The Cost of Using a Public/ Commerical Washer.

[launderess]

Speaking For Myself, And I Am Unaimous

On this!

It is more than flesh and blood can cope with first thing in the morning to set up the Sunbeam, grind beans, and so forth. Shaking a vessel half full of water, filtered or not just isn't going to happen! *LOL*

L.

 

[peterh770]

"It seems the prices have jumped from $1.25 to $2.00 (a 60% increase) for the smallest sized washer. This is being blamed on the rising cost of energy."

More likely the owner hasn't been bothered keeping up with the industry and thought if he raised his prices on a regular basis, he would loose customers. Now the cost of doing business has surpassed him and he has given his customers sticker shock. My topload washers have been at $2.00 for about a year now. According to the CLA, the average price for a toploader is $1.68 and a double-load FL is $2.00.

 

[launderess]

Common Error

Made by laundrymat and laundry owners is not basing their prices on their own costs and margins, but rather what others are doing.

Better to keep prices in line to ensure healthy margins, and use other methods to keep customers from going to the competition and or attract new ones.

There are small and almost "free" things one can do that will attract and keep customers. Things such as keeping the laundromat clean and well run, providing excellent customer service, offering special deals and promotions, and so forth. How many times have we all heard or even said we go to a certian shop, vendor or use a service even though they are slighly more expensive than the competition, because of things other than price.

Of course with energy prices rising almost daily, it is hard to get a handle on costs as one cannot change prices daily like air-lines, but one needs to know where one's money is going. If you have to take your prices up, just go up and let the other mat owners fend for themselves. Chances are if you have competition that close to your mat, customers already know where you and THEY are, so if they are sticking with your business, that means something is being done right. Bottom feeding customers, always looking for lowest prices are rarely loyal anyway, so you can afford to loose a few of them. Same with customers always looking to nickel and dime you to death (claiming coins didn't register in a machine, arguing over how much a item should cost to launder or weight of an order).

L.

 

[toggleswitch2]

There are small and almost "free" things one can do that will attract and keep customers.

Some not so free, but the penny pinchers will RUN (not walk but RUN) when offered "FREE" detergent and softener or the first coin free for the dryers.

You'd be shocked when you see how many in my area drag home heavy wet just-washed laundry to avoid the dryers.

 

[launderess]

IIRC, laundromats make their money on dryers, thus it quite usual to find one spending more to dry a load of laundry versus washing the same.

Again taking our local as an example; the most expensive front loader is the 40lb or so SQ, however there isn't a corresponding 50lb dryer, so one has to spilt large loads amoung several dryers. Given heating has been turned down and cost increased, it can take anywhere from .75 to 2.00 or above to dry a load, depending upon weight and load size. Multliply that out by either one large washing machine load, and or several smaller loads, and you see where I'm going with this.

Since one does not know the mat owner's costs, cannot know his costs. However the owner of the laundrymat owns the apartment building where the laundry resides. Hot water comes from the same boiler that supplies the apartments. Don't know if cold water comes from the apartment building's main or if there is a separate line.

 

[maytagbear]

"make their money on dryers"

Which is an ADDITIONAL reason for the dwindled number of extractors. Liability IS certainly a valid reason, but so is the customer money an extractor saves!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[peterh770]

No, the money is made on the washers. It cost much less to run a washer than it does a dryer that must maintain 160 to 180 degrees of heat for the duration that the customer uses (except for 2-3 mins of cooldown at the end). And the bigger the washer, the more they make.

 

[toggleswitch2]

I recently passed Cost-Accounting I & II with flying colors.

It's all about profit margins.

The variable costs such as electricity (mostly variable except for lights), gas and water are presuamably easy to price.

It's the applicataion of fixed overhead costs (that DO NOT vary with usage of "product"), such as rent, taxes, telephone service, cleaning, salaries etc. that are where one has to be creative and precise.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Here's an advert. in a neighborhhod in Brooklyn. (Part of NYC, but not "downtown").

In very fine print: "Ater first 8 pounds". (3.6 kg)

Dry-cleanning for a buck (same word as quid: UK) ($1) is a great price. LAUNDERED and pressed mens' shirts are at least $1.25 elsewhere.

 

[mihi]

launderess makes a very good point.....

Price to make a profit. If you can't do that, stay out, or get out of the business.
Free things can be attractive, such as free WiFi and plenty of laptop electrical plug-ups. Laundry takes time and this is something people like to do, so mix the two together.
Have one free internet-connected system, etc. etc.
Free morning coffee is also a good thing.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Something so simple as being open 24 hours helps too.

After dark the lady-folk tend not to come in (alone). Bye-bye those searching for their "M.R.S." decree/degree.

So you get the married ones with husband in tow (rare).
This leaves single males. Make that single EMPLOYED males.

Even if you are not looking to make new friends or for someone for whom to make breakfast (once), this gets rid of the housewives for whom it is an outing and a recreational event to be in the laundromat. They can congregate during the day and keep each-other company. Also dont have to deal with rug-rats. [Thare are never enough bungee cords to tether them to the walls, damn-it!]

Now don't get me wrong, children are OK. Sliced thin and fried well, even better.. (ducks and runs)

You get like-minded guys who want in and out quickly quietly and efficiently with no hassles. Those too who have no problem plunking their money down to get the service they need.

HMMM Wait, let me rephrase that.........*LOL*

 

[jeffg]

> Something so simple as being open 24 hours helps too.
>
> After dark the lady-folk tend not to come in (alone). Bye-
> bye those searching for their "M.R.S." decree/degree.
>
> So you get the married ones with husband in tow (rare).
> This leaves single males. Make that single EMPLOYED males.

You also get homeless and mentally ill people, thieves, muggers, vandals, taggers, drug users, rowdy gangs of teens etc. We've had a terrible time with this here in Santa Cruz County, to the point where very few businesses stay open past 10 or 11PM -- even liquor stores.

Hopefully the situation is better in the 'city that never sleeps'.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Take the keys and lock them up, lock them up , lock them up.

Good point. But a very visible security camera and a security guard that pops in ever few minutes helps.

Sad we have to live like this in this country.

Not yet a citizen and commit a crime? You and your family get put on a plane to your country, but certainly no closer than Guatemala. Not northern mexico where one will walk back in over the border into Arizona, etc. BYE-BYE.

Sure other countries can flush their toilet and send them here. We can do the same. Flame me all you want. My MOTHER is a foreigner and says the same thing.

 

[maytagbear]

A word about the mentally ill---

Most persons with severe mental illness are not violent, in fact, many of them are more likely to be victims of violence, rather than perpetrators.

In most jurisdictions, there are far more persons with severe mental illness than there are group homes or other supervised living facilities.

Yes, some with mental illness DO act inappropriately, screaming, swearing, and worse, I won't deny that. Some of them can be most unpleasant to be around.

However, more, at least in my direct experience, are quiet, hesitant, and as polite as can be.

My congregation is closely allied with the county's public mental health center, and we have been building a ministry for those with severe mental illness issues.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[toggleswitch2]

I did not mean to suggest lock anyone up just because they are in a listed category.

No no no no.

But the MINUTE someone gets violent, regardless of the cause, action is required.

 

[launderess]

File This Under "Unexpected Costs"

Local news reporting tonight that a launromat in Brooklyn had to not only refund customers money when washers and dryers stopped working properly (due to brown out conditions this past weekend), but there now are additional problems for the owner.

Apparently because of the reduced power situation, motors on several washing machines and dryers have burned themselves out,and will require replacement. Estimated costs for the motors alone run $700/ea, excluding labour.

Interviewed on local news, laundromat owner stated that when power is reduced, the machines keep running, trying to "pull" the power missing and or some such.

More to the pity, Con Edison (local power company), has a set cap on damage due to power outages or reductions, and it only covers things like food spoilage.

L.