What We Really Need Is Faster Cycles

[Adamski]

Guys,

What do you think of the Speed Queen ad with Ed Ellis (The Laundry King) floating in the pool as he remotely controls his 5 laundromats? Show me a guy who controls his laundromat remotely and I'll show you a guy who is out of touch with his business. I have a 12 camera CCTV system that I can view from my office but if I want to know if my place meets my standard for cleanliness; I have to visit it.

It's natural for washer manufacturers to make a big deal about their technological advancements. They've pretty much said everything there is to say about advancements in efficiency. So now they're making a big deal about washers that email the customer when the cycle ends (Electrolux) or washers that can be programmed from home (Speed Queen). Wow ... be still my heart. Like my week is so busy that I cannot find the time to go to the laundromat to raise some prices or make a permanent change to some cycle segments? Let's get real.

The bottom line is our customers want their laundry clean as quickly as possible. The quicker the better as long as cleanliness does not suffer in the process. If the manufacturers could give us washers that run a 10 minute cycle, that would be something worth advertising.

Imagine a washer that knocks 10 - 20 minutes off your current washer's cycle length. Here's how such a washer could change this whole industry for the better:

1. Your laundromat requires half as many washers to handle your customer load because each washer can run twice as many turns.

2. You can now offer your customers a big time saving advantage over competitors and home laundries.

3. There is no silly reason to email the customer that her washer is done. Just wait 10 minutes - it's done.

4. Presumably there would be a substantial jump in efficiency.

5. With fewer washers, laundromats could locate in smaller storefronts thus reducing rent costs.

6. Laundromats might be able to locate in high rent locations if they require fewer square feet to produce the same revenue.

So if any manufacturer is reading, you can best serve our industry by finding a way to cut the length of our washer cycles by 50%. I'll be waiting ...

[Howard]

I've posted this before, but I'll add it here again. Sometimes the real world operates differently than what we think makes sense in our heads. I installed a pair of 35# washers in the back of my store a number of years ago. Most of my 35# washers are near the front of the store. These washers come directly off the main water line before any pressure reducer valves, filters, etc.... The water pressure is just unreal. Anyway, because of that they fill almost instantaneously. Customers very quickly learned that these washers operated for about 5 minutes less that any other washer in the store.

Customers, being stupid by nature, then decided that they were being cheated because they were getting a short wash from these machines, and usage of these "fast" machines dropped significantly. We all know that they took the same amount of time in the wash cycle, they just filled faster. Solution - cut back on shut-off valves to reduce fill time to match other machines. Sometimes, faster is worse !

[Bluestreak]

That's an amazing story Howard, I thought for sure you were going to tell us that those washers were the most popular in the store. Thanks for posting again, I missed it the first time.

[Adamski]

Howard,

That's interesting but I have to wonder how much the positioning of the washers in the back of the store had to do with their popularity.

We know a few things for sure. Today's adults are very busy - always running here and there ... having jobs along with the responsibility of running the home. They also don't like doing laundry as a general rule. I think that if you surveyed them, most would want their laundry chore finished as quickly as possible so they could get on with other, more enjoyable things.

Perhaps the key is that all the washers within a laundromat should offer similiar length cycles whether they are short or long cycles. I, like some of the manufacturers, have come to believe that the Wascomat style 5 bath cycles are a total waste of time and utilities. The only remaining question is "How much shorter can we go with our washer's cycles?"

[STOUT]

Larry;

Yes the adults of today are very busy. That is why we offer a 4 minutes on our drop off laundry.
2 minutes to drop off
2 minutes to pick up.
= 4 minute WDF! That way it saves them time and they can be doing other things. That is how we pitch it.

[Howard]

The back of the store was my first thought as well. So for about a month I had signs that indicated there were triple load washers at the back of the store, and priced them $1.00 LESS than all the other triple load washers. You would never guess what happened to usage - they did not rise one bit at all. Customers bitch when you raise the price of a washer by 25 cents, yet when I offered them a dollar discount they would not bite. They just did not like the fact that they finished quicker - they assumed they were being had. So, now I make sure they are fully used for wash and fold before the attendants use any other machines.

[Adamski]

Howard,

So are all your Wascomats giving 5 baths per cycle today?

[Duane]

I get new customers all the time from my competition who have 18-20 minute wash cycles. The customers complain that they don't get a good wash in that short amount of time, especially when they can't see much water in the washer.

At 5 turns a day a 20 minute cycle (round up to 30min for loading, unloading, etc.) will only be 2.5 hours of cycle time in a 16-24 hour business day. 5 hours of cycle time for 10 turns per day. Spreading out your customer load is important.

There is efficiency and effectiveness. I believe we are on the edge of losing effectiveness with new machines that are striving for efficiency. Does it make sense to design a dryer that uses 20% less utilities, but takes 50% longer to dry? Or how about a washer that uses so little water that the clothes don't get clean?

It really comes down to pricing. Charge what you need to provide a good service and make a decent profit. This might mean upgrading older equipment to programmable equipment, but be careful that you don't program the equipment to the point of providing a bad service.

Duane.

[Super Clean]

On my Electrolux I offer both the quickwash (17-21 minutes depending on fill times) and the standard 2 wash and 3 rinse. Most customers choose the quickwash cycle, I even wash my work cloths on the quickwash with no issues. I think when it comes to customers its all a matter of perception. I have customers who smell their clothes when they are done and say these smell clean, well the only reason they smell clean is you dumped a boat load of softener in as well. Doesn't mean they are clean though.

[Howard]

Howard,

So are all your Wascomats giving 5 baths per cycle today?


All are set for 4 not 5, have always had it that way from day one.

[CanCanCase]

...Perhaps the key is that all the washers within a laundromat should offer similiar length cycles whether they are short or long cycles....

BINGO! Ask anyone with a Dexter "express" store if they've tried mixing A-Series washers in with the express machines. Oddly, the problem isn't perceived with the washers, it's with the dryers when they take a few minutes more to dry a load from a standard washer... "I usually get dry quicker" they say... "This crappy dryer I used this time must not be working right!"

-Case

[Howard]

Noramlly I am a believer of all equipment being the same, I am not sure about that being true with "Express" equipment. If you don't have some normal equipment also then there is nothing for customers to compare against. By having some normal equipment you should be better able to justify why you charge more for the express. Its sort of like with trains, the express train costs more than the local - by having the local customers can weigh the value of the time saved based on price. If you have all express machines it will likely be more difficult to charge a premium price. You can claim they are faster than some other store - but it is hard to quantify that.

[Adamski]

... you should be better able to justify why you charge more for the express...

Howard,

There is a new Dexter Express laundromat in my market and their washer prices are about 20% lower than mine. Express models are substantially more expensive to buy than standard models. I've not yet seen anyone charging a higher vend price for express washers regardless of what brand they might be. It seems that express laundromats are giving up dryer sales (less residual moisture - faster drying) without even getting any extra washer income from their washer sales. If that's supposed to be something that laundromat operators should strive for; I'm not getting it at all. How do express washers benefit me? Can someone ... anyone tell me?

[canon]

Been waiting to post this for a couple of months to see how it worked out. Let me start with the dexter express washers. I built two new express stores in the last two years in an area with four mats in a six mile radius. I credit both stores rapid growth to the express washers. Once people try them their my customer. While i am priced the same as my comp. I feel my bottom line is better do to the gas efficiency of the express dryers. What i have been waiting to post is what i did at two of my other stores. I changed my wash and fill levels to; 2 min prewash med fill, no spin, 5min wash low level 30 second spin 2-2min rinses with a 30 second spin between and a 6 min spin . brings me to a 18 min cycle. Customers love it. While sales are strong, water/sewage between 200.00 down for the last 3 months. Imagine that customers happy and save money. No matter how nice you make your place, people still want to get out as fast as they can.

[Adamski]

...I built two new express stores in the last two years in an area with four mats in a six mile radius. I credit both stores rapid growth to the express washers. Once people try them their my customer. While i am priced the same as my comp. I feel my bottom line is better do to the gas efficiency of the express dryers.

What i have been waiting to post is what i did at two of my other stores. I changed my wash and fill levels to; 2 min prewash med fill, no spin, 5min wash low level 30 second spin 2-2min rinses with a 30 second spin between and a 6 min spin . brings me to a 18 min cycle. Customers love it. While sales are strong, water/sewage between 200.00 down for the last 3 months. Imagine that customers happy and save money. No matter how nice you make your place, people still want to get out as fast as they can.

Cannon,

What size stove do your Express dryers have? What pound capacity are they. I consider my Huebsch axial airflow dryers to be extremely efficient so I wonder how your Dexter Express dryers compare.

What is your dryer income as a percentage of washer income in your Express stores?

How do the 4 existing competitors compare (quality wise) to your new Express stores? I'm thinking there might be a whole lot of difference between your competitors and you ... especially if they are older stores.

Why did you choose to keep your wash vend prices equal to your competitors even though you have brand new Dexter Express equipment and they, presumably, have non-express washers.

[canon]

Wow Larry, i will admit i had to look up burner btu's. I believe they are 90,000 per pocket. I will also admit with 6 mats i don't take the time to do wash to dry ratios any more. I tend to look at monthly figures only. I can tell you one of my huebsc stores is almost identical in sales as one of my dexter stores, plus same gas ,water electric co. When i compare sales to utilities the dexter store is 300.00 a month ahead.

[canon]

Sorry , forgot the other part. 2 of the other stores are equal to mine, While the other two are a little older. I price the same because i think it gives me the edge over them. Besides, the express equipement is not that much more to purchase.

[Howard]

Howard,

There is a new Dexter Express laundromat in my market and their washer prices are about 20% lower than mine. Express models are substantially more expensive to buy than standard models. I've not yet seen anyone charging a higher vend price for express washers regardless of what brand they might be. It seems that express laundromats are giving up dryer sales (less residual moisture - faster drying) without even getting any extra washer income from their washer sales. If that's supposed to be something that laundromat operators should strive for; I'm not getting it at all. How do express washers benefit me? Can someone ... anyone tell me?


Unless the market is totally over-saturated, this type of pricing makes ZERO sense. No rational person would spend extra on equipment that will generate lower net revenues. While time is important, I think it is much more important if you have a stand alone store, than one with other attractions in the area. I find most customers in my store could care less about time. They often start a washer and then visit other stores in the center. The same goes for dryers.

[CanCanCase]

Granted, I'm the shiny new store(s) in town, so yeah... that accounts for SOME of the business I get, but anecdotally there's merit to the Express machines too... The very first day I opened, I had a guy come in and rant that my triples were WAY higher than the Dexter EasyCard store about 4 miles away. They were... I vend trips at $4.50, and his were at $3.25... I explained the "Express story" and how by the time wash and dry were done, I would be surprised if our "total wash/dry price" wasn't about the same. He tried my store once and swore he'd never come back because I was too expensive. Guess where he does laundry every week, despite living 1 block from the non-Express store and 4 miles from my #1? Yup... he's my customer for exactly the reason I explained... "Total wash/dry" price was within a quarter at both stores, AND the other guy recently raised his triples to $3.75...

In this small town where it's no big deal to try every other mat in the county for comparison (and most folks do), people have learned very fast that my Express equipment can't be beat.

I honestly haven't figured out what makes an "Express Dryer" express... they look and act just like the standard stack 30's and stack 50's as far as I can tell... My non-scientific research (aka: I did my 2 week's family wash at my store today) shows the following: an "average load" taken from a Giant washer (50# Express) and dried in two 30# Express dry pockets takes about 24 minutes to dry. An "average load" taken from a Monster washer (80# NON-Express) and dried in two 50# Express dry pockets takes about 36-42 minutes to dry. I don't know these dryers well enough to know if the dryer is actually doing anything "express", or if the difference is just the better extract on the express washer vs. standard...

From the very beginning, I've charged a premium for the Express washes, and fairly low (roughly equal to the competition) rates for dry. It seems to make my Express washers more obvious to the customer (as in, "wow...these are expensive, they must be better!") Once the total wash/dry price is determined to roughly equal the competition, THEN I sit back and smile at the water and gas bills that I KNOW are much smaller than the other guys and gals.

-Case

[mmurra]

I have raised my Dexter Express washer and dryer prices several times since I installed them two years ago, for the very reasons mentioned above. It tok me some time to figure it out. Mark

[Adamski]

...I can tell you one of my huebsc stores is almost identical in sales as one of my dexter stores, plus same gas ,water electric co. When i compare sales to utilities the dexter store is 300.00 a month ahead.

Cannon,

Perhaps it's time to take a look at your Huebsch washer cycles and see if you can eliminate a bath or two. New Huebsch washers are factory programmed with 3 baths.

While you may be able to smile about your lower utility bills; your competitors might be smiling about their lower rents or some other efficiency that they've developed.

[canon]

Larry, I think i am sitting pretty good right now. One of the owners has called me wishing to sell( the older stores). I also forgot to tell you about a 5th store six years old who wants me to stop by and make him an offer( bad hood)

[Super Clean]

My Electrolux Quickwash 20lb/double load machines are priced the same as my Maytag machines, $4.00 on a 2 wash/3 rinse cycle. The Quickwash is priced at $3.50 and ppl love the speed. I have ppl move up to my 6 load Electrolux from the 4 load Maytag just because the machine is faster, even though they don't have enough to fill it.

I haven't come to a conclusion yet if ppl have noticed or realized the difference with the high speed extract vs. the other non high speed extract in regards to drying. My dryer revenue has held pretty constant with my pre high speed extract days.

One big difference however is ppl using the 45lb stack Electrolux to dry. Some days they (2 stacks, 4 pockets)will bring in the same or more revenue then the 14 Maytag 30lb stacks (28 total pockets). The 45lb's are priced at $0.25 for 2 minutes, $1 to start and the 30lb's are priced at $0.25 for 5 minutes no minimum.

[Adamski]

My Electrolux Quickwash 20lb/double load machines are priced the same as my Maytag machines, $4.00 on a 2 wash/3 rinse cycle. The Quickwash is priced at $3.50 and ppl love the speed. I have ppl move up to my 6 load Electrolux from the 4 load Maytag just because the machine is faster, even though they don't have enough to fill it...

Jeff,

Do I understand correctly - your 20 lb Electrolux washer is $4.00 for the 5 bath cycle and $3.50 for the Quickwash cycle? How many baths on the Quickwash cycle? How fast is the Quickwash cycle (in minutes)?

How long are the cycles on your Maytag (Primus) washers?

If you can, you should consider pricing your 45 lb stacked dryers at 8 min/4 quarters to start and 8 min/4 quarters for additional time. 2 minutes is almost a non-purchase, don't you think? Then price your 30 lb stacks at 10 minutes/2 quarters to start and 10 min/2 quarters for additional time.

[epic02]

A while back I had customers that were coming into my place complaining about the other mats top loaders that were .50 cents when I was $1.25 then they told me his total wash time was set up at less then 15 minutes they had to wash there clothes 2 times or more. I can see how some customers would feel there are being cheated, specially if there accustomed to a certain type of machine.

[MrMachine]

Jeff,

Do I understand correctly - your 20 lb Electrolux washer is $4.00 for the 5 bath cycle and $3.50 for the Quickwash cycle? How many baths on the Quickwash cycle? How fast is the Quickwash cycle (in minutes)?

How long are the cycles on your Maytag (Primus) washers?

If you can, you should consider pricing your 45 lb stacked dryers at 8 min/4 quarters to start and 8 min/4 quarters for additional time. 2 minutes is almost a non-purchase, don't you think? Then price your 30 lb stacks at 10 minutes/2 quarters to start and 10 min/2 quarters for additional time.

Sounds like those 45lb dryers are just begging to be converted to $1.00 coins.

[Super Clean]

The 45lb's have dual coin drops, I'm Canadian, we've had dollar coins for ever without keeping paper in circulation.


Larry, the quickwash on the Electrolux is 18/19 minutes depending on how fast they fill and drain for 3 baths. The 5 bath Maytags are at 34 minutes. I'd have to double check again. I get $4.50 for an extra rinse on Maytags.

I agree with you that 2 minutes really is a non purchase but ppl still like to add that 25 or 50 cents vs a full dollar. It's a dollar to start for 8 minutes then additional time by adding quarters or loonies.

I'd like to go full cycle pricing or $1.00 for 20 minutes. I've even considered giving ppl back a minute per 25 cents for the $1.00 for 25 minutes. I'm not sure how customers would react to the need to put $2.00 in to dry a load where most spend the $1.50 or $1.75. I'm not sure if the 50 cents for 10 minutes would confuse ppl.

It is an interesting thought though, I'd still like to go to loonie drop only on the 30lb's.

[Adamski]

Jeff,

In Canada, you have an advantage over me in that your customers have been carrying around loonies (dollar coins) in their pockets for years. I have to provide all the dollar coins my customers use.

You might consider beginning your conversion over to Dollar Coin Only by simply blocking the quarter slot on those 45 lb dryers. Do this by screwing a small screw into the middle of the quarter slot. Then convert your 30 lb washers to Dollar Coin Only. As you begin to convert from a dual coin system to a single coin system, you'll see how simple it is for both you and your customers. Then just continue conversion to Dollar Coin Only as appropriate for your situation.

I tell my customers that it takes 1 or 2 coins to dry an average load depending on the size and type of load being dried. (I have 30 and 35 lb dryers.) Learn to speak of your prices in terms of "coins" rather than "dollars".