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Clarification on System Setup

mjwalsh

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Our pricing

Mep,

Gotta see your setup!

Bubbles,

I'm $5 for 7 minutes. Don't go to cheap and keep the startup high or you're gonna get the bucket washer types. $1000 per tub per month is not unreasonable unless you have lots of competition.

Smell is bacteria, so spray with disinfectant daily and no problems.

Big
I am also $5 for 7 minutes. On Tues thru Thurs we have Happy Dogs Days that give 10% more time which makes it 7 minutes & 42 seconds on those days.

By the way, starting yesterday morning we put one of those Walmart $7.00 "leeberman? cone wring out mops" in one of our stalls & plan to put another in the other stall now that we tested it for a day or two. Time will tell --- but I am really surprised at how conscientious dog owners can be with a little education! I think it is poor judgement to say or worse yet advertise "leave all the mess for us"!

So far we have not reached the thousand per month even with both together since opening the middle of Nov of 2009. So far everyone who uses it has liked it so we are not going to give up hope. I have to still finish the synchronization of the 2 Trane heat exchangers that will cool the inside air with the city water. The sync is with our RO make up water tank so the water is always kept running----our city water is less than 55 degrees year round. The air circulates through each door (storm window screen kind of sweet breezeway) so ---- we will find out fairly soon if we are really good all season wise!

We have free 10 minute charcoal filter activation on the 2 touchscreens for above the end of the trough drain that helps the odor & makes the air fresher ---- I agree with Big Leo --- disinfectant is key for keeping odors down --- that is why we encourage people to use it as much as they like during the 60 second grace period & left once on the screen after the grace period --- especially if they skip it during the grace period. A dog that hasn't been washed for a long time can really have & leave a strong "wet dog smell" until he is thoroughly freshened up!

Our 4 vend items are priced similar to car wash vend items ---- recommended margins.
 

MEP001

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We don't have a pet wash, but it is something I think is needed in our area. There's a nice strip center next to the car wash that has had many empty units since it was finished more than two years ago - I could probably lease a space pretty cheap.
 

bigleo48

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We don't have a pet wash, but it is something I think is needed in our area. There's a nice strip center next to the car wash that has had many empty units since it was finished more than two years ago - I could probably lease a space pretty cheap.
MJ,

Its gonna need to be really cheap...unless you got the population as even at $1000/tub/month (that would take a couple of years to get there) I can't see them stand on their own. You'd need to do other things like grooming.

Big
 

MEP001

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That might make a good combination, like a self-serve laundromat that's attended full time and also does laundry for customers. I think we have the population since we're now surrounded by apartments with another complex going in.
 

bigleo48

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Maybe you do, it's a nice little extra revenue center, but not a big money maker. Perhaps for a groomer who wants the extra revenue, it might work.
 

mjwalsh

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Maybe you do, it's a nice little extra revenue center, but not a big money maker. Perhaps for a groomer who wants the extra revenue, it might work.
Some of the best input I've received about little subtleties were from visiting with actual former groomers who used the facility early on & finally let me know of what they had done in the past as part of their living. One was exasperated that the time kept running down even while she got a vend item. We permanently reprogrammed to take care of that issue within a few days.
 

pitzerwm

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Using a camera in the room would be a good way to watch how the customer used the equipment and their issues. A lot of companies will do some version of this. Never assume that you know what's best. A lot of web pages that I visit, its obvious that the programmer never actually used the page.
 

mjwalsh

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"---- we put one of those Walmart $7.00 "leeberman? cone wring out mops" in one of our stalls & plan to put another in the other stall -----I think it is poor judgement to say or worse yet advertise "leave all the mess for us"!

Correction: The mop is Libman brand that is available to both us & the customer. Quick mop --- saturate mop with free disinfectant ---push cone down with the mop over the drain.

Anyway the point I wanted to make that it is more than wishful thinking that the customers can be facilitated to help with cleanup when it comes to the dog wash. It is different in the self serve car wash when the customer doesn't have a shovel to work with etc. & the clean up tends to be so much more labor intensive.
 

Bubbles Galore

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The first portion of the storefront goes up today! Fully enclosed by Monday and then we are off and running. Lots of pics to come!
 

Bubbles Galore

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Hey guys, here's a pic of the storefront. The other side is up, but they will be back Monday to put the glass in. http://tweetphoto.com/18802929

Posted from my BlackBerry using BerryBlab
 

I.B. Washincars

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Lookin good.

Looks good. I scrolled through some of your photos. I see that you are a big fan of energy drinks. Just what you need, more energy. And that pic of you in the glasses and hoodie makes you look like every suspect that ever robbed a c-store...or the unabomber!
 

Waxman

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Yep; lookin good. I also scrolled thru some of your photos. Very nice. The tv, carwash, petwash, pretty wife. Good for you!
 

Bubbles Galore

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Hahaha! Thanks guys. I'm definitely living the dream! Hopefully I will be putting paint on the wallls by Monday evening.
 

Bubbles Galore

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90% of the conduit is ran, the storefront is up and there are 2 coats of paint on the walls in the dog wash. Today I am going to cut in the meter box and hang both the shop vacs and run the hoses. I will snap a bunch of pics today and try and post them tonight. We've stirred up a lot of excitement in town, so it will be interesting to see what the response is.
 

Bubbles Galore

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Posted a few pictures in the new photo gallery section. Check them out and let me know what you think. I'm pushing hard to be open by this coming weekend. It will be pushing it, but I like to set my sights pretty high.
 
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