Cost

[Rooster’s Car Wash]

I currently charge $1 for 2 minutes for the wash and .75 cent for 90 secs vacuum. My city waterbill went up 14% plus my customers have broken a lot of my equipment. My 2 neighbor washes charge $1.50 for 3 mins and $1.75 for 2:55. What can I get away with charging without running my customers off. I need to make a profit to afford upgrades as I don’t have a loan.

 

[soonermajic]

Charge same as them, after Sprucing your wash up

 

[Rooster’s Car Wash]

Charge same as them, after Sprucing your wash up

That’s kinda the problem. I don’t have any extra money. I need the revenue to go up so that I can afford to spruce it up.

 

[soonermajic]

Elbow grease. Power wash & paint yourself. Clean all Vac hoses, meter boxes, concrete, mow & fertilize. There's lots you can do. Work your A$$ off & be positive. Then charge more.
If you're too lazy & negative, sell it.

 

[Rooster’s Car Wash]

Elbow grease. Power wash & paint yourself. Clean all Vac hoses, meter boxes, concrete, mow & fertilize. There's lots you can do. Work your A$$ off & be positive. Then charge more.
If you're too lazy & negative, sell it.

Thank you for the motivational speech. I did all of those things MYSELF! Those things are done. I get plenty of compliments from customers on how well the place now looks. I fix everything on my wash. No handyman! Me!
I still need a few things like concrete pavement ($20k job). They aren’t just small cracks. Jobs like this are ones that I can’t do. Stop assuming. By your logic, I should just go ahead and charge more. I am my own hardest critic and still think it needs more before I can charge more but I guess not. I have tried to keep my wash with the best quality and lowest price as the working class people I serve are dealing with price increases in everything they do. I didn’t want to add to that. But here we are.

 

[OurTown]

Thank you for the motivational speech. I did all of those things MYSELF! Those things are done. I get plenty of compliments from customers on how well the place now looks. I fix everything on my wash. No handyman! Me!
I still need a few things like concrete pavement ($20k job). They aren’t just small cracks. Jobs like this are ones that I can’t do. Stop assuming. By your logic, I should just go ahead and charge more. I am my own hardest critic and still think it needs more before I can charge more but I guess not. I have tried to keep my wash with the best quality and lowest price as the working class people I serve are dealing with price increases in everything they do. I didn’t want to add to that. But here we are.

If you are trying to be the best then I don't think you should be the lowest price. You probably won't turn a good profit.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Match price and make time a little bet Longer and put up stickers next to meter box saying "Best Deal In Town" Depending on Timers you can do "Bonus Time' for no cost and advertise that near meter box as well. For little cost you can do a "Superbay" at slightly higher price and advertise that.

 

[Greg Pack]

Your pricing model needs consideration. IMO .75 for 90 seconds of vac is not a good pricing strategy. By the time the customer gets the hose off the machine and starts using it they get maybe 1 minute of vacuuming. I think 2.00 for four of five minutes of vac and wash customers for $2.00/4:00 would make for happier customers. Even though you're going down on price per second I think over time it will increase site revenue. It will also deter bucket washers who want the lowest startup price possible. You may need signage explaining the math and how you've actually gone down on pricing even though the start up price has increased.

There are a couple schools of thought when it comes to pricing, one is squeezing every quarter out of your customer. I've met operators who feel like they are trying to outsmart their customers in a few ways in efforts to get more revenue. This may work if you're a traveling carnival but you need good relationships and loyalty to your site for long term success. The other school is providing the best wash experience you can at a fair price and let the happy customers decide how much money they want to spend. Regardless of price no one but the bucket washers likes short cycle times. I'll keep my cycle times between four and five minutes and go up on price as needed to maintain a good profit.

The "customers have broken a lot of equipment"" comment concerns me. Happy customers usually don't break anything. You're either in an absolutely terrible neighborhood or people feel they are getting ripped off and taking revenge on the equipment. If you're truly up to snuff charge higher startup prices.

Also, carry a woman with you to the wash and get her perspective on site appearance, wash performance, and perceived lighting/safety. Or hire my brother as a consultant. Every time he walks onto my wash properties he finds something to criticize.

 

[Rooster’s Car Wash]

Match price and make time a little bet Longer and put up stickers next to meter box saying "Best Deal In Town" Depending on Timers you can do "Bonus Time' for no cost and advertise that near meter box as well. For little cost you can do a "Superbay" at slightly higher price and advertise that.

Thank you! This is what my family and I have decided to do. We think $1.75 for 4 minutes will be very attractive. $2 for 5 minutes on vacs.

 

[Rooster’s Car Wash]

Your pricing model needs consideration. IMO .75 for 90 seconds of vac is not a good pricing strategy. By the time the customer gets the hose off the machine and starts using it they get maybe 1 minute of vacuuming. I think 2.00 for four of five minutes of vac and wash customers for $2.00/4:00 would make for happier customers. Even though you're going down on price per second I think over time it will increase site revenue. It will also deter bucket washers who want the lowest startup price possible. You may need signage explaining the math and how you've actually gone down on pricing even though the start up price has increased.

There are a couple schools of thought when it comes to pricing, one is squeezing every quarter out of your customer. I've met operators who feel like they are trying to outsmart their customers in a few ways in efforts to get more revenue. This may work if you're a traveling carnival but you need good relationships and loyalty to your site for long term success. The other school is providing the best wash experience you can at a fair price and let the happy customers decide how much money they want to spend. Regardless of price no one but the bucket washers likes short cycle times. I'll keep my cycle times between four and five minutes and go up on price as needed to maintain a good profit.

The "customers have broken a lot of equipment"" comment concerns me. Happy customers usually don't break anything. You're either in an absolutely terrible neighborhood or people feel they are getting ripped off and taking revenge on the equipment. If you're truly up to snuff charge higher startup prices.

Also, carry a woman with you to the wash and get her perspective on site appearance, wash performance, and perceived lighting/safety. Or hire my brother as a consultant. Every time he walks onto my wash properties he finds something to criticize.

Thank you! This is what my family and I have decided to do. We think $1.75 for 4 minutes will be very attractive. $2 for 5 minutes on vacs.

Surprisingly, we have just as many women as men. The LED lighting is the reason for this. There is no dark spot on site at night. The cameras work very well and are visible to customers. I need my asphalt redone but it’s $20k that I don’t have. Bought it this way. I have filled in some holes myself with quikcrete but it’s time to be redone all over.

I am in a very tough neighborhood. I worry about the price hike being a huge shock to my customers.
Thank you so much!

 

[Rooster’s Car Wash]

If you are trying to be the best then I don't think you should be the lowest price. You probably won't turn a good profit.

Indeed.

 

[cbchevy4x4]

Thank you! This is what my family and I have decided to do. We think $1.75 for 4 minutes will be very attractive. $2 for 5 minutes on vacs.

Surprisingly, we have just as many women as men. The LED lighting is the reason for this. There is no dark spot on site at night. The cameras work very well and are visible to customers. I need my asphalt redone but it’s $20k that I don’t have. Bought it this way. I have filled in some holes myself with quikcrete but it’s time to be redone all over.

I am in a very tough neighborhood. I worry about the price hike being a huge shock to my customers.
Thank you so much!

I would scrap the $1.75 and go to a flat $2.00. Get your customers thinking in $1.00 increments. Do you have Credit Card Acceptance? CC are probably the #1 thing you can add to go to the bottom line. I took over my first site in 2020 that had been in the family since 1986. Dad was in no hurry to add credit Cards. That was the first thing i did. The investment paid for itself in 2 months due to the increase in revenue. The second site i took over was the same scenario the previous owner was old school thinking of Quarters, That site needed and overhaul and i bit the bullet and put in new meter boxes instead of just adding CC readers, I did the install in September. In February the investment paid for itself in the revenue increases.

 

[Rooster’s Car Wash]

I would scrap the $1.75 and go to a flat $2.00. Get your customers thinking in $1.00 increments. Do you have Credit Card Acceptance? CC are probably the #1 thing you can add to go to the bottom line. I took over my first site in 2020 that had been in the family since 1986. Dad was in no hurry to add credit Cards. That was the first thing i did. The investment paid for itself in 2 months due to the increase in revenue. The second site i took over was the same scenario the previous owner was old school thinking of Quarters, That site needed and overhaul and i bit the bullet and put in new meter boxes instead of just adding CC readers, I did the install in September. In February the investment paid for itself in the revenue increases.

I have MonexGroup for my CC. It’s been a nightmare with them. (Thought about switching to nayax) I paid for them to install and one of my bays has been down ever since. I email and call each week and get ignored. I did see the revenue go up as ppl like the count up. They use as much as they need without worry. They don’t like the $15 hold but it goes back in a day or two. I would like new meter boxes but can’t afford them at the moment. I couldn’t get any loans and have used my retirement for all of this.

 

[Rooster’s Car Wash]

I would scrap the $1.75 and go to a flat $2.00. Get your customers thinking in $1.00 increments. Do you have Credit Card Acceptance? CC are probably the #1 thing you can add to go to the bottom line. I took over my first site in 2020 that had been in the family since 1986. Dad was in no hurry to add credit Cards. That was the first thing i did. The investment paid for itself in 2 months due to the increase in revenue. The second site i took over was the same scenario the previous owner was old school thinking of Quarters, That site needed and overhaul and i bit the bullet and put in new meter boxes instead of just adding CC readers, I did the install in September. In February the investment paid for itself in the revenue increases.

Also, I have .25 for 30 secs pulse. Thinking of doing .25 for 20 secs. Should I keep that the same?

 

[cbchevy4x4]

Your Currently at $1 for 2 min, I would go to $2 for 4 min NOW. Alot of people just put the minimum in and hose off what ever they can get for that time. Get them used to spending the $2 first....then sometime year end or early next year cut the time back. Your Customers are thinking in quarters right now and need to be trained to think dollars. The only people that are going to care are bucket washers. My wash hadnt seen a price increase since 2007 until 2020. I have been going up every other year on the start price and the inbetween years ive been cutting the time. Im trying to get to $1 per min. Just raising the start amount will inherently produce more money.

 

[Randy]

Raise your price now to $1.75 for 4 minutes and then raise it again at the first of the year to $2.00 for 3.5 minutes. Do the same on your vacuums, $1.75 for 4 minutes. Get them used to paying more and then hit them again.

 

[carwashbuenobueno]

This is a great discussion and very relevant to my monthly/weekly/daily thoughts on how to improve my wash.

For context, I took it over last year and have spent a significant amount of money to upgrade it. When I took over it was your typical, barely functioning self-serve wash with original coin boxes, 6-switch rotary with only 3 in use (high-pressure rinse, soap brush and "spot-free").

Since taking over, I've added new coin boxes, monex CC (and @Rooster’s Car Wash I've had the same headaches with them re: poor wifi connection, end button issues on count up, etc...I think we're in a better spot now), multiple new features including tire cleaner, pre-soak, high pressure soap/water, wax, true spot free, and air dryer. The response once I put them in was almost immediate, my revenue immediately ticked up both due to people coming back and improved CC revenue. My revenue was up 150% from Dec. to May (not sure what ya'll typically see). But it's kind of flat-lined, and I'm trying to decide what to do.

My pricing is higher than competitors (and I have three self-serve within a 2-3 mile radius). I'm currently at $1 for 1:30. Competitors by me are $1 for 2 min and $1.50 for 4 min.

My wash is definitely better than all of theirs, but unsure how much volume I miss out on due to pricing. Any thoughts from the group? Better to stay somewhat "premium" in my pricing due to value provided, or do people not care and try to match competitor pricing to get more volume. I know I'd take a hit by adding more time in the short-term, but in the long-term will it drive more loyalty and revenue. Appreciate any thoughts.

 

[8th Street Car Wash]

I'm of the thought that if you create the best wash in your area (more functions, best equipment, best chemical) people WILL pay more for your services. You'll also get better customers with better vehicles washing. If you start pushing your prices up, and immediately investing in things that the customer can "see" then they will keep coming back. Once you start pushing up your prices, your competitors will start to re-evaluate their own pricing. We started out at $2 for 4 minutes, and have since pushed our prices up to $5 for 5 minutes, but this is going on 6 years of constant work. When customers complain about your new pricing, I give them "real" reasons, not an excuse that they can see through. Things like "my water bill went up 14% this year, and I won't be able to keep this place open without a price increase" or "with my new chemicals that I added, it costs more to operate than it did before" and then I give them a couple bucks in tokens "to help you out with the price increase this time". This almost always brings the customers back and I never hear a complaint from them again.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

I'm of the thought that if you create the best wash in your area (more functions, best equipment, best chemical) people WILL pay more for your services. You'll also get better customers with better vehicles washing. If you start pushing your prices up, and immediately investing in things that the customer can "see" then they will keep coming back. Once you start pushing up your prices, your competitors will start to re-evaluate their own pricing. We started out at $2 for 4 minutes, and have since pushed our prices up to $5 for 5 minutes, but this is going on 6 years of constant work. When customers complain about your new pricing, I give them "real" reasons, not an excuse that they can see through. Things like "my water bill went up 14% this year, and I won't be able to keep this place open without a price increase" or "with my new chemicals that I added, it costs more to operate than it did before" and then I give them a couple bucks in tokens "to help you out with the price increase this time". This almost always brings the customers back and I never hear a complaint from them again.

IMHO, you are handling it perfectly. With the current state of inflation everyone is paying more everywhere.

 

[chaz]

I’m $4/5 min on wash. $2/6 min on vac. Credit or cash credit counts up. Plus we take dollar coins, quarters and bills.