Do you talk/contact with your neighbor laundry owners?

[jamesbond]

I am sure all of you have visited or checked out other laundries near by.

I am curious that how many of you made friends with the owners? or talked to them? helped each other? or simply stay away and try to win over customers and become enemies?

[Aromaz]

They all hate me intensly. I've made their lives miserable. BooHoo!

[BUBBA]

I have 2 other stores near me. I talk with them a couple of times a year. Our operations are different. They do WDF and are either partially attended or fully attended. I am unattended. We all use different equipment. Mostly they whine about prices and I listen.

[kbc747]

I talk with him a couple times a week, I deliver my newspaper with my ad for my laundromat to his laundry as he has asked me to do, I let him know in advance that what I'm up to so he can make plans to well you know. As to weather he likes me or not I could really care less I would still talk and tell him things that I think he should know. And I also have a standing offer to buy his mat when he is ready to sell it.

[William]

I own all of the laundries nearby.

[pete f]

I know most of the owners around me, and talk to them at trade seminars, etc. Sometimes they call me if something going on, need help, looking for a part, etc.. We are not drinking buddies, but not enemies either.

[Winston]

The owner of a mat 5 miles away is a good friend, whom I met after we were both in the business. We have lunch often, share information on operations, equipment problems, and business in general. We help each other with repairs. He has covered for me while I was out of town, collecting from the coin boxes and refilling the change machines. Have even discussed buying a mat jointly.

Are we competitors? Not really. Only one or two "shared" customers that I am aware of.

[Monarch]

I can tell you from our level that we do compete against Greenwald and ESD. But we are friendly competitors. Again, we are not drinking buddies, but we do keep in touch and are civil with each other. In fact, I cried when I heard that Lisa Scott of ESD had died of breast cancer a few weeks ago. She was a class act all the way. I have the greatest respect for Bob Matthews of ESD and for the Gitlands. And we have some products the other two do not, so we sell some of our product to Greenwald and ESD. I have no reserverations about refering someone to them if they express an interest in something we do not have, of if the customer is adamant about having a particular ESD or Greenwald product. I have both of their toll free numbers on my rolodex for referals.

Life it too short to be angry all the time.

Norman

[Von Hef]

Life it too short to be angry all the time.

Norman


Norman.. those are words to live by!

[TLR]

I called the cops on my competitor when he was in my store handing out his swipe cards to my customers and talking ugly to my attendants - before he opened his mega store. Have not had a problem with him since. I am wiating for him close his doors any day!

TLR

[Von Hef]

I called the cops on my competitor when he was in my store handing out his swipe cards to my customers and talking ugly to my attendants - before he opened his mega store. Have not had a problem with him since. I am wiating for him close his doors any day!

TLR

That behavior is not good business! People, who have these kinds of values, will perform actions that are counter-productive. The old saying “You reap what you sow” can be expected to occur. How did your customers react to his intrusion to your business?
You wrote that you are waiting for him to close his doors… could you elaborate on your anticipation?

[Ken]

I talk to my competitors ,some are nice,some are not.
I sold and installed a furance ,a few video arcade games in my competitor's laundromat,when they decide to sell,replace machines,they will call me.Some even called me when they want to buy new mchines,change price or any service issues.
One store is in an over built market,not many laundry owners willing to talk to me in that market.They all want each other's pie!One did call me when someone try to put a store near him,ask me call the city to stop allowing more laundromat in that town.I told him"I didn't stop you when you build 3 yearsd ago ".

[DirtyLaundry]

Why would you assume that we all check out our competition's stores. I could care less about them, their stores, what they have, or what they charge. Never been in them, and don't care to. I focus on my own, and let them be. The little that I could tell you about my neighboring stores is what my customers have told me about them.

[Von Hef]

Why would you assume that we all check out our competition's stores. I could care less about them, their stores, what they have, or what they charge. Never been in them, and don't care to. I focus on my own, and let them be. The little that I could tell you about my neighboring stores is what my customers have told me about them.

Why? To know your strengths and weaknesses in relation to your competition is why. Corporations and businesses do this all the time. This is basic business 101. Has your competition been in your store? If they have assessed your business, do you think they may have made adjustments after their visit? Of course if you never plan to change your current operation based on a weakness – versus your competitors strength… or capitalize on your strengths (with marketing, pricing, etc…), then it would be a waste of time to make such a visit.

[DirtyLaundry]

Like I said previosly, I could care less about my neigboring coin laundries. They are not my "competition". The home washer is my competition. What I consider "basic business 101" is taking care of my business, and not worrying about what the guy down the street is doing now. I have better things to do with my time, than to play those games. I have heard that my prices are the highest in the area - am I going to go around check out my competition, and make "adjustments" as suggested? I don't think so. I base my prices on what the national average is, and measure my strenghts and weaknesses based on the knowlege that I have gained from the Coin Laundry Association, and from reading the coin op related trade magazines. I refuse to "dumb down" my store to be like other stores my area.

[DuboisLaundry]

No others are "near" me. (about 80 miles in either direction)
I poked my head in the closest ones a few times just to get an idea of pricing, cleanliness, and equipment. One time I asked an attendant how much time for a quarter on the 30# dryers.

[Ken]

No others are "near" me. (about 80 miles in either direction)
I poked my head in the closest ones a few times just to get an idea of pricing, cleanliness, and equipment. One time I asked an attendant how much time for a quarter on the 30# dryers.

80 miles?
Most laundromats are about .5 mile from each other in my area.