"Rain Rain Go Away"

I'm totally disgusted. I just watched the weather report and they are giving 40% Thursday, 70% Friday, 40% Saturday, 40% Sunday. It will be the 7th weekend in the last two months with RAIN!!!. Give me a break.

Same here in NH, Each day has a chance of precip all week and staedy rain this coming weekend!!!

We're supposed to have sunshine in Cleveland from Friday through Sunday. I'm holding my breath.

I am findinf through surveying our customers that 99% of them wash at home when they're not coming to us. Given such a bad winter and high gas prices, I believe that tendancy will become more pronounced when the weather turns warm. In response to this, we have lowered the price of our 5 wash books from $40 to $35. Beginning in June and going through August, we will be running a mid week special of $8 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We are however keeping the price of our 30 day Club Card at $50 due to the average usage by customers of 9-10 washes per month on the program.

I believe we got to do everything possible to keep people out of their driveways as they are always your biggest competitor.

We had almost two years where every rain or threat of rain was on a weekend. That trend finally shifted this year, and with one exception so far the rain or forecast for it has been during the week.

Bill,

What's the deal? Systematic reduction of pricing in hopes of boosting volume? You're too smart for that. Focus on adding something to the wash and creating more value. EVERY exterior express in my area has raised their prices over the last two years to combat increasing cost, some loss of volume with gain in net profit.
There are a few add-ons you can do at the end of the tunnel that don't cost a lot and will gain revenue of a buck or two a car!
The driveway washer is not your competition it is the weather! Are you detailing?

A neat little money addon for me that I have been doing is I shampoo the pull out floor mats for 3 dollars per mat and it generates about 50bucks extra a day. Every little bit helps. Just keep giving the customer a clean dry car and they'll pick you over the other guy. I drove by my competitors yesterday and they were at a standstill me I had 7 in line it's always a good feeling so see that but I pay for it through labor. always 2 people on the tunnel we do a alot of prep work but people say they like the interaction and that why they keep coming and telling more friends and family about us

I can't see lowering prices either. We have been considering raising prices due to the increased cost of EVERYTHING. The mat shampoo is a great idea also, anything helps.

I feel lowering prices shows inconsistency to the customer, some days it's this price and other days it's this. No offense Bill- but I do feel you should never critique someones elses business plan with out knowing 100 percent of the background. I'm sure everyone has customers and family and friends that tell you Ohhh you should do this and do that and you well knowing it ain't gonna work. So thats all I'll say on the topic of lowering price. What ever generates income you know best for your location. Rain for me today and tommorrow. My vacs are busier then the tunnel (maybe I'll charge 8 bucks for a self vac and you get a free wash?) you never know it might work!

Mike, I'd love to see a self serve site, set up similar to an express with "pay one price" to enter then everything on site is unlimited time.

For me i offer free vacs, glass cleaner and towels for paying customers. Right now i have over 20 cars in the yard and everyone is vacuuming and detailing there car up for the weekend. all of this stuff is really pennies. The vac is run on a token and the towels are out in the yard and glass cleaner bottles are in the tunnel entrance. All of this is included for my tunnel and IBA. I just walked around with my cooler and handed out some nice ice spring waters what an effect it holds!!!! Jim that would be cool an "ALL INCLUSIVE CARWASH". Pay 10 bucks and go to town. I think we may have something. Maybe a carwash after hours with happy hour also.Before I bought this place it was happy hour all day for the employees around here. what a nightnare cleaning house and getting a new reputation!!!!

Sounds like your almost there. I was thinking about an entry with gate and autocashier, then an exit with gate. Just think what it would do to your dumpers, mud knockers, and vandalism. Nobody could get on site unless they pay.

We are giving away a large microfiber towel with every $10 wash. They love it. Sam's Wholesale has them now for 40c each. I just bought a pallet and half 5,800 towels.

I saw that deal at sams club myself. Sweet idea. What you could do is put a few coin-op vacs before the gate for drive by 1 time ueses and then have the gate for push button wands and vacs. how would you limit the self-serve though, that could probally get costly. Maybe the gate could spit out a coupon with code and they enter that and they get like 8 minutes or something with a self wand and you could do it with IBA too get like 3-4 of them one wash, free vacs, bioshine machine, Maybe I should move down there and we can go in together because here in NH it feels like october 65 and windy. For me in NH this would nver work no one cares enough for their cars we have done 20 mini details today and even a new mercedes 550sl was trashed, 120,000 dollar car and it looked 10years old inside. my tunnels is a little over 500 cars since 730am- thankyou, i give nuns free washes aand Ive been telling them PLEASE pray for nice weather!!!!!keeps me in with the man upstairs pretty good, I hope

I've read about a wash in Canada that's a large, heated building with a self-serve inside. Customers pay to get in, everything is free except vending.

Free washes for nuns!!!! That's why you are doing so many cars bro!!!
I love it!