The catch word now-a-days seems to be "value." Everybody wants to know if some thing or some service is a good value. Advertisers promise the value of products or services. They even use value in the name of products and services, "value meal." This must be a good value. It says that right in the name. We all want a good value in everything we purchase, but when it comes to service, can we recognize good value when we see it? Lets look at some common services we all use, and see if we can find value in them. A gardener may do some yard work for you at a set rate per hour. For that rate he will deliver his own equipment, his skill, and his labor, to work for your benefit. A carpenter may do some work for you for a rate slightly higher, but he may be bringing more of his own equipment and skills to work for you. Telephone company gets $80.00 an hour for their first hours service charge, more if doing an installation or work for a business customer. Sounds like a lot of money for just a normal amount of equipment and skills. Most local DJ's get about $100.00 an hour for their services. Considering the skills and equipment he will be bringing, the cost does seem high. However the cost can   be spread out to others enjoying the benefits of his service, and will most likely be an enjoyable event. Some local musicians get about $200.00 an hour for their service. While they may bring the same skills and equipment as the DJ brought, one could argue that they also bring great talent. Some lawyers charge about $200.00 an hour for their services. They may not have a lot of equipment, but they bring their education and great information resources to work for their clients. The cost seems high, but many clients have a specific need for their service that out weighs the cost of the service. (And at this rate you are referred to as a client, not a customer). Then there are the services of plumbers, electricians, or, any one of countless medical fields to be pondered. But what about automotive service? What does your mechanic bring to you when he delivers a helping of automotive service? Does he not deliver labor and skills? And what about equipment? The tool box that is too tall to see over. These tool boxes empty cost about $8,000. The tools in his box are usually valued at about $20,000-$30,000. There are tire service machines and brake service equipment. Most automotive repair shops have more than 200,000 invested in equipment. Then there are the alignment machines, the ignition analyzers, the exhaust emission analyzers, the hand held testers and oscilloscopes, it kind of sounds like an equipment warehouse. Speaking of warehouse, your mechanic brings a place to hold your vehicle while it is being serviced, and also to remove any unsightly pollutants it may leave behind while it is there. He has great information resources either in paper book form, or the more common computer disk systems. These CD ROM systems hold more than 15 million pages of information to service each different model. That's right, 15 million pages. Automobile manufacturers like to change their vehicles every year so no mater how much information the  technician tries to gather, it will soon be out dated and not enough. Because automobiles are always  changing, the technician also brings continued education as a service for you. You would not want him to try to diagnose your distributor-less ignition system problems with distributor ignition theory, would you? And what about constant training on new equipment? When the shop buys a new alignment machine, or new computer software, your mechanic gives up his time off to train on the new equipment, which will lead to still improved service skills for your benefit. And at what cost does his place of employment bring these services to you? $45.00 to $50.00 an hour? Is this a typographical error, or is this just Great service value?