Dryer Times [Archive] - Coinwash The key to a successful Laundromat Business.

anonymous

12-10-2002, 09:07 AM

It would suicidal for me to change to anything lower than 10 minutes. I have 11 years old Dryers and my closest competitors have new Dryers. I have the largest market share in the area for Laundromat. People come to me because I have well functioning equipment at one of the lowest prices. I will consider going to 7 minutes once I replace my Dryers.

Currently I average 7.5 turns/day on my Washers. I really cannot justify raising the prices without changing anything if I want maitain this market share.

Beverly

12-10-2002, 09:21 AM

Kirby---

Unfortunately, here in much of Los Angeles we still have people giving away free drys; the "competition" for our 'mat runs between 12-20 minutes per quarter. As the newest kid on the block, we're inching our way up on prices while still trying to maintain our customer base.

PeterH

12-10-2002, 12:31 PM

8 mins/quarter on 30# stacks.
6 mins/quarter on 50#'s, need 2 quarters to start tho'.

Rondo

12-10-2002, 01:30 PM

I've been at 6 mins for more that 2 years. I like making money on the people who just come in and dry instead of giving it away at a loss. As far a controling market share don't worry about it. raise your prices and keep everything clean and working, the rest of it will work out.

Kitty

12-10-2002, 04:10 PM

When inquiring about the dryer times what is the size of the dryers regarding the poll?

We have one store running 30's for 10 minutes and 12 minutes for some Maytags that hardly get hot. In the other stores the 50lbs are running 7.5 minutes. I read the national average was 8 minutes, but do not recall what size. Anyone know?

Rondo

12-10-2002, 09:15 PM

30 lb is standard. Kitty did you get hit with the ice storm? I noticed you haven't been on for a few days. Guess you couldn't find the hand crank for the PC :D

Kitty

12-10-2002, 09:25 PM

Glad you missed me Rondo. Hit very hard, no electric from Wed to late Fri and Dave had a long awaited golf trip to Myrtle Beach, left me with a mess. No electric at home as well as one mat. Very busy and the fact that blasted bill changer went out kept me busy and cranky. My husband can't wait for me to leave on my shopping trip this weekend so I will come back all warm and fuzzy on Monday.
HHAHAHHAHAHH
Just got a great pic from Canaann from the trip this summer as soon as I figure out how to send it to you I will. Kitty

Rondo

12-10-2002, 10:36 PM

Kitty, that a great pic under your name, got a feeling it just eats up a few former posters. I heard today some of NC is still without electric. I have a feeling were gonna get a lot more of bad weather this winter. :mad:

JSVLaundry

12-13-2002, 04:23 PM

I have 4 new stack dryers, 30# at 8 min.
I have 4 old single tumblers, 30# at 10 min. These actually get hotter then the new ones and I don't think that I am able to change these to new stacks. I have a good number of regulars who use my store instead of the comp because of the old dryers. All of my comp has the new stacks and they don't measure up in terms of temperature.

Vinny

Anonymous

12-13-2002, 04:36 PM

I heard the same "BS" about dryers from the old owner when I bought my store. She has old SQ singles and newer Huebsch stacks. Offered two minutes more on the stacks as they did not get as hot and people did not like them.

The SQ's got so hot and were so unstable that I saw clothing come out smoking (not steaming). I ripped out the SQ and put in new ADC stacks and put bigger vents on the Huebsch stacks and raised the prices. No complaints. The new ADC dryers hold the temperature to +/- one degree and people love them. Got rid of the Huebsch and added more ADC. You are best off to have only one type of dryer in the store - no basis for comparison then.

JSVLaundry

12-13-2002, 05:01 PM

That was my main intension. Get 4 new ones now, recover from the purchase, then get 4 more. But what do I do with the good number of customers who pass my comp and come to mine for the old dryers? I was even thinking about resetting them to 7 minutes.

But I do have to agree with you though about them being unstable. I once had a customer who had the tumbler marks, dots, on a jacket that was in the dryer, on high. She was expecting me to pay for damages stating that my dryers were broken. I showed her the temperature dial and then began to explain what it does. I never saw her again.

Vinny

Anonymous

12-13-2002, 05:45 PM

Don't know how many dryers you are talking about, but if possible you should bite the bullet and do it all at once. It will be more impressive and you won't have the problems of people saying the new ones are not as hot. Remember, once they form their opinion that your new dryers are not as hot you will have a hard time ever getting them to like them. If the old ones are no longer there it is impossible for them to make the comparison.

You need to educate them that they don't want to over scorch their clothing in those old fire throwers anyway.

pete f

12-13-2002, 06:16 PM

I have a similar situation to you Vinny, All my mats have at least a couple old dryers, I have been buying new dryers for the last year or two. I have 1 mat in particular that has to many pockets, really. I should yank out the 2 old SQ singles and put in video games. But them damn things got quite a of change in them, sitting next to 10 new stacks, and I have a few customers who will not use the new ones. Now, I do not discount, the new stacks are the same as the old single pockets, and this is true with my other stores.
This is sort of like the top loader debate.. If you can make decent money at it who really cares. Try and keep all the customers happy, that is great way of running your biz.

anonymous

12-30-2002, 04:53 PM

I currently have 15 single Cissel dryers (circa 1975, when the mat was built). From what I read, these are gas hogs, and are starting to show their age.... little kinks here and there.

I'm looking to yank out 5 of them and add 4 stacks (the cissels are slimline 26", stacks 32").... The cissels in the rear are in good shape, so I'll replace the front ones.... more AC vents in the front too....

I figure I can rape the 5 I take out for parts.. AS far as timing them I planned on keeping the times the same. I run 7.5 min on the cissels (cant do 7 with the cams)... Mabye I'll do 8min on the
stacks to make up for any lack of heat.

I just hope the vents and power can handle the increased capacity (fingers crossed BIG TIME)

pete f

12-30-2002, 05:10 PM

bruce, plan on a power and venting upgrade. When I replaced 6 slimlines with 5 stacks it cost about an extra $1000 for power and makeup air. You will have to run more power for the stacks, and will need more make up air. If you are lucky they will be able to use the existing venting.

Anonymous

12-30-2002, 05:34 PM

I'll take it a step further, make up air is super critical. Customers in general will notice that new stacks do not put out as much heat as old singles. To minimize this impact you better be certain you have enough make up air. If you do not add make up air to meet manufacturers requirements you will drive many customers to your competitor. Be warned - if you do it right you will be very pleased with the results.

anonymous

12-30-2002, 05:54 PM

aha, thanks for the update... I think I have plenty of makeup air cause i have a drop ceiling and see oodles of space on top (perhaps another 4 feet before hitting the ceiling....

thanks alot for the input. I think if I need makeup air I can just put a vent on the service door in back....

Ok I'll check power and venting... Luckily my mechanic has been servicing this mat for years....

This stuff is a godsend, cause my most serious competitor has stack dryers and in general newer equipment....

Pete knows I am working with limited square footage in my mat area, as my cafe eats up perhaps 5-600sf.

Thanks tons for the feedback

Anonymous

12-30-2002, 06:29 PM

Space over a drop ceiling is not makeup air, its just a void. You need something like 1.5sqFt per pocket for makeup air, a hole in a door won't even get you close. Think this out very carefully.

anonymous

12-30-2002, 06:50 PM

OK, cool. I just checked the back of the place, when it opened it must have had 17 dryers, thats how the circuit box is labeled...
Since I'm going from 15 to 18 I guess I can just opt to put one tumbler out of order till I can get the wiring done right.

I'll count on mike the mechanic to help me with this. I see couple of options possible, I'll pick his brain.

Another good thing is I'll be able to take apart and clean the venting tubes. This place basicall had no preventative maintenance for about 2 years. I been pecking away, learning alot. Once again this conference has been a god-send

mike

12-30-2002, 08:23 PM

Brucefla, You're lucky your in florida (in many ways) the make up air shouildn't be a problem. Why do you even need doors ? Isn't it warm all year ?

Kirby and I live in a different world, (mine colder than his)

Make up air is impossible for me to even approach the suggested minimums.

I would literally have to have an opening the size of a garage door. Not possible in Canada in winter. The pipes would freeze solid ! (to say nothing of the customers)

Anonymous

12-30-2002, 08:25 PM

So Mike, how do your dryers work without make-up air. If you don't have enough fresh air coming in they are starved and you don't get enough air flow or drying capacity.

Why is the temperature an issue? We get cold here, as low as -5 F at times. I have the area behind the dryers well sealed and filled with plenty of fresh cold air and all works quite well. The more dryers that are running the colder it is back there.

Fred50

12-30-2002, 10:10 PM

A suggestion:

If you are concerned about having wide open holes punched in your walls or ceiling and having them draw cold air (or hot in the summer) into your mat and not be used for make-up air, then install switch activatved dampers. They are simply louvers that have a motor that opens and closes them.

I wired mine to a switch and they can be shut after hours (or anytime) to keep the place sealed up a bit tighter from the elements. The only issue (other than cost) is that because the louvered surface cuts down on the air intake, you have to have more area than you would for a wide open hole.

Rondo

12-30-2002, 10:27 PM

The make up air is a return plus it feeds the flames with oxygen. With no fresh oxygen you will not get the BTUs out of the gas you burn, so the problem is two fold you create negative air flow and also starve your burners with lack of oxygen.

Rondo

12-30-2002, 10:30 PM

Who is the other brave soul that is 6 mins. for a quarter? Identify yourself.

mike

12-31-2002, 06:08 PM

I have an opening about 2 ft. by 2ft. with a hinged piece of plywood over it which we manually adjust, according to how many dryers are being used. This only on cold winter days of course. Most of the year the doors are open. (we don't have air conditioning)

seems to work, I know my gas is probably not being used efficiently. I have been through about 4 ventilation companies in the last 10 years, I've mentioned automatic louvers, and they just scratch their heads !

Lar Hylobates

03-28-2003, 12:30 AM

I've been at 10 minutes for 8 months now from 12 minutes. My closest competitor is at 12 minutes and the other two are at 15 minutes. We are within 4 to 5 blocks of one another. I have asked two of the others to lower their time. I have presented information of the upcoming gas bills (25% + increases) and pitched the war and energy prices as reason enough, but they have not moved. I've also informed them that my business increased when I raised prices and I have certainly lost no business. I guess I'll be eating the extra 400-500 a month as I told you all I would. I honestly don't mind as I know I've done well with the raise 8 months ago, however it really is starting to irk me that these morons won't move. What the hell are they doing? One of them is a very successful owner with three very large a nice stores.

anonymous

03-29-2003, 09:24 AM

I see this same phenomenon in my market. One gentleman who is a two store owner rebuilt one store from the ground up spent $800,000! yeah 800 thousand dollars that's right (he does not own the building). That store will never be profitable. After being open a year he has dropped his top loaders to $0.99! I consider this preditory pricing. How can you spend $800k and vend top loaders for 99 cents? Another guy across town who really needs a complete renovation, his store is pretty well worn has dropped his pricing to between 30 and 50% less than mine. At the same time I have continued to keep my pricing at a level that affords a fair profit. It is strange that people are used to price changes for example in gasoline but not in industries who have a high exposure to gas prices.

Glenn

03-29-2003, 04:02 PM

Yesterday I received my gas bill. $1.34 per therm!!!!!!! Last night I went to 6/min./.25 from 8. Included with the bill was a note apologizing for the high prices, but stating that prices should continue rising at least through the summer. I paid .54 per therm in Sept.

anonymous

03-29-2003, 07:31 PM

At $1.34 I would be at 4 or 5 minutes

pete f

03-31-2003, 11:02 PM

Andy, I feel your fustration about idiot owners.. I had a guy put in a $465k huge store (rented space) across the street from me about 10 months ago. I talked to him before he did it, told him it would be a waste of money, never work. Well, he did it anyway, now has a 65,000 gross a year store with a 3k a month rent. I hear he has 60 cent w/d/f and cheap pricing on coin wash durring periods of the day. The guy is (was) "rich" so he knew more than I did.

anonymous

04-08-2003, 06:14 PM

Rondo, That would be me. I have been at 6 mins for over a year now. I have no clue what my comp is at. Don't really care either. I price for the return I need and keep it clean and people come in. My feeling is that people will pay a little extra to be in a nice place. I am paying $1.04 per therm

Gary

Rondo

05-30-2003, 10:48 PM

I just can't understand why 19 people have their time at 10 minutes or more. I've been at 6 minutes for more than 3 years. Like Gary says I don't care what my competition has thiers at, I have clean and well maitained dryers that are always working plus I like to at least make money off the dry only crowd. 6 min. a quarter cost my customers $1.25 for a properly loaded dryer, $1.00 if they use a 300 g force Neptune. I think that is very reasonable.

Now, let me tell you a story. A few years back I was at one of my mats and there was only one customer ( a guy about 25 and I think he was a out of towner) and me left in the store. It was closing time. He came up to me and very Irate and said that he had put 1.25 in the dryer and his jeans were still damp.... he keep saying feel these ...feel these.. So I felt them and they were a tiny bit damp so I offered to put them back in the dryer for another 6 mins. and he very rudely said "it's like this every where I go". So I just ignored him and as he left I noticed that he had left a half eaten pizza and coke for me to clean up. Now this dude was cring over spending $6.00 for a weeks laundry, but had no problem spending $15-16 bucks for one meal and wasting half of it.

So let me analyze this for you... let's take this dude for example, He was working out of town probably sends $30.00 a day on meals, $5.00 a day on cigarettes and 6- 10 buck a night on beer and he was bitching over $6.00 for 4 - 5 days of laundry?

What wrong with pricing your dyers to make money? If you 10 minute people don't know how to adjust your timers down to make a profit, there is lots of help on this board.... just ask!

I've been in this business for nearly 11 years and I find it easier every year to raise my prices, if it your conscience that keep you from doing it ....get over it. If it's your competition.... talk to them.

Our industry is seriously under price for the service we provide....We are a business first and a public service second.

Now, get to work on the timers :D

Charles will be proud of me with this long rant!

mike

06-03-2003, 11:44 PM

Rondo,

I agree with everything you said !

I think one reason many owners don't raise their prices (in addition to what you said about competition) is the competion with the home washer and dryer whose PERCEIVED cost is $0. per wash.

Of course we all know here that the capital cost of the machine, it's repair, hot water and electricity are rarely taken into account !

Rondo

06-04-2003, 10:13 AM

Mike, a good point... most of us don't realize that our real competitor is the home washer and dryer.

But they need us when thier washer and dryers break down and I like taking thier money.

anonymous

06-09-2003, 09:31 PM

I just had a talk with one of my competitors, he was convinced that going the free dry route was the answer to his multiple problems. He couldn't figure out what to say when I said if you're not making money now how in the world would you make money by charging the same price for washing and giving away drying. He just stood there for a few seconds and then said he heard about someone who did this and it was a great success. No numbers, no analysis, no basis just a hope. Well you can't hope people into your mat.

I hope I talked him out of doing it.

Rondo

06-09-2003, 11:58 PM

Andy, I just watch a expert in the natural gas industry on Fox News forecast dome & gloom for next winter. The reserve is way down and there is no way to build it back up before winter. He said that even with a mild winter the supply will drop to very low reserves.

I think the new Journal had an article saying the same thing. We may be looking at all time highs, the Journal suggested that you raise prices now in anticipation. I'm all ready at 6 minutes, so if I lower ahead of time I will hear it from my customers.

Tell your buddy to hold on to his hat. Higher prices are right around the corner.

MyLaundry

10-12-2004, 07:59 AM

My new store will be open next month, looks like I have to start out with 6 or 7 min per quarter. I can foresee this coming winter the natural gas will be over $1.00 per therm.

And you are right, Rondo. We are for-profit company. We are not those non-profit corporations.

Glenn

10-12-2004, 04:34 PM

My natural gas has been over $1.00/therm for the past 13 months. forget about the 7 min dryers. Open at 6 minutes. If it were me I'd open at 5. You can get away with it with a brand new store.

pete f

10-12-2004, 05:58 PM

this poll started in 2002, it should be deleted, it is of no value now.

anonymous

10-13-2004, 12:57 PM

this is for Buddy,
i would rather lose market share to make more money, if you are the leader in the area make sure you are the price leader also, i had same reservation about cutting time and my customers didnt mind at all, just ask them if there home or rental bills have gone up recently for utitlies. This is why i am changing to card store so i can keep ten min for .40 or .35 cents, it is costing me 26k to change over but well worth it for pricing. good luck

Chuckels

10-13-2004, 09:37 PM

Kitty

10-28-2004, 09:25 PM

The concept of math and profitability should sway an owner from giving free dry for any length of time. ThHe concept of free dry is to crutch your competitiors while capitalizing the weaknesses they show. Stay awake and in control of the market by delivering daily what is needed in your market.

laundryboy

11-02-2004, 01:36 PM

I just took over a store that, at one time had free dry. People still come in and are surprised that they must pay for the services. Please note: the free dry promotion ended over four (4) years ago. Amazing that customers can remember that but can't remember how to use a front loader !!!!

Anonymous

11-04-2004, 04:16 PM

R you guys talking heat time or overall time inclusive of cool down. I run for 8 minutes heat and 2 cool down for .25.....all others are 11 minutes total for .25 in my area of southern california

Anonymous

09-07-2005, 02:27 PM

8 minutes heat with two minutes cool is not 6 minutes heat. If a customer inserts 4 quarters they get 30 minutes of heat.

Kitty

11-12-2005, 04:29 PM

This months CLA Journal had a store profiled in Los Angeles that had 15 minutes for .25. The area is known to have problems with free dry idiots but the CLA journalists do an injustice to all readers when they put forth a profile without any explanation of the low net on drying in such areas. Is it because the distributors have overbuilt proforma stores creating competition which is too high for the health of the market?

We have been at 8 minutes for .25 for 3 years now and with a card store coming online soon we will adjust for the 8 minutes to cost a little more.

Chuckles

Chuckels

This is an old thread and this post is a year old. We need to disregard the contents of the actual poll... as the information is from 2002 forward.

Regardless, a marketplace with free dry or 15 minutes a .25 cents is a tough market place, it would make sense not to bring this type of pricing to the pages of an industry magazine as this type of pricing is not good for the industry itself, in any market. But the point of the article may have been to either kick start owners to move vend pricing up or a subtle hint to store owners to show a tactic purely to weed out the weak? So now it is a year later, what's happened?

Has your competitors since reduced dryer time more since last year or is dry times/pricing the same? What has your store been able to do to compete with this type of pricing? How has the new card store effected pricing for your area?

Care to elaborate about the market in your area and the dry pricing in particular?

Kitty