10 % Off Midweek Special Promotion-Is it Worth it?

[Jimedean]

I am looking to grow my business. I do about 60% of my business on the weekend. So I figured I would give 10% off all washers from Monday 10PM thru Thursday 10PM. I hope this will bring new customers from other local stores ( there are 3 smaller stores within 2 blocks that have cheaper pricing and a few larger stores a little farther away) I also hope that some of my weekend traffic will come during the promotion making my weekends quieter in which new customers that can only come on the weekend will see a less crowded and more comfortable store than the very busy weekend laundrys that they see elsewhere.
My associate syas that instead of giving the promotion during the week and giving the discount to "my already coming in anyway customers" , I should just do it monday thru thursday, from 10PM to 7AM each day so I will make my slowest time busier and not loose my already income from the daytime hours.
Al opinions wanted and all suggestion or alternatives appreciated.
Thank you

[supersuds]

Great question - had the same one myself! I was only thinking of doing it like 20% off Super WEDS. type of deal though - we get a so - so volume during the week but there is a volume there and your partner is right to be careful of discounting people that would be there anyhow.

I would only want to do it if we could 1.) bring in new blood 2.) and pump up the 'discount day' alleviating some of the weekend traffic

We get absolutely packed on Sundays to where people are bumping into each other so diverting the traffic to a slow WEDS. wouldn't be a bad thing. Just want to get the back fill of new people to make up for the discounts.

Was also thinking of like a 'night owl' specail 10-11pm everynight discount or something - but not sure I want to push that considering we close at 11PM.

[Howard]

I don't think there is one simple answer to this. It all depends. I have stores near me that offer 20% off tues, weds, thurs. In my mind they are converting high margin business to low margin business. It has never impacted the number of customers that I get on those days.

Most customers can't or won't change their weekly routine. Weekends are busiest because that is when you customers have time.

If your goal is to switch some weekend customers you might get a few, but I don't know if 10% is enough of a motivation. Why not give it a try for a month as a special promotion and see what happens.

[Adamski]

Jimedean,

It sounds like your laundromat is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and you are considering offering a 10% wash discount on weekdays or at least the graveyard shift of the weekdays.

Shifting customers from the weekends to a weekday is not an easy task. Americans are used to doing what they want, when they want. I doubt that a 10% wash discount will accomplish much customer shift.

I am currently giving a 33% dry discount on Tuesdays and Wednesdays which are generally my slowest days. I believe that these two days have picked up a bit but not enough to get excited over. I still do most of my business on weekends.

Any customer who is price conscience and versatile may switch over to one of my Dryer Discount Days but most customers pay little attention to this promo. Any customer who is shopping price alone would not be in my store to begin with as there are much cheaper laundromats within a couple of miles.

Larry

[Jimedean]

I did a similar special in December 06 and had the best month in my 6 months of ownership. It was 20 % off all washers for the same days. I don't want to give 20 % off all year because I am on the card system and my regular customers get a 10 % loyalty discount after they have spent $100. ...So that would make the weekly discount 20 % to my regular customers. My associate feels that is a lot to give away. I will probably try the 10% off and see what happens after a couple of months.

[supersuds]

I agree with your partner - to give 10% off for life after $100 is a big chunk of revenue - do you have a bonus pts. system? just give them a free wash after like 15 washes instead. Any time you give anything away or give a deal in any biz - you have to hit the customer over the head with it and say " see what I gave you ". If it's just a hidden 10% off for life deal that no one knows about it's not good.

[petefritz]

What are you going to do when you get a week like this one, when the 1st falls on Wednesday? Your customers are fairly set in their game, the welfare do the laundry when the check arrives on the first, the old people do it on Mondays, the working class on weekend. And others in between when it fits their schedule. Why try to change all this? And discount to boot? To grow the business buy out the other stores near you.

[Jimedean]

so what's the plan when you buy out a small competitor around the corner?
do you build that business, close that business, raise prices....what do you think?

[petefritz]

[ QUOTE ]
so what's the plan when you buy out a small competitor around the corner?
do you build that business, close that business, raise prices....what do you think?

[/ QUOTE ]
No, not to close them , though some corp America does. Look at Columbus, OH, the original Wendy's is closing down, lack of market. Because laundry is so close having stores nearby you control the market and have ease of service them.
When big business wants to grow market share they buy out a comp, intergrate them into thier company, and yes, close some underperform branches. Most of the time, having bought out a good company, just take over that portion of market share via the existing sales. CLA should teach this at all thier semminars.

[laundrykingakron]

I knock 50 cents off 20# and 35# front loaders on Wednesday and Thursday... turns/machine/day have increased substantially without dramatic decrease to weekend numbers. Your fixed costs, (labor, mortgage, taxes) are still there, why not make the most of it and try to get any business you can on slow days.

[vernonmaytag]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think there is one simple answer to this. It all depends. ......
Why not give it a try for a month as a special promotion and see what happens.

[/ QUOTE ]

That'd be my view too. Any sort of promotion would have to consider that specific store's problem.

In our own case, the weekends do tend more busy than week days, but we can't count on a strong pattern. As a rule, Thursdays tend towards busier than Wednesdays, but then today (Thursday) is quieter than yesterday was at this time, so it varies from week to week (a long weekend often boosts our Thursday rush, but sometimes we get a Tuesday rush).

[Howard]

Also don't forget the impact that bad weather has on shifting business.

[teancum]

Weather has a huge day-to-day impact at my mat. Rain slows things. Holidays slow things. Right now a nice warm day slows things down. Everyone looks for a excuse to not do their laundry. :-)