The Little Things Mean a Lot

By Dan Marrazzo | Jun 23, 2009

In the day-to-day operations of today’s self-service laundries, there is a point somewhere past the grand opening and first week of business where the owner becomes “comfortably numb.” It’s not unlike the purchase of a new car in a new color and then discovering how many of them are now on the road. The cars were always there, you just never noticed them until you had one.

I invite all of you to treat your stores in such a way that you will notice what it really looks like, even though you visit it frequently. If you walk in with the eyes of a customer, you might see a more sobering view of what you really own. If you have a friend in a parallel industry that has a fresh approach to your store, ask him or her to visit with pen and pad in hand for a critique of your store. Likewise, if you can convince this person to “air some dirty laundry” and bring a load or two to test-drive your store, you will learn about your facility and your staff at the same time.

In my years involved with the Boy Scouts, after summer camp and tons of dirty clothes, many of the “troop moms” would visit my store to save both time and their home machines. Later, at the next meeting, I would learn more about my store than I had ever imagined. Since they were first-time visitors, they noticed many things – good and bad – that I or a seasoned customer might miss.

The following checklist should help you to take fresh look at your laundry:

• Streetscape. What is the first thing you see when you pull into the space? Trash? A lighted sign? An “open” sign? Clean windows?

• The Entrance. Is it open and free of obstruction? Can you tell where to go? Can you see an attendant area if there is one? Can you see a change machine to get the process started?

• The Surroundings. Is there a place to sit? To fold comfortably? Is it a bright environment? How many bulbs are working in each fixture? (High-performance light ballasts are $14 each, and if you are not color blind, they can be changed in 15 minutes with a screw driver.) What about the heating vents? Are they full of hanging dust? How’s the paint in your high-traffic areas? Are your restrooms clean and up to date? Would you allow your daughter to use your store’s restroom in its present condition? Do you have enough trash cans? How is the traffic flow? Do you need to rearrange things a bit? Is the floor clean? Are all the tiles in place?

• The Machines. This can be the most important and telling feature of your store. How many are out of order, and how long have they been that way? Be honest. How clean are the tops and fronts? Are they cleaned daily? How’s the soap box? Does it look like a science project gone bad? (A new box will cost you a few dollars and about 20 minutes.) How do your machines work? Do your customers need to take out a small loan to dry a batch of towels? Are the filters clean? Have the dryer fronts been removed within the last year to thoroughly clean them? Would your mom use these machines? In fact, bring her in and let her comment on your machines.

As you can see, there are many facets of your self-service that can make it either a gem or junk. There is a point where you need to be honest with yourself about how it really looks. Walking into your laundry every day without a new approach is the same as being overweight and gazing into distorted fun-house mirrors and believing yourself to be thin.

As William Shakespeare advised, “To thine own self be true.” I’m reasonably sure he didn’t have your store in mind… but you should.