Turning unattended laundry into non-smoking

[MICHAEL]

Looking for input from owners who voluntarily have turned a smoking unattended laundromat into a non-smoking unattended laundromat.... customer conflicts? how was income affected?? THANKS!

[Duane]

Michael,

From what my customers have told me you will probably gain some business. Some smokers will leave at first, but in the long run you will gain new customers.

Customers don't want to spend their time and money doing their laundry just to have it smell like smoke.

Your mat will smell better.
Once you repaint your mat will look brighter and stay brighter (no yellow ceilings).


If possible try to put a bench and smoking urn somewhere outside to give a place for the smoking customers to light up away from the entrance and the non-smoking customers.


Several cities, including mine, have banned indoor public smoking. My mat has always been non-smoking.

Duane.

[petefritz]

I turned all mine into non smoking years ago, it was simple.
I had nice big signs made "Please smoke outside" and put no smoking stickers on the door. You should have an area outside were they can sit and puff. As far as complaints, I had a couple. I had many, many thank you's from everyone else.

[Doug101]

My mats always been non-smoking, and I get complaints if someone does smoke in there. Even my smoking customers, who smoke outside, like the fresh smell of the mats.
Go for it.
Doug

[fatboy]

I was thinking of making my mat smoke-free Monday through Friday. I might be crazy, but if I think about it...

1. I'll gain non-smoking customers
2. I won't pi** off too many smokers
3. I may boost usage during weekdays.

Am I way off on this?

[DuboisLaundry]

part time non-smoking might make the mat still smell like smoke, especially the first non-smoking day after a smoking day

Better would be full time non smoking.
Is there enough room outside, more than 10 feet from the door, for a smoking area? I have a picnic table out there, but most of my smoking customers just stand around anyway.