Dry only!

[Fred50]

What policies do you folks have for Dry Only customers, on the weekends especially?

[David]

Since I'm unattended, I don't have a policy.

When I watch my video, I really don't have a problem.

[Kitty]

CUSTOMER IS A CUSTOMER IS A CUSTOMER..........:)

[Anonymous]

Agree with Kitty, a customer is a customer. Why not take the effort to try to find out why the customer is not washing at your place and convert them to a wash customer too?

I'm not a lawyer, but I would think you would have a hard time to legally precude someone from just using your dryers. I think the only way you could do that is if you were selling a package of wash and dry for a fixed price. But in this crazy legal climate who the hell knows.

[Fred50]

Kitty,

I disagree that a customer is a customer!

If I have customers that spend $20 a week or more in my mat and they have to wait for the dry only customer who spend $2 or less, then I'll take my chances pissing a few people off.

I have no stated policy, but when people are waiting for dryers I will always give preference to my washing customers.

Kirby,

I am not concerned about legal repurcussions, but the one's that I have approached say our washers are too expensive or that the dryers in their buildings don't work well enough. I usually give these folks coupons for a free wash for their next visit, but to no avail.

I look at the tight dryer situation on the weekends as a maitre'd does in a restaurant. If you come here every week and use all (or most) of our services, we will bend over backwards for you, otherwise you'll have to wait until we can get to you-if at all.

Someone on this board a while back stated that you'll go broke trying to please all customers and I agree wholeheartedly. I am targeting my and my staff's efforts toward the "best" customers.

Does anyone else have a better way to deal with this?

[Kitty]

Mark,

I understand perfectly your scenario you are faced with, however, how are you or your attendant suppose to " catch" all the dry only customers? I shop lots of places, Sometime I do all my shopping at Harris Teeter and will simply run into the Galaxy for fresh chicken and nothing else. Am I suppose to not shop there because I am not a regular customer? Am I suppose to be treated differently because I am not a "loyal" galaxy shopper?

Your customer(s) whether they wash or dry has no revelance as the amount of money that goes into the machines are the same. I am sure you feel for the 20$ per week customer that she may have to wait, but hey........sometimes you have to wait. I wait in the drive through, I wait at the grocery store, I wait at the movie counter, I wait at my favorite pub for a drink, I wait, and wait and wait.

[Andy]

i have plenty of dryers and have them priced so that i am profitable so the more the merrier.

[Anonymous]

Mark, I think you need to raise your dryer prices to ration a scarce resource. Perhaps a higher price on weekends?

What about pricing the dryers so that dry only customers pay more? You could raise the price on the dryers and have the card system credit each washer customer with a certain amount of value based on the size wash they used. Just an idea.

[Coinwash]

I no this is an unpopular opinion. I never got sued.
I no that no one is going to agree with me but in some of my stores I had signs up if you don’t wash you don’t dry.
My customers loved it and that’s the way I ran my ship. I told them the guy across the street does not mind if you dry only. I was so busy and this was the only way to keep things moving. The Laundromat across the street was pissing and moaning saying I was killing him.
So sorry this is not a grocery store this is getting them in and out.
I had to make a certain nut everyday and believe it or not this helped.
I guess if I had more dryers. But I made the call and it worked.



Now there was a gray area

[Andy]

This whole issue comes down to a market/store level. How your store is equipped, the pricing, market pecularities and the owners decision. If you have the capacity, price your drying service at a level that will put some money in your pocket and let people dry if they want.

[Kitty]

I would hate to see any one of you turn me away with a few loads of clothes needing to be dried, as my washer has just broke.........I come to the "neighborhood laundromat" that advertises convenience and then blast me because I need only a part of the services supplied. By turning me aways I'd be pissed and let everyone know it....Remember the saying, piss one customer off, she tells 15?

A regular customer cannot dictate to you WHO you do business with. Your customer should be whoever needs your services, whenever they need it!!!

[Gary C]

I think you are wrong Kitty. You need to cater to your profitable customers first and then work your way down the line. If a dry only customer comes in on a Sunday and the dryers are mostly full and there are a bunch of washers ready to come out then I will ask them to wait on drying. I have never had anyone complain. I do explain that the people washing have already been here a while and get first dibs on the dryers. This has worked for me and my customers. As far as the comparison between grocery stores and Laundromats it's apples and oranges. One is a service biz and the other is a products biz. Different aproach to some degree.

Gary

[troy]

I agree with Mark. In winter time, my busiest time, I have signs at front door:" No wash no dry on Sunday and Saturday". I have a lot of support from my customers, only some pisseoff from the homeowner who come in because of broken dryers at home. When customers wash they expect to be able to dry too. When someone else cut in, it only create a jam in traffic. I rather give those dryers-only some cash to go away.

But only for winter only, now I let them in anytime

[Kitty]

Your way is no more right or wrong than my suggestions are. I however, beleive that any customer is entitled to the same services we provide no matter how much they may spend in the mat. I would not expect the customer in the WDF service that may tip a little extra or spend a little more to get better service than Mrs Jones who brings her comforter twice a year. My point is, that a customer is a customer and whatever service any customer requires within the biz should be efficiently provided, no matter who they are or what they spend. The simple solution is to have enough dryer capacity for your mat?

Every business wants to reduce or eliminate a wait time for customers, but turning away a customer??? Why make them feel substandard, especially if they simply "wait" in line like everyone else? I think any implementing and enforcing of this practice will be hard and confrontational to do. I also think making any type of customer unhappy is an unacceptable practice. But hey, just my opinion :)

[SudsMan]

We use to have a sign that said washing customers had first dibs on dryers. Than we doubled the number of dryer pockets we have. No more problem. No more sign. Sure, on a Sunday when all our machines are going, we might get a dry only customer once in a while, but not often enough to even be able to 'catch' the person in the act. Our customer turn over, in and out, time isn't all that long so we don't see the problem.

[CharlieS]

I routinely see people come into my mats for dry only. Generally, they have a washer, but no dryer. I'm happy to have the business! But then again, we have good dryer capacity in all of the mats.

Charlie

[Andy]

I do not understand why you guys who have this dryer problem price your dryers so that you make money.

I agree with Kitty, if they want to spend money in my store they will be treated equally.

[mike]

Not only is Kitty right,

But her's is the only rule that can be logically enforced all the time.

"First come, first served"

Any variation of this is subject to personal opinions by the attendant that day.

Think of all the exceptions to the wash & dry only,

"I was here this morning and did my wash", or yesterday, or whatever,
not to mention the:
"the other attendant knows me"
"your just saying that because I'm catholic or have a nose ring", (substitute whatever)

rules have to be able to be enforced by each attendant exactly the same way

I know we all prefer the big spending customers,
(I myself, prefer the blondes, but I don't put them in front of someone else !)

[Anonymous]

These days I would be real careful telling someone they cannot use a dryer if they did not wash. They may have their big brother come and put a cap in you.