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Combatting poor weather patterns

MEP001

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I read that some areas spray salt brine on the roads. Maybe there's a way to capture the strongest concentrations of brine reject from the softener to be donated to the city for use.
 

Bubbles Galore

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The city can't wait to put me out of business. They wouldn't ever buy anything from me.

I wish :)
 

soapy

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I also had a terrible December mostly I guess due to weather. THis last weekend we had sunshine and high temps below 15 degrees. The washes were the busiest they have been in over 3 months. The secret to a carwash IMO is SUNSHINE. We normally have over 300 days of sunshine per year but I bet it has been well below 200 for the last year.
 

Waxman

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Soapy

Was it you who said you keep a log of the weather, or 'wx', as John puts it?
 

Bubbles Galore

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Waxman: I have no idea why they would want me out of business, but they sure act like it. The city clerk told me that they consider carwashes to be a nuisance and would prefer only tunnels since they are attended.
 

MEP001

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Others have said that because there's no sales tax revenue generated from a self-serve, the city tries to gouge them on permits while they're being built. There's a small town near me that the city council has told a potential builder they will never allow another self serve to be built there, good news for the only operator in town.
 

Bubbles Galore

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What are you gonna do? Oh well, we have had 2 really nice days here, cold but sunny. I don't remember who mentioned it, but sun and dry roads are the recipe for a perfect wash day.

Happy Washing!
 

rph9168

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In our area some of the bad operators have made it tough for the existing good ones or potential new washes by letting their washes get run down and not maintaining the property in good condition. We have several counties that have almost banned any new washes and strictly police existing ones simply because some have become eyesores or havens for drug transactions and other illegal activities. Some cities even require employees to undergo the same background checks that liquor store employees do. Maybe in time things will loosen up a bit but for now many cities and counties are not very favorable to washes.
 

Whale of a Wash

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I have two washes in MN , and we pay sales tax, as do about a dozen states.
Always fun to give them the last 6% and the profit sometimes. Sometimes cities look at our washes as not a provider of jobs and real revenue, a loud stereo, drug dealing habitat. I don't find them very supportive of the washes either. They like companies that really pay the( city's) bills. I think with the really bad weather and the economy we are facing, it is time to look at efficiencies, and cost savings. From getting the assessor to lower your value to decrease taxes, to working harder and smarter, to keeping less inventory, to negotiating a better loan rate. The weather is the one thing we can't change.
 
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