Natural Gas plays the "we're an energy too" game with pricing

If you haven't raised your dryer prices yet and are still waiting for the laundromat fairy to send you a note to keep your dryers profitable - you're in trouble. At least if you were up to present day pricing last year, somewhat in line with inflation and trying to make the dry side of your business profitable you would be more comfortable right now with your price settings and what you're bringing in. If you're still way under-priced and even more scared (which is why you never raised in the first place) to raise your dryer prices because of the now sketchy economy you could be dooming yourself.

I would love to see the "free dry" clowns justify themselves as we're now having winter natural gas rates in late spring. They must be shitting bricks. I wonder what genius ever started that trend in this business? Probably the same group that brainwashes the industry to give drys away for a quarter (if not for free).

If oil keeps it's pace, natural gas will continue to climb and not just for opportunistic copy cat reasons alone, but because homes are switching from oil to natural gas heat and natural gas cars are being sold in Europe already. Demand is actually going up for natural gas as well as oil.

News Flash: You might want to start charging for the natural gas usage in your store. The other Mat owners that keep shaving minutes are just thinking short term. You now need to go over a quarter for a transaction if you want to actually have positive cash flow for your dryers. I heard of some owners going as low as 4 minutes per transaction. You still want to offer a good service to the customer and not annoying them every 4 minutes. Give them a fair 10 minute dry (7 or 8 minutes of heat 2 or 3 cool) but charge a fair price for it. A dollar for a 10 minute dry spin might not be so futuristic after all. At least not for the remaining stores in the coming years. So many forget that we as mat owners are basically reselling utilities for the most part; the price of those utilities go up daily. Yet many of these "business people" haven't kept up with the times. Most owners haven't updated their stores or pricing since Sanford and Son was on the tube!

"Weezie! It's the Big One, I can feel it! The Sad and Sickly Laundromats are coming to join you!!!