Starting a Laundromat ... Owning a Laundromat ... Running a Laundromat

Laundry Men smile as Natural gas prices continue to plummet

2012-01-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

Not sure about you but we have enjoyed the thousands in savings this year on the Natural Gas bill! Stay low!!

via The Financial Times

Natural gas prices fall on mild US winter

By Emiko Terazono in London

US natural gas prices suffered their biggest week drop in two-and-a-half years, falling 12.7 per cent, amid forecasts of continuing mild winter weather and booming US production.

Higher than normal temperatures in the east and Midwest of America have depressed US natural gas prices over the past few months, when consumption is supposed to be at its strongest. “There doesn’t seem to be a floor [to the price] right now,” said Laurent Key, natural gas analyst at Société Générale in New York.

Just over half of US households use natural gas for heat, and while January is supposed to be the coldest month of the year, stocks in storage could this month rise as high as 21 per cent more than normal, Mr Key noted.

The mild weather has come as US production has been growing rapidly on the back of the shale boom, caused prompted by the development of resources that were previously uncommercial. According to the US Department of Energy, natural gas output in October, the latest month for which data are available, marked a record high.

Nymex February natural gas futures traded at $2.66 per million British thermal units on Friday, the lowest level since September 2009.

While the downward trend in prices is eventually expected to make it unprofitable to produce natural gas, and lead to production cutbacks, many gas wells also produce higher-value liquids such as petroleum. For some producers, the cost of pumping natural gas is virtually “zero”, according to analysts.

With stocks expected to remain high even if temperatures suddenly turn colder than normal, many analysts expect prices to fall further. “The market fears a collapse in prices below $2 per mBtu, which cannot be ruled out,” noted Barclays Capital.

Amid such bearish sentiment, investor bets on further declines have been rising. The total number of Nymex natural gas futures contracts outstanding, known as open interest, rose to a record 1,115,469 lots on Thursday, up by a third in the past year and 10 per cent in the past week. The combination of rising open interest and falling prices generally indicates that traders and investors have added to their short positions.

However, Anthony Yuen, analyst at Citigroup, cautioned that “a bullish weather report could be a catalyst”, noting positive news could prompt a scramble for investors to cover their positions. The market could also eventually turn as producers cut the number of rigs, said Mr Yuen. The number of rigs deployed to drill for gas has fallen to 791 from a recent peak of 936 last October, according to Baker Hughes, and a continued decline could affect longer-term contracts.

More Signs we're going to a Rent First World

2011-10-28T09:52:00.003-05:00

Whirlpool to cut 5,000 jobs to reduce costs

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. plans to cut 5,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its workforce in North America and Europe, as it faces soft demand and higher costs for materials.
The world's biggest appliance maker also on Friday cut its 2011 earnings outlook drastically and reported third-quarter results that missed expectations, hurt by higher costs and a slowdown in emerging markets. Shares fell 12 percent in premarket trading.
The company, whose brands include Maytag and KitchenAid, has been squeezed by soft demand since the recession and rising costs for materials such as steel and copper. Due to its size, Whirlpool's performance provides a window on the economy because it indicates whether consumers are comfortable spending on big-ticket items.
Whirlpool has raised prices to combat higher costs, but demand for items like refrigerators and washing machines remains tight. Whirlpool is also facing discount pressure from competitors.
To offset slowing North American sales, Whirlpool has turned to emerging markets. But the company said Friday that sales have slowed there, too.
Steep costs and the dour global economy are affecting the entire appliance industry. Swedish appliance maker Electrolux said Wednesday that its third-quarter net income fell 39 percent and cut its forecast for demand in North American and Europe for the year
Whirlpool jobs to be cut are mostly in North America and Europe. They include 1,200 salaried positions and the closing of the company's Fort Smith, Ark., plant.
The Fort Smith plant shutdown will affect 884 hourly workers and 90 salaried employees. An additional 800 workers were on layoff from the factory and on a recall list.
Whirlpool will also relocate dishwasher production from Neunkirchen, Germany, to Poland in January 2012.
The company expects the moves will save $400 million by the end of 2013.
Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool's third-quarter net income more than doubled to $177 million, or $2.27 per share, from $79 million, or $1.02 per share. Adjusted earnings of $2.35 per share fell short of analyst expectations for $2.73 per share.
Revenue rose 2 percent to $4.63 billion, short of expectations for $4.74 billion.
"Our results were negatively impacted by recessionary demand levels in developed countries, a slowdown in emerging markets and high levels of inflation in material costs," CEO Jeff Fettig said.
Unit shipments fell in all regions except Asia, where they rose 4 percent.
In North America, revenue fell 2 percent to $2.4 billion, and in Latin America, revenue rose 8 percent to $1.2 billion.
The company now expects 2011 net income will be $4.75 to $5.25 per share. Its prior guidance was net income would be at the low end of a range between $7.25 and $8.25 per share.
Whirlpool's stock fell $7.10, or 11.7 percent, to $53.37 in premarket trading. The stock has already sunk 32 percent this year.
—Copyright 2011 Associated Press

Hello Laundry Dudes

2011-08-23T19:16:00.004-05:00

Been away for awhile, but that' why I got into the Laundry biz so I could eventually be completely away from computer screens! Ever notice when you're reading anything whether on the web or your phone the information rolls over your brain like water over river rocks as you skip from one article to the next - you create nothing, your output is zero. That's why we all need to get away and unplug.

Anyhow, it took me over an hour to go through all the recent comments. I answered any I could - keep interacting - it's fun.

Who knew the laundry biz was so sexy.

Swapping Dollar Coins For Bills Could Save $5.5 Billion, GAO Says

2011-04-13T17:36:00.003-05:00

When Canada switched to dollar coins, or "loonies," its simply took the country's dollar notes out of circulation. The GAO says the U.S. needs a similar plan.

This switch could mean huge savings for the treasury. The public still has no appetite for coins but the slow switch will start.

Maybe the Government will go to Laundry Cards for everyone?

March is over and it's Boom Time in the Laundry Biz Again

2011-04-09T10:56:00.004-05:00

Not sure what happened this year but people said "screw it let's wash everything we own, use the big machines and do it over and over again". For whatever reason, the smashing of 100 pounds of clothes into toploaders (like last year) has ended and we've been having the biggest weekends ever consistently.

Maybe a sign for the overall economy turning?

Laundry Thief or Sexual Predator: What Would You Do?

2011-03-19T11:50:00.003-05:00

ABC always stirring sh!t up with their 'what would you do?' show. Most of the stuff they do is over the top (and never seen in the real world). The dramatics this time were played out at a laundromat. Let the good times and video roll... (On another note, have we been seeing a lot of commercials shot in laundromats lately?) Laundromats are becoming the new IT thing - Ha

http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/laundry-thief-sexual-predator/story?id=13132990

Deep & Random Thoughts

2011-02-22T20:39:00.005-05:00

Been out of commission for a few months. You won't believe it but I'll tell you anyhow. A customer at the Mat brought their Yorkshire terrier into the store (no, animals aren't allowed). One day while walking in the front door I didn't see him/her/it, tripped over it and broke my ankle. I've broken this ankle multiple times. Also hit my head which some people think may have helped me long-term. If you're wondering if the dog is OK - screw you. Anyhow, here are some Random Thoughts, because I know you've been waiting:

New Blog Background - The drops of water on the glass for the blog background reminds me of a washer glass door. It does look like that doesn't it? So when you see the background on this blog just think of a 60 pound washer that's just been done (and you've already been paid). Told you I hit my head.

Comments on this blog - I will get to good comments eventually - be patient. Just answered about 20 of them after some time out. Google has made it easier to screen the mountains of spam now so shouldn't take as long as it has. Thanks for them - keep em' coming.

Last year sucked in this biz - Let's face it, last year sucked. I don't need to rehash the fallout of the 2008 crash (people shoving 100 pounds of clothes into 2 machines) but let's face it: last year sucked. The good news...

This year has started off extraordinarily well - As if 1/1/11 started on Steroids, we've been through the roof. Not sure why, but maybe we've all realized the bottom was hit and we can't get worse so let's wash the Sh!t out of those clothes! Again, as predicted, some low-end stores have died off in the last year as well. Feeling good about this coming year.

You should buy the building - If you've been in the biz long enough and want to keep going or are someone just adding another store - buy the building if you can. http://laundrycapitalist.blogspot.com/2007/06/buy-building.html
The property values in the area of a good laundromat would be low enough that the rent you pay in 5 years would most likely buy the building! Random thought...

Stock your display case with Dollar Store Soap & Softener - You can fill your entire display case on the cheap and make back 5-6 times as much. Much more efficient than buying it from some big dealer who will charge you $50 for delivery alone.

Smile - It's good for business http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Business-Tool-With-Real-Power:-Your-Smile!&id=5587779 and you've just made it through the worst economy since the Great Depression. If you're still in business, celebrate it because you've done well.

Waterless Washer - One of the 50 Best Inventions of 2010

2010-11-14T22:13:00.002-05:00

The waterless, bead filled washers are back in the news and it looks like they'll be on the market next year.

You probably don't think about this every time you separate your whites, but the U.S. uses more than 330 billion gal. of water on laundry each year, according to the British firm Xeros Ltd.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2029497_2030623_2029701,00.html

The Top 5 Most Popular Laundry Capitalist's Posts - All Time

2010-10-18T17:06:00.005-05:00

Greatest Hits - All Time

How Much Capital Will I Need to Start a Laundromat...

Feb 14, 2007, 30 comments

Price Wise - Is your Laundromat Keeping Up with th...

Apr 25, 2007, 7 comments

Coin Versus Swipe Card Technology for your Laundro...

Feb 23, 2007, 11 comments

Alternative Revenue Streams for your Laundromat

Mar 20, 2007, 5 comments

Finding the Right Location for Your Laundromat

Feb 14, 2007, 2 comments

In other news... there was a big back log of comments I responded to recently - sorry for the delay - busy guy! Also the comment bot spam is becoming overwhelming. Any how, here are the top 5 in regards to traffic - all time. When I get time I'll add my personal favorite 5.

A Water Fight Over Luxury Showers

2010-07-29T20:07:00.001-05:00

Come on Now - this is just a waste of GD water.

"Gene Goforth sells showerheads—big ones, like the Raindance Imperial 600 AIR. Selling for as much as $5,457, it has a 24-inch spray face, 358 no-clog channels and a triple-massage option. "You can just stand under it, and it helps your psyche," says Mr. Goforth, who has one in his home...."

Bill Maher Rants on the Coin Laundry Association!

2010-05-15T10:23:00.004-05:00

HBO Funny man Bill Maher is good for a laugh every once in a while. Almost fell off the couch when he mentioned The Coin Laundry Association at the end of his "New Rules" rant May 14th Show. It was referring to how it takes 2 cents to make a penny and 9 cents to make a nickel and "this makes... no sense" (cue rim shot). I was half asleep during the rant but it was something to the effect of "the country is wasting money and even money is under water ... every business has a lobby - even laundromats - those titans of industry (ball kick) ....and the CLA was the one that some how lobbied to keep making coins the way they are, so machinery doesn't have to be updated....". I'm paraphrasing and still looking for the clip online to share.

I think I wrote, way back when, that the CLA should change it's name anyhow to get with the times. A big chunk of Mats now use swipe card technology and in the future it will be most all of them.

It will be interesting to see if the CLA responds to it's possibly most famous mention ever.

Water, Water, Water

2010-05-02T15:23:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but it just means I'm busier than a 1 armed coat hanger or a hooker at shore leave (which ever one is busier)...

This cnn article below reminded me of the other big utility issue coming for the industry WATER. Costs will only go up from here and most people's sewer bills are double what the water bills are due to treatment costs (or just general Governmental run-ups to meet all the municipal short-falls). We can all see those costs continuing to creep up.

Will technology continue to help in the goal to use less & less water for clothing? Picture above of

The Xeros Waterless Washing Machine

Most commercial machinery today uses a surprisingly small amount of water compared with residential machinery. I remember when I first saw our new 60 Pounders and how surprised I was to see the water barely came to the bottom lip of the window. Less water consumption is great but nothing compared to beads or steam machines. The washer/dryer all in one machines are becoming more prevalent now as well. It will be interesting to see where machinery goes in the coming years. Less utility usage is good all the way around and lessened or eliminated Gas and/or Water bills in the future wouldn't be bad for the bottomline. In the meantime keep pushing ancillary revenue streams on top of your core business$$$.

Water: The most undervalued resource http://shar.es/mcRP5
via CNNMoney.com

The 'waterless' washing machine that could save Us all Money

2010-03-09T11:40:00.003-05:00

I wouldn't mind cutting out the sewer & water bills! They're killing most in the biz right now. Most new machines use very little water as it is (compared to residential machines) but this is even better. Great for the environment too!

90% less water than a regular cycle (home machines)
30% cost savings (much more if commercialized)
Available end of 2011

The big question ofcourse? Does it clean?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/09/xeros-washing-machine-bills

CLA writes honest, hard hitting article "The 'R' Word"

2010-01-24T12:23:00.004-05:00

I was pleasantly surprised in the January CLA Journal to come across The R Word - by far the most honest and hard hitting look at the current economy and it's impact on the industry I've ever seen from the CLA. Pleasant probably isn't the best term as the information was gloomy especially in regards to the real world examples from industry veterans and how they're coping with the current economy. Refreshing is probably a better word for it's honesty.

There was a lot of work and research put into this article. Subjects ranging from the macro economy - how we got here - direct variables affecting the laundry biz - moving forward with pro-activity.

This is one I'll be re-reading: The ‘R’ Word - Business Management @ planetlaundry.com

Why you, why now?

2010-01-24T12:10:00.003-05:00

This short, sweet blog post resonated with me for the laundry biz...

Why you, why now? Quick thoughts on how being the cheapest (as many in this biz seem to think is actually a viable option) isn't really a long term strategy, and how proximity to customers isn't always possible (except in the laundry biz where it's a huge part of making things work). To that point, not only do want good demographics - you want great ones. If you're not surrounded by tens of thousands in terms of population with more than half of them renting - seems it would be really hard to stay alive for the long term in this business.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/01/why-you-why-now.html

Top Ten 2010 Trends for Entrepreneurs | CFOwise

2009-12-21T10:25:00.003-05:00

Top Ten 2010 Trends for Entrepreneurs | CFOwise

Continue to tweak costs, cut expenses where you can and look for other revenue streams in 2010!

Three Best Ways to Use Social Media

2009-12-19T16:49:00.001-05:00

Been noticing more laundromats and laundry businesses than ever promoting themselves on twitter and connecting with other industry professionals:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704541004574600333460307634.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Rossmore Laundromat/JP Carwash Enjoys Solar Water Heating Savings

2009-12-02T22:08:00.002-05:00

The Rossmore Laundromat and JP Carwash in Jamaica Plain, MA has seen such great results from its solar hot water heating panels that it’s in the process of adding more. The company’s 25 solar water heating panels, first installed in November of 2007, measure approximately 800 sq. ft. in area and have a capacity of 52 kilowatts (kWTH). The company is planning to install 10 more SWH panels, which are expected to be up and running by the end of 2008. The panels initially cost $55,000 to install, but the company received $9,000 total in utility rebates from National Grid ....

http://www.mass.gov/Eoeea/docs/doer/eleaders/eleader-rossmore.pdf

Laundry Guys Pass out Vended Soaps for Halloween

2009-10-31T17:57:00.003-05:00

When laundry guys run out of candy - out breaks the vending machine's soaps. Cleans the clothes which is more healthy than candy. The parents love it. Trick or treat:

Laundry leads to Hot Sex

2009-10-24T09:39:00.001-05:00

Laundry and other chores lead to sex.... believe it or not ....

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704500604574485351638147312.html

White House Plans for Small-Business Aid Focused on Wrong Things

2009-10-21T14:49:00.007-05:00

Many of the small businesses on Main Street are drowning. If you wanted to help a pool of drowning people would you push more people into the pool? This is what this 'freed up credit' plan for the most part does: It nudges banks or politely asks them to come on and lend some more money and free up some credit. Most businesses that are newly launching are the ones that need big batches of credit. This plan mostly ignores existing small businesses.

Diners, hair salons, pizzerias the list goes on of real life, main street businesses that could use help. Here is a small list of the most annoying things involved with running a small business. Dear Government, feel free to help:

Insurance - The Federal Government in the new health care battle decries the greed of big insurance firms and blasts them for consistently raising rates through the roof - which we all love (everyone hates Insurance Companies). Ironically though, the Government points on the other hand and mandates things like workman's comp insurance to small businesses. It would be fine if rates were reasonable but they're not. The rhetoric has also caused the big insurance companies to attempt to make up for possible future short-falls. Has anyone else noticed all other insurance ie umbrella & Workman's Comp has been rapidly increasing? Small business owners will cheer on health care reform as we're tired of seeing employees that have gone far too long without treatment because they have no health care and have suffered mentally and physically for it. We've personally paid for multiple employee's medical procedures out of our own pockets, many times. Many non-entrepreneurs will say - well don't you offer health insurance? Health insurance isn't remotely affordable for main street businesses that have hourly workers. Most can't survive as it is now. I think this is part of the problem "small business" as a classification is too wide ranging. People and Government are considering the pizzeria in the same grouping as a 50 employee software company with 7 MM in revenue. Different universe, although both are considered small business.

Of course even as we all want health care reform and hope for the change that is needed, small business owners everywhere are bracing for the implications. Insurance companies will get their revenue from these other streams and they will be ratcheted up. Small business will be taken to the wood shed as their other mandatory insurance sky rockets. Will Government help with this? It's also mandatory in most strip malls to have a minimum umbrella insurance plan of a Million dollars or more.

Payroll Tax - Another strange entity that non-entrepreneurs have no concept of is payroll tax. The taxes employees pay out is matched by the employer - comes right out of the small business checking account. It's funny when you tell people that didn't know that, they're always shocked. If you're a small business owner cutting yourself a check - you in essence get double taxed. Funny that the 50 employee software company can claim most all of their tech staff as contractors thus avoiding payroll tax but the 7 people trying to keep the pizzeria afloat must tag their part timers as "employees" and thus be slow bled throughout the year.

The Sea of Paperwork from Governmental Agencies/Bureaucracies -
The Government's inefficiencies and sea of paper pushing is affecting small business negatively. First you take the time to open the envelope and see another $10 invoice from the D of L for God knows what. Then you get a $45 invoice from their neighbors down the Hall. I actually called them once and asked the Government employee at the other end of the line, "what is this for?" The answer - I'm not kidding: "I'm not quite sure". Back to the mail. Then you get your retail sales tax booklet. Then you get your "tangible tax" from the city. Don't even get me going on tangible tax - basically a tax for literally existing. Next the city will tax you for breathing air in your store. Well it was the city's air. Tangible tax is like a never ending sales tax on your equipment over and over again every year - that no one in government or your accountant can fully explain. Don't get me going - I'm still opening my paperwork. Then I get my seemingly weekly "QTRLY TAX and Wage report" from the State. Sadly all this information is supplied by ADP directly to the State. Every year you could fill a suitcase with the wasteful paperwork they send for this even though it's taken care of on the back end electronically. The pizzeria must be buried with the extra "food preparation" paperwork. Back to the mail. Then we open our new bill from the boiler inspector. There's actually a Department of Boiler Inspection. Not sure if it was recently created as a new revenue generator or if its always been there. Wait a minute there's another piece of mail from them as well. The first letter says "2007" in one of the line items with a bill and the other doesn't have a date but another bill for a differing amount. Well let's take some more time out of our busy day to call this glorious Department. After a few back and forths I find out that they missed the bill for 07' but the good news is they will be billing every two years now hence the 2009 bill currently in our lap as well. They apologize that there was no description whatsoever on the invoice and let me know that many, many business owners have called about that. Wow - how much productivity was lost that day by just the little old boiler department? Back to my mail. Uh Oh - this one is also from the state. - The Workman's Comp Unit. It's a Stern Letter with Bolded text and in a nutshell tells us YOU WILL BE SHUTDOWN IN SHORT TIME BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE WORKER'S COMP INSURANCE! Threats of shut-down are scary to any small business. The only thing is WE DO HAVE Workman's Comp Insurance. We take some more time out of our busy day to see what the Government is up to now. After some back and forth over the course of a couple days we get a response from that office "We're sorry - you do have Workman's Comp Insurance, your file got lost in the shuffle somehow." Back to the mail, and we're full circle - A separate letter from our friends at the Workers Comp office. Looks like an auto-generated letter. It's Entitled: WORKER'S COMPENSATION INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS. There was a "requirements" section and there was a more ominous "penalties" section. At quick glance it was basically a notification letter explaining that every employer must have workman's comp. insurance.

This is just the mail from our company PO Box. I'm off to the store where there will be additional mail at the businesses physical location. Some of it will be duplicates of what I've already read - other Government Departments must be heard. There will be some time left to monitor the business with my remains of the day.

As I pull into the strip mall I'm happy to see the cars in front of our store and the action, but it's short lived and bittersweet as another of our neighbors in the mall has cleaned out the last of their wares and has moved on. I think about the TARP money. I think most of this "credit push" will go unused. I think about last month's letter from the strip mall saying the city has really hurt them this year and the RE Tax bill will push close to $300,000 for them, meaning we will all suffer a little more but they intend to fight for a reasonable tax.

The strip mall is almost half empty now. The credit push doesn't seem to be back filling the vacancies down here on the street. Some of the other survivors are the usual suspects, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and a cash advance store.

It's lonely being the boss. It's lonely being one of the survivors.

White House Plans Small-Business Aid - WSJ.com

Natural Gas Falls 1.8% as Glut Persists - WSJ.com

2009-10-12T12:29:00.002-05:00

Yet laundromat gas bills keep going up and up.... go figure....

Natural Gas Falls 1.8% as Glut Persists - WSJ.com

A Laundry Room That Tweets - that's pretty cool

2009-10-10T08:51:00.001-05:00

http://twitter.com/laundryroom

Cops: Carmel man broke into neighbor's home to do laundry - Topix

2009-10-10T08:18:00.002-05:00

Seems to be a recurring theme! People breaking into other people's house to do laundry. News Flash: Doing laundry costs money. Lock your windows.

Cops: Carmel man broke into neighbor's home to do laundry - Topix

Woman Accused Of Breaking Into Home To Do Laundry

The Twitter Follow Basics for Small Businesses

2009-09-18T17:30:00.005-05:00

I've mentioned twitter before for your store:

"Twitter - I've seen some Mats with twitter pages for their stores - good start. Many of them though have weak followings and they're following a light number of people as well. Actually I've given away enough Jedi mind tricks forget it.... OK, one easy tip. Use the search key and search people in your city. Start going down that results list and hit "follow", "follow", "follow". People tend to reciprocate your follows on twitter. Before you know it you'll be connected to a whole gaggle of locals. Now blasting your weekly deals, or marketing news won't go straight up to the ether - it will go to townies you want in the store."

You can setup your basic profile with your company website link - if you have one (see blog post on Yola) Yola | Build a Free Website for your Sm. Biz; as well as brief company description and pics and background. The ones I've seen with nice outside store shots look best - but whatever looks good for you. Trying to link to locals is a great way to communicate, promote and gain more customers. This article below also gives some additional basic tips.

I would also add, try to focus on following people that you're interested in following, or direct locals who could be potential customers. As you know this is a neighborhood business, so mindlessly following and connecting to every random person across the globe won't help you and will fill up your twitter inbox with a mountain of spam.

The Twitter Follow Basics for Small Businesses

5 Things Small Business Owners Should Do Today Online

2009-09-14T12:08:00.003-05:00

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/5-things-small-business-owners-should-do-today-online/

Yola | Build a Free Website for your Sm. Biz

2009-08-28T16:48:00.005-05:00

I tested this site today. If you've wanted to put some kind of site out there for your store but didn't know how to get started this site will help. It's pretty simple cut and drag technology and you can get your services & contact info onto a web page. Check it out -

Yola | Build a Free Website

Some Recent Gems from the in store "Suggestion Box"

2009-08-22T14:09:00.005-05:00

You get great info from customers with a simple suggestion box. You also get a glut of crap and paper with scribbles, but sometimes the crap is good for a laugh and the scribbles are interesting pictures (if they're drawings). Because we keep our store stunningly clean - we get weekly kudos on that. In any event here are some recent entertaining gems pulled from the magic box:

"Can you smoke in here?" (hmm, between the 4 signs that say NO and the 10 tons of gas being pumped in ..... you're kidding right?)

"Keep those video games always on fools!" (sure thing - what's your address? We'll split the electric bill?)

"I love you." (back at ya)

"Get the Dance Revolution Video Game!" (For those that don't know - I didn't - this is the game where people stand on colored squares and dance like a fool waiving their arms and legs. This will be great when a women gets her teeth knocked out with an elbow as she's carrying in her laundry!)

"Get Larger Flat Screen TVS!" (we have 3 very large ones in the store now - what would work for you? Maybe something about the size of the one dangling from the rafters at the new Dallas Cowboy's Stadium?)

"_______ Is the best employee you have because....." (Insert name of employee on last shift)

Village laundromats are spinning toward extinction

2009-08-12T12:53:00.003-05:00

This article about Manhattan Laundromats going belly up reminded me of some other previous blog posts that touched on some of these subjects. When I had written the "Manhattan laundromat" blog, I could see that the pricing in many of these stores didn't jive with doing business in NYC, or the boonies for that matter. It also reminds retail store owners, if you can swing it - buy the building. As the article states, demand is there as the people pile up in front of these stores wondering why they're closed. The industry as a whole needs to change and this economy, as many predicted, is shaking out many of the weak stores.

Older blog posts below.

Village laundromats are spinning toward extinction

Most Laundromats Years behind with their Pricing Even in the Country's most Expensive City

http://laundrycapitalist.blogspot.com/2008/01/most-laundromats-years-behind-with.html

Jealous Land Lord trying to steal Dry Cleaner's business

http://laundrycapitalist.blogspot.com/2007/08/jealous-land-lord-trying-to-steal-dry.html

Is this a Laundromat or the Mouth of Hell?

2009-08-09T13:28:00.003-05:00

Just scoped out another store for possible takeover. Good fundamentals (demographics, parking, size, building) but that's where the sunny side of the story ends. The condition - completely disgraceful. I've seen some dog mats before but this place was hideous - maybe the worst I've seen. I wish I had a camera as words are hard to describe how shameful this place was. If I was the owner I would never show my face. "Pride of ownership" is still clearly lost on some Mat owners out there. From what I hear from vendors though, this has been a big year for low-enders going belly up.

As you walk in, the first thing you notice is the staggering heat of the place. It was about 85 degrees that day and the store must have been about 20 degrees hotter - No AC. Two ancient fans, swirled and choked a small current of hot air and dust to and fro. The fans were so badly filled with lint that you could see some of the dust lint particles leaving the fan and floating through the air like dandelion seed heads.

The "store" was a dark tomb, but it was probably better that way. The floor and walls were a toilet mint green, heavily faded and worn. The machines looked like they were from the late 40s. Most of the washers in the back row had the glass punched out or doors ripped off the hinges and missing. With no doors or windows, the old washers degenerated to trash cans instead. Wrappers and debris of all kinds filled the old washers. One had a spittle of old sunflower seeds within. Out of 2 rows of washers it looked like only 5 or 6 top loaders were operable.

The back row had an unsightly display of antique dryers that were laid out in a single row. Many of their doors would not fasten shut, so they labored to spin with the doors slightly ajar. The original color of the dryers was a mystery but they were a faded pea soup color now.

The only thing handy in the store were the pile of tags with hooks on them that were strewn across the tops of the washers. These were provided for the customers to note the broken down machine problem they would most likely endure while trying to wash clothes in this unattended den of horror. The tags had a nice smiley face on top with a space for contact info at the bottom.

Shockingly, there were still a few brave souls in there doing laundry. Convenience of location still has clout - this hell hole is proof.

On my way out, with hands in pockets as not to touch anything, I noticed the chained and locked door of a now obsolete room. It had a small sign with aged yellow paper and old tape that at one time had been clear but had browned and crusted with time. The paper's edges were charred as if it lived through a dryer fire or two through the ages. As I leaned in to read the tiny writing, a faint whiff of sulfur and urine permeated. The sign read, "If you Sprinkle when you Tinkle be neat and wipe the seat".

Small-business group decries effort to collect RI sales tax

2009-07-30T18:02:00.002-05:00

"With one of the highest state unemployment rates in the country, it is beyond stunning that Rhode Island officials would march down Main Street shutting down 1,200 businesses, leaving proprietors and thousands of workers on the street without a paycheck," said Bill Vernon, NFIB state director for Rhode Island.... (via Projo)

Small-business group decries effort to collect RI sales tax

I like this Random Quote Seen on Twitter

2009-07-30T07:05:00.000-05:00

"Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision."

5 Easy Social Media Wins for Your Small Business

2009-07-29T11:29:00.003-05:00

Try to keep some buzz going for the local customers...

5 Easy Social Media Wins for Your Small Business

SpeedQueen's foray into the world of E-Laundry

2009-07-21T20:04:00.004-05:00

I use SpeedQueen machines and in my years of usage I have been quite happy. No they're not a paid advertiser. Seriously - very little mechanical issues for the amount of never ending usage - I will stick with them in the future. Stick with a winner. I have no experience with other commercial machines and I'm sure others do the job as well. I'm still in search of the "consumer reports" for commercial machines but have yet to find it.

It's good to see all the recent competition in this space as this is the wave of the future and more competition will mean this technology will become more affordable to the Mat owner. The E-systems now are very expensive and not intuitive, but do the job.

In any event - here is Speedqueen's foray into the world of E-laundry solutions. SpeedQueen's Quantum Gold - in their own words:

Quantum Gold Is...

A groundbreaking system that unites equipment controls, programming and store management
Probably the highest feature system on the market
The most seamless integration of store operations data and monitoring ever
One of the most user-friendly, versatile controls for laundry customers available
The most important tool owners need in order to respond to changes in their cost structure
A highly effective marketer of your store's offerings
An operations expert monitoring water use and scanning for maintenance issues before they become problems

Quantum Gold Is NOT...

Going to serve customers hot coffee (it will, however, deliver a great hot-water wash and fast dry)
A system that delivers cable TV (but when Quantum Gold machines are networked, Wash Alert can be aired on the store's TVs to show customers machine status – available, in-use, near end of cycle)
A replacement for a friendly face behind the counter (but it may make that employee more productive)
Going to wipe down machines at night (but washer-extractors do feature a new 4-compartment chemical dispenser that is self cleaning)
Like anything you've ever seen.

Quantum Gold - http://www.quantumlaundry.com/#home

Random Thoughts

2009-07-06T16:00:00.005-05:00

In Store Vending - Make sure to change out video games for the customers - if the income starts getting light - you'll be paying more in electric bills on the things than you'll make - especially if you're doing a split with a local vendor which is probably the easiest route, and still the preferred way to go. Monitor non-plugged in vending too - like kids toys that do okay and maybe be able to take the place of plug-ins.

Purex 3 in 1 sheets - You may remember the recent post on these: http://laundrycapitalist.blogspot.com/2009/06/purex-3-in-1-laundry-sheets-purex-has.html
I tried them and I think they're awesome. My main concern was would there be enough suds on these 'sheets' and would there be enough juice left for the dryer for the softener. Also overall would their be a nice clean scent - which customers denote as CLEAN, and people like in general after the the wash/dry is done. The answer was yes to everything. The side benefits which are equally big: NO MORE DETERGENT OR SOFTENER BOTTLES. Good for the environment - obviously. Also No more filling up your recycle bins - less trash and recycling to drag to the street. No more lugging them from the store to the car, up the stairs...

Twitter - I've seen some Mats with twitter pages for their stores - good start. Many of them though have weak followings and they're following a light number of people as well. Actually I've given away enough Jedi mind tricks forget it.... OK, one easy tip. Use the search key and search people in your city. Start going down that results list and hit "follow", "follow", "follow". People tend to reciprocate your follows on twitter. Before you know it you'll be connected to a whole gaggle of locals. Now blasting your weekly deals, or marketing news won't go straight up to the ether - it will go to townies you want in the store.

Laundromat Twit of the day

2009-07-02T16:03:00.001-05:00

There can never be enough dryers in your stores. I remember a little old lady one day who was in the store alone but had virtually every single piece of clothing drying in separate dryers!

braddunc How can there only be 7 people in the laundromat but no available dryers? http://twitpic.com/92q4n

Fire Scare at Local Laundromat - KIFI - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Jackson WY - Weather News Sports-

2009-06-26T16:49:00.001-05:00

Fire Scare at Local Laundromat - KIFI - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Jackson WY - Weather News Sports-

Shared via AddThis

Learning from Singer Corporation

2009-06-23T11:36:00.003-05:00

The lesson from this story, change or be changed... will our industry stand the test of time?

Seth's Blog: Learning from Singer

Laundromat Twit of the day

2009-06-22T17:17:00.001-05:00

edwardvirtually back from laundromat. laundry: $10.50, new tie-dye laundry bag: $8.50. not dealing with apartment laundry room: priceless.

Washing machine that uses one cup of water - Telegraph

2009-06-22T17:08:00.002-05:00

Now we're talking .... solar power to phase out gas...better technology to use less water... detergent sheets versus giant tubs of detergent...getting better!

Washing machine that uses one cup of water - Telegraph

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The World’s Largest Laundromat

2009-06-20T08:54:00.002-05:00

In follow up to the blog "the world's largest laundromat goes Solar": http://laundrycapitalist.blogspot.com/2007/03/mega-laundromat-goes-solar.html
I stumbled over their website: http://www.worldslargestlaundry.com/index.htm
The solar section is very interesting. I'm wondering how much gas they've cut out of the picture? Are they using half of what they used to? None of it??? Cutting nat. gas out of the picture would be a dream!

The Secrets of Super-Productive CEOs

2009-06-17T08:02:00.001-05:00

The Secrets of Super-Productive CEOs - Timothy Ferriss - 4 hour Work Week

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If this Works, it Could be a Game Changer: Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets

2009-06-15T19:56:00.003-05:00

I had this idea first! Really I did. You hear that from many people when a new great concept comes out. I always watched people labor into the stores with 2 or 3 giant bottles of stuff before doing their huge loads. Purex makes a go at solving this problem. If this works it will be a game changer. One positive vote below (see link).

Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets
'Purex has out done themselves yet again.'

http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1775890/purex_3in1_laundry_sheets.html

Can Twitter Really Help Your Small Business? - Entrepreneur.com

2009-06-15T19:06:00.001-05:00

Can Twitter Really Help Your Small Business? - Entrepreneur.com

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Laundromat Tweet of the Day

2009-06-11T07:37:00.002-05:00

anyonebutgil "free drying at the laundromat mon-thurs... if only the fucking things worked"

Good indication of the typical "free" store conditions!

follow me on Twitter

Another Update $$$ - The LC is now on Twitter

2009-06-09T22:27:00.004-05:00

The Laundry Capitalist is now spouting mind farts on Twitter. These random passing thoughts could help mankind - no doubt about it. Or at least give a chuckle to laundromat owners across the nation. Enjoy $$$, and as always let me know what you're thinking so I don't feel alone in the back of the laundromat counting cash. My first "tweat" will probably be something like "I love the smell of Gain detergent over all others". Not enough info for a blog - but good enough to tweet. After the nap in the back office......enjoy.

By the way, setup a quick twitter account - takes seconds - and "follow" the LC for twitter updates. Follow: http://twitter.com/LaundryCapital

New Laundry Owner Mistakes - Laundry 101 @ planetlaundry.com

2009-06-08T16:56:00.000-05:00

New Laundry Owner Mistakes - Laundry 101 @ planetlaundry.com

Lynch to oppose National Grid rate hikes

2009-06-03T16:06:00.002-05:00

Hello darkness, my old friend.... On the heels of natural gas rate futures getting bought up like crazy (on the sure bet that prices will eventually go up exponentially) NGrid gets in on the act for the NorthEast....

Lynch to oppose National Grid rate hikes

By the Way... Check out the New Search Feature!

2009-06-03T11:22:00.004-05:00

Check out the New Google "Search this blog" feature on the top right of the Blog.

Now Newbies or anyone that wants to search a certain keyword or subject in the Sexy Laundromat business can easily do so. Google's coolness never ceases to amaze me.

From that search string you can search a subject like "natural gas" for example; and you have the choice to search from this blog, links from this blog (that you know you have seen before) as well as the web in general.

I always found myself digging through the blog myself looking for old articles, now it's easy!

Cheers, Laundromat fans, owners and wannabees!

Coins, Coins, Coins

2009-06-03T11:09:00.005-05:00

Is this what you Coin Guys have to wheel barrel out of your store every week!?

This is what $10,001 Quarters Looks like in this arcade challenge. Looking at all those Quarters at once makes me very glad we use Cards. My back is sore just thinking about carrying those babies around!

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/05/donkey-kong-e3

Twitter "Laundromat"

2009-05-19T15:28:00.003-05:00

Twitter is much more interesting now that they've added the search feature. Now you can see what your customers are saying about you, your brand, a product or different subjects like I don't know... laundromats! It's extremely interesting to see what people are saying while at the Mat! Some are bitching about store owners, some are enjoying themselves and enjoy the 'whir' of the machines, others can't get a machine because it's so packed. The last quote directs to a blog post from a woman who describes a phenomenon at the MAT I wasn't aware of but wasn't shocked - regulars hogging machines (like the old ladies at the casinos).

Here are some highlighted quotes I saw today about the sexy subject of "laundromats":

triple5starsoul Salty ass laundromat manager... Always bitchin' about somethin'...

meyergirl Drunks in the laundromat... Fun to watch and make the shit so much more interesting about 14 hours ago from txt

superaly Creep factor at the laundromat is high.

svmomsgroup 50-SomethingMoms Suburban Laundromat Smackdown http://tinyurl.com/pyum7j

See if your store name comes up and eavesdrop.

$3.25M Super Laundry For sale by Owner

2009-05-07T09:45:00.003-05:00

I'm surprised myself at the ads that appear on this blog sometimes - and here's a another: A $3.25M Super laundromat for sale. Would love to see the books on this one! Although as it's been documented many times less is more in this biz:

Allentown, Pa. Laundromat

$3.25M Super Laundry For sale by Owner

http://www.familywashday.com/

Live Today

2009-05-07T09:40:00.001-05:00

"Can anything be sillier than the point of view of certain people—I mean those who boast of their foresight? They keep themselves very busily engaged in order that they may be able to live better; they spend life in making ready to live!" - Seneca

The Best & Worst States for Small Business

2009-04-15T10:54:00.001-05:00

The top 10 this year includes:

1 South Dakota
2 Nevada
3 Wyoming
4 Washington
5 Texas
6 Florida
7 Alaska
8 Colorado
9 Alabama
10 Ohio

The worst ten states are (OK, DC is not officially a state, but it seems to be headed that way):

42 Massachusetts
43 Vermont
44 Rhode Island
45 Iowa
46 New York
47 California
48 Maine
49 Minnesota
50 New Jersey
51 Dist. of Columbia

http://www.drjeffcornwall.com/2009/04/state-tax-burdens.html

Is your laundromat like a "forever stamp" - always used but never increasing in value?

2009-03-11T09:04:00.007-05:00

In line with the CPI - The Cost of stamps up Again

For about the umpteenth time since starting this experimental laundry blog - Stamps are up again! I always like to use the stamp as a barometer against dryer prices - as you know, most bad operators don't even have their dryers at the cost of a stamp. Even though they generally give 6- 10 minutes of gas & electric with high heat, and in effect lose money on every transaction.

Whenever stamps go up, it is a good barometer and reminder to check your prices, as most of you out there are - to your own detriment - horrendously under-priced and a few steps from going under. Stamps are a good sign post because according to the U.S. Postal site "Under law, the price of stamps is not allowed to rise faster than the U.S. consumer price index, which measures inflation." This means in effect they know their costs are rising but the increase is pretty flat in comparison to the CPI and in line with it. When stamps go up, generally everything else is too.

If you haven't changed much in your store since E.T. was a box office hit - it's something to think about.

Woman Accused Of Breaking Into Home To Do Laundry

2009-02-25T10:12:00.003-05:00

Told you people water, gas and electric costs money!! Here's a story of someone who knows - doing laundry actually costs money!

"MANATEE COUNTY -- - A Bradenton woman was charged with felony burglary after she repeatedly broke into a home in her neighborhood to use the clothes washer and dryer in a vacant home, according to an arrest report......"

Woman uses vacant houses laundry facilities

Business Quotes of the Day

2009-02-15T17:53:00.001-05:00

“A business plan that doesn’t require a wonderful economic environment in order to succeed… is a good idea all the time.” – Marc Andreessen

“Forget about shortcuts. Run a business as if it’s forever.” – Norm Brodsky

“Most business practices repress our natural tendency to have fun and socialize.” – George Zimmer, Men’s Wearhouse

Cut Your Bills With Just a Phone Call

2009-01-26T19:31:00.002-05:00

In one of my recent posts I mentioned:

Brutally negotiate with all Vendors - Now and Always - Use the current economy to your advantage. The general economy is in bad shape which gives you the leverage to negotiate down every and all vendors you have. If you can get even 3 of your overall costs down 10-20%.....you do the math.

Here's a gent that's doing it at home and showing that it can be done...

Cut Your Bills With Just a Phone Call

Mac-Gray gets patent for LaundryView system

2009-01-23T11:55:00.003-05:00

Interesting news... having automated diagnostics would be pretty cool. My question is though, can the store owner see the problems red flagged on their own PC and then fix the problem themselves versus paying for a service charge if they don't want/need to.

"(Waltham, Mass.) Mac-Gray, a Waltham-based manager of debit-card- and coin-operated laundry facilities, announced that its LaundryView monitoring system was granted a patent for technology that allows the system to provide diagnostic information on all connected washers and dryers. It allows the system to detect unreported problems and issue a service call to the technician responsible for maintaining that particular account, without the need of any intermediate person.http://www.macgray.com"

Creating a Page on Facebook for your Business

2008-12-30T20:11:00.007-05:00

P&G now advertises over a dozen brands including Tide throughout Facebook - with varying results and feedback; this is corporate paid sponsorship though. Facebook has over 130MM members and recently was adding about 1M new members a week.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/business/media/14digi.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=technology

You may or may not be aware of, or a user of Facebook. The Link below to a marketing guru's description of Facebook and how to create the business page will fill you in. Including why it's worth the effort.

I had wondered how effective this would be for a retail like, store front business like a laundromat, with varying aged customers and a very transient customer base coming and going. Then I figured who cares, let's try it out. It's a simple way to get another viral web presence for your store or chain and people in that city's "network" can become fans of your business. Be ready, there are also walls, discussion boards and reviews attached. Best of all it's FREE.

Setting up a Facebook Business Page

More Random Thoughts

2008-11-30T15:22:00.004-05:00

Open on Holidays? - If you're open on Holidays, it's a great way to actually get market share from competitors. I've noticed it's one of the few days of the year you get customers from other stores. Out of convenience and cleanliness, they'll usually just go to the local store - if they're looking to get some morning chores done before the holiday rush they'll drive around for another option to get some quick laundry done. If your store is a gem - you'll have a new customer, if not...

By the way, being open a half day on Holidays is probably all you need for customer convenience. If you have thoughts of forcing an employee to work a Holiday just to stay open a half day - DON'T DO IT, for many reasons (not to mention you'll be a heartless douche). On certain Holidays we'll float the idea to the staff and will only be open if someone is willing and eager to take a few extra hours and stay open till 10AM or Noon (we usually have multiple takers).

Year End Accounting - With busy lives, accounting updates are usually a year end rush to plug the numbers into your accounting software and then quickly roll into 09' with little or no reflection. Devote time to carefully study your expenses at an annual view (a real eye opener) and target areas where you want to slash costs. We substantially cut costs including soap last year. Take a look at your retail sales too - if you're not making a worthwhile margin, considering scrapping that space and sell something worthwhile. Purchasing inventory just for the sake of filling cabinet space and making peanuts equals net loss in my book. Time is the new money.

Brutally negotiate with all Vendors - Now and Always - Use the current economy to your advantage. The general economy is in bad shape which gives you the leverage to negotiate down every and all vendors you have. If you can get even 3 of your overall costs down 10-20%.....you do the math.

Whirlpool to cut 5,000 jobs by end of 2009

2008-10-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

Appliance maker Whirlpool to cut work force by 5,000 by end of 2009, posts drop in 3Q profit
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- Whirlpool Corp. said Tuesday it is eliminating about 5,000 jobs this year and next, due in large part to the long downturn in the U.S. housing market....

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081028/earns_whirlpool.html?.v=17

Random Thoughts

2008-10-23T20:18:00.004-05:00

Advertising - A quote I heard this week which I haven't heard in a while, "I know I'm wasting half my advertising budget, I just don't which half". This is an oldie but goodie heard in Marketing circles in respect to the shotgun approach advertising can be in any industry. Not as hopeless as the show biz quote "no one knows shit" but close. The LC tip of the month: Advertise your store on craigslist under community/general. You will have some possible exposure to your city surfers checking out local news. It's the web so it has 24/7 possibilities as far as eyeballs and best of all it's Free (don't say I never did nothin' for ya).

Another Swipe Card Positive - The WDF card can be audited just like a customer card. Take the card out of your employees hand, swipe it and get the history of all WDF washes. Hmmm? Excuse me Marge? Why were there four 60 pound washes done by you at 7AM?

Another Swipe Card Negative - The swipe readers on the washers, rival the cash bill changer as the most annoying device in the store, as they go down often (whack a mole fashion, one every once in a while - not all at once). Although it's been months since a reader has gone out.

Another Swipe Card Negative - As previously blogged, the swipe card software is great - but has a way to go as far as being user friendly and intuitive. It's pretty clunky for retrieving data - actually very clunky (we use ESD for now).

Wow 2 negatives and 1 Positive for swipe cards - the balance is leaning towards coin in the great, never ending laundry debate.... WRONG - it's a personal choice card or coin, but the small nuisances that come up with cards are infintessimal to the pain and suffering we would endure with dealing with coins - but that's just us.

"My Laundromat is a hobby" - Is it just me or have you been hearing this more lately? It seems I've seen this a few times in industry articles from quoting fools and have heard it here and there recently. This business takes work and it is a lot of fun - but hobby? If you're thinking this is a hobby, you'll be back to hitting golf balls into the woods with your friends or scrap booking with your wife real soon. Scrap bookin', bwa ha ... what a joke. If you have a "hobby" mindset, in short time, the only coin collecting you'll be doing is adding to your scroungy wheatie penny collection, and you'll be doing that at home.

A Downward Trending Chart We don't Mind

2008-10-14T20:11:00.002-05:00

Nymex natural gas is down 10% YTD
Nymex natural gas is down about 53% from it's 12/05 high
Paying the natural gas bill still bites

Parents! Please watch your kids

2008-09-14T10:59:00.004-05:00

Staying in a hotel for other business this week I decided to use the hotel pool to unwind one night. Swimming laps in the warm pool was relaxing, for a moment. You see two kids were in the pool screaming and splashing. That didn't bother me - kids will be kids. What bothered me was when they continued to try to drown each other. This wasn't quick dunking - it looked like they were trying to drown each other! They were holding each other down for about 15 + seconds at a time, and every time the one that came out from under the water gasped and choked for air. The lifeguard screamed, pointed, threatened and blew his whistle the whole time - to no avail they ignored him. The lifeguard looked in the mother's direction for any acknowledgment or help, she remained flopped in the lounge chair, mindlessly reading her magazine, pretending not to care (or maybe she wasn't pretending).

Back in the store yesterday, there was a mother with a couple of boys who were running rampant in the store. They were smashing the video games, ramming washer doors opened and closed, they were both leaning on the WDF scale at the same time until we shooed them away. Later on the smaller one, who was probably about 4 was standing in one of the laundry baskets while his mother folded clothes, and like that other mother, didn't seem to want to warn her child that he was a quick slip away from severely hurting himself. The mother's only comments to her kids were the occasional, "that's not nice... that's not nice" in a quiet tone. Unfortunately for the kids these words weren't making any impact on their behavior. As we got the kid out of the basket and asked the mother to get a grip, another story entered my mind from the weekend (see below).

This recent story was about the boy and girl playing in a laundromat in FL. The story makes it sound like the poor boy magically fell into a washer and like some machine from a Stephen King story, turned itself on; but as anyone who owns a laundromat knows (or anyone who has common sense knows) the boy either climbed in or was helped in by his sister and then his sister started the washer. Washers don't start without money added - shocker. Even if they did - where was the mother? Luckily the poor kid will make a full recovery as he was banged up pretty good. Of course after the fact the mother is thinking of suing the store because of its monstrous wash machines. She doesn't have a case.

In further developments of this story, I was delighted to hear that this incident has lead to the mother now being investigated by child protective services.

FL boy in washer - mother MIA

Poll Results

2008-08-08T16:06:00.004-05:00

The Poll results are in for "Are you raising prices in 08'":

YES! On Everything - I need to keep up with the times and maximize my profits. 127 (76%)

YES! Just on WDF and maybe some retail though - not touching machine prices this year. 13 (7%)

YES! Just on Machines though. 18 (10%)

NO! I've actually tweaked prices within the last 18 Months - going to let it ride for now. 10 (6%)

NO! I haven't raised prices in the last 18 months and will not in 08'. I'm so tight fisted I make the Eagles Scream! 5 (3%)

It seems most laundry-preneurs have leaned towards raising prices throughout the store this year - not a shocker considering all costs have gone up. If oil keeps coming back down to earth the dollar will strengthen and the economy will be on the upswing for the extra gravy. Great timing for the Fall rush!$

Oil Plunges this week - YES! Keep going Pig!

2008-08-08T15:54:00.002-05:00

Liking this trend - keep going! Good for the dollar and the economy.

Oil Plunges

CLA gets on Youtube

2008-07-31T11:10:00.002-05:00

Pretty cool - CLA is trying to get with more web2.0 technologies - I like it. Unfortunately a lot of their videos are just audios. Some useful info though:

http://www.youtube.com/coinlaundryassn

Seattle Mat Owners - call Seahawks for Giant Commercial Contract

2008-07-02T18:00:00.003-05:00

The Seattle Seahawks laundry crew is thought to have the "toughest job in Seattle Sports".

"The first loads start at 7 in the morning after the coach's locker room is checked. The last loads on this day of June minicamps will run about 4 p.m. or so. A busy day entails more than 30 loads. A June minicamp is a relatively modest 16 in the corps of three washers and three industrial-sized dryers. The dryers are so large that when the lint traps are cleaned out at the end of the day, the crew uses a full-size broom to sweep the fluff out of the bottom."

Commercial account??$

Sweaty Ass Seahawk Laundry

(Via Seattle Times)

Dear Customers and Employees: Concentrate Detergent means USE LESS!

2008-07-02T17:30:00.003-05:00

If you've noticed bubbles up the ying yang lately in your machines, it could be due to overuse of concentrate detergent. They're great for the environment, easier to handle for customers and store owners alike. The problem is many customers use the same amount of soap they always have...

It took a while to break through to even the employees that much less soap is needed than previously - because uhh... it's concentrate. Many people are still in the habit of filling a full cup and tossing it in (especially the guys). It's worth reminding the employees about their own usage for WDF and to be overly conservative. They should also keep an eye out for customers coming in with the new tiny bottles of the super-charged detergent, and kindly remind them that less is more.

Boston Herald: "Electricity costs could kill some cos."

2008-06-23T12:13:00.003-05:00

Oil caused natural gas to rise, and now natural gas is causing electricity to rise. In MA a roughly 40% electricity increase is coming in a few weeks. Many states have already seen these rates increase monthly.

Some free advice to laundromat owners - don't take this as a sign to give something else in the store away for FREE! Natural Gas has already been skyrocketing and a store down the street now turned to FREE Drys. A total act of desperation but giving it away will not bring your store back to life.

Is Your Store's Pricing even remotely keeping up with energy inflation?

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

2008-06-06T17:04:00.006-05:00

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!!!

Oil Companies march on in their quest to destroy the world as we know it

2008-05-19T11:52:00.002-05:00

As Gas eats up more and more household budgets, I suspect we'll see more and more business on the retail side getting lighter... Captain Obvious

American Consumer continues to get Pumped

Backers lose millions as Zoots collapses

2008-05-15T12:43:00.003-05:00

Although Zoots turned a profit and the corner in 06', lack of financing (partly because the CEO took a powder while trying to secure additional funding) and trying to "Wal-Martize" a mom and pop industry that has razor thin margins to begin with, did it in. Trying to do more of a volume with cheaper prices in a business where your margins are thin didn't work.

Laundromat owners should learn from this, being a discounter in this type of business is death. The premium stores with matching prices will be the only ones left in coming years.

With oil soaring, I think we could see many more "mobile businesses" like this hitting the skids...

Zoots Dissolves

Stamp Prices Up Again Today

2008-05-12T10:53:00.006-05:00

For the 4th time since 06' stamps are up again. In line with fuel, groceries, and everything else we buy...

1 Stamp still costs more than a Dry in Most Mats

Fed report: Natural gas prices will continue to rise

2008-05-05T13:34:00.004-05:00

"U.S. natural gas prices are poised to head higher over the long term when commercial demand increases, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas...'Higher oil prices, several cold spells, seasonal gains in demand, reduced inventories and expectations of increasing natural gas use to generate electricity are continuing to push prices upward,' the bank said in its first quarter energy report."

The world is changing with regards to demand of natural gas. All the while the majority of the laundry industry snoozes with free drys or 25 cent spins at various minutes. The sharpest pricers in the business I've seen now have pricing at about 45 cents for 8 minutes total. If you're not keeping up with your dryer prices, you're coasting and there's only one direction you go when you coast.

As natural gas continues to ride the tail of oil pricing, could we be coming to a day with $1.00 dryer spins for about 8-10 minutes of heat? The quarter or less crowd will have changed or be out of the business in coming years (the math just doesn't work). Those days could be here sooner than we think.

Fed: Long Term Natural gas Prices Going Up

(via S. Florida Biz Journal)

Clorox Follows Suite: Raises Prices Again

2008-05-02T08:20:00.003-05:00

"On Thursday the home-products manufacturer reported third-quarter profits were slammed by soaring commodity costs...increased sales could not offset higher commodity and manufacturing costs. The rising costs of fuel, the resin to make its plastic bags, and the oil in its Hidden Valley salad dressing, all hurt the company....Aggressive cost savings and the benefit of recent price increases helped mitigate much of this impact..."

Have you raised your prices lately to keep up? Or are you just content to eat it?

Clorox Raises Prices to keep up with Costs

(via Forbes.com)

Reasons to Be a Jack of All Trades

2008-04-29T16:29:00.004-05:00

One of the things I love about this business is that many of the entrepreneurs involved with it, dabble in a few different businesses or occupations. They are Jacks of all Trades as the saying goes, and not afraid to learn and try new things and run a few different businesses. It makes a person so much happier to be learning new things, living through the ups and humbled by the downs, and experiencing the joy that comes with being creative in starting a new venture.

If you were at a party and a Dentist, an Accountant, Joe Corporate and the guy who owns 3 laundromats, a night club, a car wash and a small strip mall showed up, who would you like to speak to? OK let's say you're not being audited and without tooth ache - than who?

Of course these entrepreneurs didn't start off with the goal to impress. If they were out to impress they would have never achieved such success. By actually not caring about what the sheep thought, it allowed them to go after new opportunities in their ultimate goal - freedom. Insert Braveheart pic here ___.

Let's face it, many entrepreneurs are ego maniacs just out to get their name in the headlines, but I don't see that from many of the business people related to this business (even if they have multiple holdings and interests). Maybe it's because they started out as entrepreneurs for the right reasons? Freedom, self reliance and diversity of cash flow versus look at me everybody.

E. Tolle said, "Anything started with ego ends in suffering." See Napoleon's march through Russia or the all ready Billionaire convicted of backdating stock options for proof if you need it.

Here is an excellent post on The Top 5 Reasons to be a Jack of All Trades

Two of three Americans dream of owning company

2008-04-14T16:51:00.001-05:00

"...Americans' desire to start their own business remains strong...."

American Dreaming

(Via Sacramento Business Journal)

"Free Dry" Clowns

2008-04-09T11:58:00.004-05:00

You'll occasionally see bad business people in this biz or any small business. Per earlier blogs you've seen that not charging enough is the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make (in all small businesses). One of the signs of blundering in this business, besides 90% of the stores being grossly under priced, is if you see a store offering "Free Drys". It's basically the equivalent of opening a hamburger joint and giving away French Fries. Store owners will justify it by saying they charge maybe a pittance more on a wash etc., even still most of their machines are heavily under-priced even if they were charging $1.20 per half hour of drying.

A mid-sized store with healthy volume will probably have roughly 15,000 spins a month on your dryers. 15,000 transactions x 0 = another goose egg. Doing 15,000 spins on your dryers, wear, tear, gas, electric and getting zippo. That's bad business.

I actually walked through the first store ever today that offered FREE Drys but at least had somewhat high enough pricing to back it up. Their prices were:

75 Pounder - $12
50 Pounder - $8.50
40 Pounder - $7
30 Pounder - $6

Most places with Free Drys aren't even near this pricing and are way low. You know the attendants aren't policing every single person that comes in just to dry also.

With this store it would be good to take over at those prices leave them there and then start charging for dryers - kick ass the whole way around.

Packin Heat

2008-04-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

CLA's chat room is an excellent resource for newbies and veterans to the laundry biz. It's a great source of info on many subjects and some you hadn't even thought of. A recent chat on "Packin Heat" was interesting. It went on for a while and touched on the subject of wielding guns around your store, Glock 45s, guard dogs, blowing people away (hopefully mostly bad guys) and even what God thinks of it! We knew laundrypreneurs were practical but who knew they were so deep!

We don't "pack heat" around our store although depending on where your store is - you gots to do what you gots to do. When you're new to the business and scoping out locations to launch your stores, you'll come across neighborhoods and stores that can make a lot of money but are in very dangerous areas - and you'll think well this is the way it's going to be in this business - it doesn't have to be that way. My 2 cents: If you're looking over your shoulder all the time or at first glance and know the location is bad news - PASS. If your next thought after scoping out the location is which gun to bring next time - PASS. You want to be able to also enjoy your new business and not be looking over your shoulder whenever you decide to show up to haul the money out.

In scoping out areas, we've also noticed that although in the heart of some cities it's bad news; if you go just a few blocks down the road or even a half mile away to a nicer section of the same city or to a safer more well lit strip mall a few blocks away - (our theory is) you'll do more business or equal business but in a safer location. We've done this in our city. It seems many customers even from the other side of town are in our store because they also want a nice store to do laundry in and to feel safe. If you don't feel safe walking around your store do you think your customers will?

I would add this to another advantage of a card system also - as you have less of a tendency to be scoped out by bad guys watching you collect cash from your machines - at whatever hour it might be.

Packin' Heat or No

Laundromat Sign Stirs Controversy

2008-03-19T15:14:00.002-05:00

Via First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The owner of one Mandarin laundromat says a controversial sign has been here longer than he has. But Tuesday was the day it had to come down...

Children of the Laundromat

Shroud Of Turin Accidentally Washed With Red Shirt

2008-03-15T08:10:00.002-05:00

VATICAN CITY—The Shroud of Turin, an ancient linen cloth believed to bear the image of Christ and considered by many clerics and devotees to be one of the holiest relics of the Christian faith, was inadvertently dyed a light shade of pink after being washed with a red T-shirt, sources reported Tuesday....

Accidental Washing

(Via The Onion)

The Clothesline Rule

2008-03-13T17:39:00.003-05:00

Some citizens in NE have reverted to hanging their wet clothes indoors due to some flack about airing their laundry outdoors (see link below). Hopefully the sock on the chandelier doesn't fall into your soup...

Blowin' in the Wind

Hydromatic Technologies

2008-03-03T09:38:00.005-05:00

Mike Brown, formerly a heating and air conditioning technician, has invented a very cool technology. His "Dryer Miser" is a dryer, or heating system for dryers, that uses heated water to dry clothes. In one respect, eliminating gas costs alone would be huge. Their site boasts that the technology is faster and cheaper but are they really? Energy costs money one way or another and gas tends to be cheaper overall than electricity for dryer usage. So is this system trading the use of gas for double the use of electricity? In a home dryer, the cost of electricity needed to dry a typical load of laundry is 30 to 40 cents, compared to 15 to 20 cents if you use gas. Also it would need to be truly faster (or the same) for dry times to actually roll this technology out at the commercial level. You can only imagine the lines out the street at your store on the weekends with a bottleneck at the dryers that now take an hour to fully dry (although the company says once again, that it is faster than normal dryers).

I had also read of engineers (not related to Hydromatic) working on microwave technology for drying clothes (not being sold yet as they haven't figured out the annoying quirk of buttons and zippers yet).

In any event, hopefully Mike can make it work. You've got to love and root for creative entrepreneurs like this. Reportedly, the company has raised $3 million privately and has turned down offers of up to $100 million from venture capitalists.

The Dryer Miser

Oil to $103 a Barrel

2008-02-29T10:08:00.004-05:00

At this pace we'll all be working from home and a small box of Bounce sold over the counter will be $7!!! Somehow I think we'll be hearing less and less of owners giving away free drys and $2 washes in the coming years!

Part of the problem is U.S. demand for oil hasn't lessened up until recently (which hopefully scared the producers) - so the prices kept getting raised. The overall economy has done well for Americans over the last decade and I read somewhere that inflationary pressures on oil and their impact on most Americans is only one sixth as painful as it was in the 70s; but if these prices keep creeping up so will the pain! It's already painful - and does giving Exxon a $100 a week bother anyone else? Time to start looking at the Prius people - unless you like riding your bike (make sure you put a cute basket on the front of it to carry all of your stuff - the basket will be handy during collections times too).

Show up to your Mat riding one of these bad boys (don't worry we'll still think you're cool). Ring the bell and we'll come out and help you unload all of your supplies out of your handy-dandy basket.

Oil to $103 a Barrel

Even Tony Soprano has to do Laundry and Walk the Dog

2008-02-28T16:27:00.006-05:00

Everyone has household chores to do - even Soprano! Oh wait a minute - this is just some impersonator - not bad though (see link below). The real Tony actually never did the laundry - although his cousin Blundetto worked for a commercial laundry biz for a time before getting back to the family biz. For all you Soprano triva buffs and for a nice door prize (a pat on the back) - what was the name of the laundry company that Tony B. worked for?

Tony B. in happier times (wearing the Laundry biz uniform).

Pretty Good Soprano Impression

By the Numbers

2008-02-21T14:18:00.004-05:00

Here are some interesting numbers for you:

1 - The number of times I've heard a customer actually ask, "how much is wash, dry fold?" in the last 2 years. (Most new customers just dump it, pay and move on.) Making me wonder how high we can get the prices for this part of the business. My motto as you know: If no one is complaining about the price - then they're not high enough.

2 - The number of customer suggestions we've had that referenced pricing out of our ole' handy-dandy suggestion box (up for a few months now). Both suggestions stated they loved the bright clean store, and the atmosphere but mildly suggested we tweak down the prices a notch - NOPE.

15,311 - The number of times our dryers spun last month. Hmm, so if I raise those another nickel next month...

35,000 - The number of laundromats in the U.S.

$260,000 - The RE tax bill the strip mall we're in got for 06'.

$14,500,000 - The city's assessment of the strip mall's worth for 06'

$8,000,000,000 - The Revenue generated by U.S. laundromats last year.

Laundry Biz Drives Heidi Fleiss to Drink

2008-02-07T22:12:00.001-05:00

Actually, maybe her new found cash flow with her newly launched "Dirty Laundry", a cash laundromat in Nevada, is leading her back to a rock star like lifestyle of excess.

She had no problem making bail anyhow.

Heidi's Laundromat Continues to Churn out Cash, While She sits in Jail

Clorox profit falls

2008-02-04T18:57:00.000-05:00

Like many consumer products companies, Clorox has been hit by higher prices for commodities...

Clorox on Monday announced a plan to increase prices by 7 percent on average...

Clorox Profit Falls so Prices Going Up

Shaq's Monthly Laundry Bills

2008-01-26T10:46:00.000-05:00

Details from Shaq's recent divorce showed his monthly expenses. All were through the roof including his clothing and laundry expenses. He must be keeping a local dry cleaner sitting pretty!

Monthly Expenses:

Clothing - $17,220
Laundry & Dry Cleaning - $6,730

Once again, these were Monthly Expenses!

Most Laundromats Years behind with their Pricing Even in the Country's most Expensive City

2008-01-21T18:51:00.000-05:00

I was in Manhattan this weekend - the most expensive city in the U.S. Walking around bumped into 2 Mats and their pricing was the same (being roughly a few blocks away from each other.) 40 Pound washers 4.25 and a Frickin Quarter for Dryers (7 minutes heat). Will this industry ever get away from the lowly Quarter? The WDF price in both stores was a paltry 75 cents a pound. I have no idea how they're making money. Considering many NY Mats also do take out and delivery with these low end prices - it's a head scratcher how their efforts are worthwhile.

I would say the most disappointing thing I've seen in the industry is just neglect of some stores by their owners. You will see neglect in the physical appearance and run down machines in some stores - making it an obvious dump not to clean clothes in; but even some stores that are taken care of and maintained are neglected because their owners are too afraid to take their pricing to the next level or even to where they should have been 5 years ago. Although these types of stores are probably negatively affecting the Premium stores out there now, both factions of "neglecter" are doomed to fail in the long run. Reselling utilities and trying to be a low end or middling discounter doesn't work in 2008.

The herd was thinned by two more in my city last year (both stores were "neglecters" - run down and low price to match). When more of these stores are gone in the coming years it will be even better for the Premium store owners that offer the best overall environment, appearance and machinery. Since Premium store owners take pride in their stores and the service they provide, they price accordingly and unapologetically. Being good business people - they price for serious profit and not on the whim or comparison to local losers in the same business.

It will be fun in the coming years when the Premium stores are the majority in this industry as well and more of the "neglecters" are weaned out. That happening is a mathematical certainty and simple economics.

$100 Oil causes Proctor & Gamble to raise Fabric Softener prices 9%

2008-01-14T09:53:00.000-05:00

Wasn't I just talking about this? P & G due to exorbitant oil prices raised many consumer products including softeners like Downey 9%. As we know, when the price of oil sky rockets it impacts pretty much all consumer products and services.

If you haven't increased your pricing (even minimally to keep up with inflation) prepare to make even slimmer profits in 08'.

Impact of $100 Oil

Add a Suggestion Box to your Store for Good Customer Feedback and the Occasional Laugh

2008-01-13T12:22:00.000-05:00

Added a "Suggestion Box" to the back of the store a few months back. You get good honest information from your customers, ranging from price comments to how well your employees treat them to how they may despise one of your employees (as was documented over and over from the trusty suggestion box recently.) If you have a "problem employee" this gives you instant documentation of wrong doing and how the customers perceive them.

You will also get the occasional laugh. We had one note recently that said one of our employees "saved their marriage" as they had ruined their wife's bedspread and the employee saved the day.
You also get the make a wish notes like one we had recently asking for more "jumbo-tron" size TVs for the store, even though we have 3 wide flat-screens all ready.

WDF Pricing Increased Without Fanfare

2008-01-09T15:38:00.000-05:00

We raised WDF pricing a dime per pound January 1st. Like the other side of the business there was little notice and no lash back. With the average order at about 30+ pounds this adds up. Just keeping up with the times! (As discussed in earlier blogs about pricing). Retail business like this will need to stay a step ahead on pricing. As oil and gas prices continue to egregiously creep up, pricing on all retail stays in line as the delivery costs are relayed to them. Have you bought from a supermarket or large wholesaler like BJs lately? Ever notice every time you go something that is roughly $10 is another dollar more? I do.

Coinwash Tries to Siphon The Laundry Capitalist's Lost Traffic

2007-12-28T17:09:00.000-05:00

There has been buzz in the industry about this blog and its honest, straight forward opinions. Other industry related sites have heard about the traffic this blog gets apparently as one has recently purchased the URL: http://laundrycapitalist.org. When you click on that URL it swaps to www.coinwash.com. Haven't checked much on coinwash out although it looks very much like a newspaper classified transferred online. It's all ads. Appreciate them checking us out though and good luck with the lost industry traffic that haven't figured out how to bookmark this page yet! ; )

An Amusing String of opinions on the Laundry Biz

2007-11-29T17:04:00.000-05:00

Doesn't sound like these people have much experience - just anecdotal info: (link might be too long so cut and paste it in to view)

http://ask.metafilter.com/69232/What-are-the-perks-pitfalls-and-perils-of-owning-and-operating-a-laundromat

"What are the perks, pitfalls and perils of owning and operating a laundromat."

Wal-Mart gets greener with laundry detergent

2007-09-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) --Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to stock its U.S. shelves with only concentrated versions of liquid laundry detergent in an effort to save water, plastic and cardboard-- a move that could radically change the strategies of manufacturers....

Wal-Mart gets greener with laundry detergent

After years of being viewed as a coporate bad guy, Wal-Mart gets all "save the worldy" on us. Better late than never I guess...

Oil & Gas Price Trends

2007-09-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — Consumers will likely pay record prices to heat their homes this winter, with a particularly big jump expected in heating oil bills, according to a report to be released today showing how a recent surge in oil prices could hit homeowners. The average U.S. household will pay $992 in heating costs this winter, up $94, or 10.5%, from last winter, says the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association (NEADA), a group of state energy aid officials....

Winter heating costs could rise an average 10.5%Winter heating costs could rise an average 10.5%

Energy prices continue upward - has your pricing stayed in line?