Wash & Fold w/Card System

[Harv]

The mat we are building will be fully attended and all set up for wash & fold. We expect drop-off and commercial accounts to be an important part of our business.

We are incorporating an EasyCard system, and we intend to have everything (washers, dryers, vending machines, arcade games, bathroom) operate with a card reader. Duane has shown us that it can be done. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Duane's goal, however, was to operate a totally un-attended mat in an efficient manner, which could be monitored closely from home (or wherever). Our goal, besides the ease, convenience, monitoring, etc., is to not have any cash laying around the store. The card dispenser station and bill exchanger will be built into the wall of a vault-like room where the computers and video monitoring equipment will be kept.

That leaves the wash & fold business. The EasyCard software has provisions for drop-off transactions, I'm told, and I'll be able to modify that software any way I choose. But I'm wondering if we can realistically expect to avoid having a cash box behind the counter.

What we'd like to avoid, in our idyllic fantasy world, is having to keep cash on hand, tempting the attendants, reconciling the cash with our otherwise automated bookkeeping system or having some stocking-headed nut with a gun trying to make off with the booty. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif We're not in a particularly crime-ridden area, but stuff like that does happen now and then.

We can have a computer and a card reader right at the drop-off counter, and we're willing to accept credit cards, but would customers be miffed if we don't accept good old American cash? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[millenniumplus]

Would say that 60% of our biz is cash, 30% credit card and 10% check. We use the
Telecheck system to ensure credit cards and checks are ok. Our attendants start the
day off with $375.00 in cash -n- change. From making change throughout the day
in less than 5 hours they may have all large bills (twenties, fifties or hundreds) which
they drop into the floor safe. From there we have secondary key pad safes that each
hold $500.00 worth of singles, fives and tens. The number is changed randomly so they
call wifey or me to get the lastest key pad access code to get the bills required. Everything
is paper trailed as well as enterd into our POS system. The safes and register areas
are monitored with security cameras. We have an audit trail that accounts for every
penney,shift to shift. If a pattern develops and employee cash draw is short, it comes
out of their bi-weekly pay check. So far we have had no problems with employee theft
or non-employee theft. We have a very big WDF service and it would be difficult to work
without cash. We have the smart card system and two smart cards with 50bucks on
each. Paperwork was designed to track and itemize by poundage. For example, 45lbs
of clothes would go into a 50lb machine. Our 50lb machine cost $4.00 so the WDF
card would end up with $46. Another 60minutes of dry time or $2.00 would be
accounted for and leave the wdf card with $44bucks. Think customers would be
miffed as you say with not being able to use good old cash. Recommend you put
a system into place and modify it until you feel comfortable with it. It took us about
5 months to fine tune our system to the point we are comfortable with the checks
and balnces of cash and the use of the wdf card by employees. Seen at several stores
a cash changer safe. For example, one reads in a twenty via a bill accepter and keys
in how they want back the change. It's something maybe next year we might pursue
depending on the cost. If you took a survey would venture the majority of owners
have not been robbed by a non-employee. It's 50/50 with employees (some try to
steal many do not try to steal). Put a system into place that accounts for money
and go with it is what we would recommend. Keep us posted and good luck out there.

[Harv]

Thanks for the detailed reply, millennium. I remember from past posts that you have a world class WDF business.

Floor safes, keypad safes, rotating access codes, paper trail... yikes! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif That's gonna create a lot of work for my wife. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I guess going completely cashless was just a fantasy. It was nice while it lasted, though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif