Final Straw

[soapy]

One of my locations sits next to a local Hardware store that I do a few hundred dollars a month business with. We have had a pretty good relationship through the years with the exception that they like to allow all the local charities to hold parking lot car wash sales in their lot. I have mentioned to them a few times that it was not really legal to do this anymore but generally just let it go. Yesterday after the third time of trying to enter my lot and having the CHeerleaders block my entrances trying to guide me to their wash I had enough. I went over to the hardware store and told them to close my account I would now be using the ACE hardware up the road for all my needs.

 

[slash007]

You should make a deal with the local charities and let them use your wash instead lol. I've worked with some in the past. They just put money in my bays to wash any cars that come through then they dry them, but they are using my wash the whole time.

 

[washnshine]

One of my locations sits next to a local Hardware store that I do a few hundred dollars a month business with. We have had a pretty good relationship through the years with the exception that they like to allow all the local charities to hold parking lot car wash sales in their lot. I have mentioned to them a few times that it was not really legal to do this anymore but generally just let it go. Yesterday after the third time of trying to enter my lot and having the CHeerleaders block my entrances trying to guide me to their wash I had enough. I went over to the hardware store and told them to close my account I would now be using the ACE hardware up the road for all my needs.

Good move. They are clearly not good neighbors.

 

[soapy]

I have charity wash programs. I helped the WCA and ICA set theirs up. I encourage charities to use all the local car washes for this type of thing. EPA established that driveway and parking lot car washes are the number 1 source of contamination of waterways in the USA years ago. The equivalent of 23 EXXON Valdez oil tanker spills each year. 1 PPM of soap will kill fish eggs, 5 PPM kills fish so it does not take much soap to do real harm.
I donate my wash tokens to charity for them to sell and keep the money. I have given thousands of dollars away over the years.

 

[Randy]

and what did they say when you told them to close your account? I'd contact the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and turn in the building owner, Ace Hardware probably doesn't own the building.

 

[soapy]

Ace Hardware is my new hardware store that I will be using. The hardware store next to me is owned building and all by my neighbor. I don't want to get too nasty about it yet just hoping that they will act a bit more responsible.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I approach local charity parking lot washes like this. How much $ will the wash generate. Usually few hundred bucks is the answer. Then I ask about liability if someone gets hurt, or a car is damaged. Next I ask what about their event being rained out? Then I suggest that we work together. They can sell coupons redeemable at my wash for a period of 2 weeks which we will agree upon. They keep 100% of the proceeds. Usually they have a couple dozen people involved and each can easily sell / use $50 worth of coupons. The lions club actually had a multipart coupon serial numbered that doubled as a raffle ticket. MAybe the hardare store would sell tickets for the Charity.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

When the Cheerleaders blocked the Driveway to my wash I would have lost my sh*t also big-time.

 

[Starrwash]

I work with local charity with them selling car wash tokens, we split proceeds 60%(me) and 40% for them. Win, win

 

[Waxman]

Outdoor washing where the runoff enters the ground or storm drain violates the Federal Clean Waters Act.

33 U.S.C. §1251 et seq. (1972)
The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The basis of the CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, but the Act was significantly reorganized and expanded in 1972. "Clean Water Act" became the Act's common name with amendments in 1972.

Many parking lot washes for charity violate this Federal law. Many mobile detailers violate this law. Just about every home -owner who washes in the driveway violates this law.

 

[Axxlrod]

I've heard of operators making anonymous "concerned citizen" calls to the fire department to report "some people dumping chemicals into the storm drain in the (hardware store) parking lot." Fire department shows up in the red truck, and then shuts it down.

 

[MEP001]

Yesterday after the third time of trying to enter my lot and having the CHeerleaders block my entrances trying to guide me to their wash I had enough.

FWIW, years ago we attempted a charity wash by donating all income from the automatic bay to some church charity drive. The kids of the group were involved by offering to hand dry the cars for extra tips on top of us donating all the revenue from the auto bay for four hours on a busy Saturday. All went well except for the kids who were standing on the store's side of the shared driveway with their signs. The owner of the store chain, who happened to have their main office behind the store, asked the kids politely to move to the other corner (our car wash's side). She even donated a car wash amount to them. The organizers said it was the most profitable fundraiser they'd ever had, and we got tons of exposure.

 

[soapy]

Each hour there was a different group. I have asked them in the past not to do this. I have had many charity wash functions at my locations over the years. This one was out of control.

 

[MudMoney]

I had a State Farm Agent across the street from me ,that on every Saturday one summer let groups wash.Following spring I talked to him about it was becoming a commercial enterprise and was illegal. He told me to go fish,i called regional state farm rep who didn't do anything. Now its war ,I contacted DEQ, filed a complaint the first offense is $15,000.DEQ contacted SF agent and the problem went away. Btw I was warned that shutting down school fun raisers would be bad for my business. Never heard a peep out of anyone,always stand your ground !

 

[mac]

Well today I came to my wash and there they were, right across the street at an auto parts store. When the kids started yelling at my customers to come over, that did it for me. Will wait till the kids leave and politely speak to the manager. He most likely doesn't know and is most likely just doing something nice for the kids.I'll suggest if he wants to do another I'll let them use two bays and just ask for a dollar a car.