I’m in the process of building a new laundromat from the ground up. The question I have is about the front and side doors to my facility. I’ve already decided that I will put in automatic doors. However, do you think I should install sliding or swinging doors? In your opinion, which type of door is better and why?
If at all possible, I believe that sliding automatic doors should be your choice. This type of door is going to be more flexible with regard to the size of the door opening, and sliding doors are much easier to maintain.
By contrast, swinging automatic doors are going to be more troublesome and require more maintenance time and effort. In addition, this type of door is more restrictive when it comes to sizing, and it clearly will require more front-to-back room simply to accommodate the swinging motion.
I think you and your customers will be happier with sliding automatic doors at your new location.
I recently acquired a huge client for my laundry’s pickup-and-delivery service. It’s a large apartment complex, which can accommodate more than 400 tenants. My question for you is how do I charge these new customers? What is the most effective and efficient method – by the pound or by the bundle?
In my opinion, I would definitely suggest that you charge by the bundle.
After all, if you plan to charge these customers by the pound, you’re going to have to have a scale on hand to weigh each load, which can be a big headache and time-waster. Also, when charging by the pound, you always run the risk of a discrepancy between what your scale reads and what the customer assumes is the “true weight” of his or her laundry load.
Therefore, it’s much simpler and more efficient to charge these apartment customers by the bundle. I’d suggest using laundry bags that are approximately 28 inches by 32 inches. Of course, you can even have the bags customized with your laundry business’ name and logo, which will help to further market your pickup-and-delivery service.
To establish your pricing, just fill one of your laundry bags to capacity and weight it – that’s your price per bag (or per bundle). Obviously, you can give your customers as many bags as they require.
I own a laundromat in a mid-sized town, and I’m looking at new ways of promoting my business. I run weekly specials and occasional discounts. However, I’m looking for something on a more regular and community-based basis. Do you have any ideas?
There are a number of ways in which your laundromat business can promote itself to the community on a regular basis. The only limit is your creativity.
Of course, just one very common, simple and effective idea is to sponsor a youth baseball, softball or soccer team? All local leagues are constantly looking for additional funding and new sponsors. This will give your business a nice boost in name recognition throughout your entire town on a much more regular basis. In addition, every kid on the team you sponsor has parents or guardians – and those individuals are going to be much more likely to patronize the laundromat that supports their child’s team, rather than a competing laundry business they’ve never heard of.
I’d also suggest joining the Coin Laundry Association’s LaundryCares Network, which is a growing group of laundry owners who are serving their neighborhoods by providing free laundry events for those in need, as well as offering literacy resources for children and families. It’s free to join, and it’s a great way to give back to your community and distinguish your laundromat from the rest of the stores in town.
In addition, perhaps consider subscribing to the CLA Connect Community, where you can ask these types of business-related questions and share ideas with other successful laundromat owners from all across the country.
