them five minutes to take the mower out of the truck, mow the yard, and pack up the truck again, that was a long stop.

Is that really worth the cost and effort for either party?   How much does a landscaper charge to do a teeny patch of yard?  How many teeny yards does a landscaper have to do in order to be profitable?

From the homeowner's perspective, I can imagine that maybe you don't want to buy and store a gas-powered mower.  Are you saving that much money and time?  It wouldn't take much longer if you had a push mower (our yard isn't much bigger, and the Boy's done with it--and some trimming--in less than a half-hour).  OK, maybe you're older and can't do the heavy work anymore, but I haven't seen that many senior citizens on my block--these customers can't all be older people

Maybe I'm just used to a DIY mentality, but I really just don't understand this phenomenon.  If someone could explain it to me, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.
Your pal,
Jill