w/d/f pickup/delivery business

[sean6293]

as some of you know i'm looking at investing in a laundromat in the near future. i was thinking, while i am looking at getting things together, why not get started on a possible related business?

i'm curious if you folks think there is any demand for a w/d/f pickup and delivery service? possible for elderly folks or working parents? what i'm thinking is i could pick up the laundry in the morning , take it to my local laundromat, and wash and dry it then drop it off to the customer that evening. most laundromats charge under 25cents per pound to wash and dry, so if i could charge a customer say $1.50-$1.75/lb for the pickup/drop off WDF service, it could be a substantial profit considering the only overhead is gas money and the cost to do the laundry(machines+soap).

this would be a side venture for the moment, possibly having only two days available for the service ( my days off from my full-time job). so i'm curious what you think? are there enough people who want this service? is the pricing reasonable? what is the average amount in lb's that a w/d/f customer drops off?

any opinions welcome.

[WhatwasIThinkin]

It is worth a shot but here are a couple of thoughts. I am on LI and do p/u delivery. I bought a small route and have advetised hevily with little additional success (although it has only been 1 month of ads)

Toughts:
where I am your price would be considered very high
doing the laundry at someone elses mat will take a lot of $ out of your pocket. Having a MAT will help you eventually.
There is demand at a price
Try Physical Therapy/Massage outfits. Also Spas and hair salons
Good luck

[sean6293]

It is worth a shot but here are a couple of thoughts. I am on LI and do p/u delivery. I bought a small route and have advetised hevily with little additional success (although it has only been 1 month of ads)

Toughts:
where I am your price would be considered very high
doing the laundry at someone elses mat will take a lot of $ out of your pocket. Having a MAT will help you eventually.
There is demand at a price
Try Physical Therapy/Massage outfits. Also Spas and hair salons
Good luck

as for pricing, around here (orange county, NY)the average w/d/f drop off service costs ~$1.00. so i would think to have it picked up and delivered you could ask more. i was thinking $1.50 would be a reasonable place to start.

as for commercial accounts like hair salons and spas and perhaps restaurants... how hard would it be to get a contract from a place like that? surely those places all go through large chains.

[Silent Roo]

Think about it like this a typical load is 15 pounds. IS some one going to pay $20 to have 8-10 towels washed.... At our house I do my Grandparents laundry, it is about 3 loads a week. that at 1.50 a pound would be Almost $70 If I drop it it would be 45. Is it worth 25 for me to have you pick it up. I would consider the service at a pickup charge of 5-10 dollars.

As to Commerical accounts. It is not easy to get them. However they are long term business that can allow you to hire employees. They are hard to lose if you do it right and keep them happy. This means rewashes with no questions asked. Getting them means some work but it is VERY possible. I took 5 days and went to every potential business in town. I knew where the big guys were priced and I was under them (and under my posted price) however above profit. I knew my costs and priced myself to make between 40 and 50% so If it cost me .30 cents a pound I priced at .50-60 a pound. We have cut the margins a little and know are at about 35-40 on our commerical accounts however to be commercial you must do a minnium of 200 lbs a week. WE do pick up and deliever and are at around 1.10 a pound.

[WhatwasIThinkin]

you may want to have a slightly lower price + delivery charge. If you get a customer who likes the idea and gives you 100 lbs of Laundry, and sees a bill for $ 150 they will never come back.

You have nothing to lose. Good Luck

[Tom@Troske.com]

Just don't forget to include your gas prices and time when offering these services.

We are starting to dabble in it now. Trying different tactics. With gas prices and 2 trips it is tuff to make money till you have a lot of customers in one area. I was thing of trying a buddy system where if one customers gets 4 more to join they all get a reduced rate and the orginal person gets a little more off.

[pete f]

I do not do any of this and have no plans to, but if I did..
When I was young the dry clean van would pull up to our house and the delivery man would take the clothes and enter the house and hang them in the hall closet. What service!
$1.50 a pound? You have to compete with local pricing and offer superior service. I think a lower rate and pick fee of a couple bucks or something would be more in order. You may want to consider being one stop shopping, ie, take in dry clean also. Farm it out. Get a web site so customers can post a pickup at 3 am when they are sitting around starring at thier big pile of dirty clothes after a big nite out. You will cator to the more well to do, not the typical laundry crowd. Woo them. Makes me want to start a service! There have been plenty of discussion about letting an agent do w/d/f for cleaning in mats. Find a mat you like, offer to clean it in return for space and maybe a discount, after all, you may become his biggest customer. A card store would be easier to effect a discount deal.
There was a guy who was doing this exact same thing in NYC, maybe he will chime in.

[pete f]

Did you sign up for prem membership yet? It is only $30, well $29.99
has any of the advice you have been given so far worth $30?? Show your true support for this site!

[Sunflower]

Hey Sean,

He's right. Pitch in. There's more info for you to scour through as a paying member... Anna