Help upgrading SS

[Ben's Car Wash]

I don't sell any equipment... so why should I add a disclaimer? I said that it's based on cycles, that should surfice. I also said I quess that it would be 10%, but without counting, I don't know for sure. Not a big deal. Saying that that "I believe" that most credit card companies state a 30% increase in sales for CC over cash... so any system brining in more should be quite impressive. If you were to tell me that someone (a customer or car wash owner) reported 200% increase in sales over cash I the system you sold me only did 180% (or hell 125% in the example) instead of that 200% ... I would bit(h about it!

This is aside of the point that the orginal poster asked. But IMHO... and LIMITED EXPERANCE as a very little fish in this pond... CC/bill acceptors in bays are a must (irregardless of the disputed % vs cycle/actual car counts)

MEP... just for fun, when I get time... I will survey the actual count vs cycles and how many actually let the time run out.

 

[MEP001]

I said that it's based on cycles

You did not.

I don't sell any equipment

I never said you did, however you're advising someone using data that's inaccurate.

I would still venture to say that CC sales out perform cash consistantly at a majority of washes by mre than 100%.

...and you state it again based on your own erroneous data, even after you admit for the second time on this forum that it may be wrong?

so why should I add a disclaimer?

Why shouldn't you? We're both here to be helpful, not to mislead anyone.

 

[Ben's Car Wash]

MEP.... why you riding me?

Customer: "I'd like to buy some buble gum."

Cashier: "That will be 55 cents"

Customer puts change down, walks away.... see's chips... walks back to counter.

Customer: "how much for the chips"?

Cashier: "75 cents"

Customer pays a second time.


What's the freaking differance? 2 sales cash at 2 separate transactions... same dam customer! I don't care if it's one customer or 2 depositing $2 in my bay! Should I also apply the same logic to the credit card customer who drives off letting the timer tick away... over inflating the CC sales over the guy who hits the STOP button?

It is a BASIS of measuring averages for my own knowledge.. a way most of us view "CYCLES". I don't break down my tunnel sales for people who buy a $9 wash then I sell them a $30 wax in the after care area. Is this one sale B/C it's 1 car totaling $39 or 2 sales averging $19.50@? Same with customers adding tire shine, air freasherners or other services as an after thought.

And disclaimers are added to advertisements for "sales" clarification.

 

[MEP001]

What's the freaking differance? 2 sales cash at 2 separate transactions... same dam customer!

There is a difference - just because you don't see it or care doesn't mean that it doesn't matter.

If you want to take it as me "riding you," so be it. My whole point is that if someone is trying to decide whether to add credit card acceptance to their self-serve bays, and you come along and tell them that CC customers spend twice as much as cash customers, naturally they'll think "Boy, that's a great reason to add credit card acceptance!" What if they decide on that basis that they should take out a loan to have a $30,000 system installed? Your misinformation has just screwed them.

Just because you aren't selling anything doesn't remove the obligation for you to provide accurate and complete information. As I said, we're both here to be helpful. By correcting your misinformation, I'm helping the original poster. If someone else supplied FUD on the subject, I wouldn't hesitate to correct them too.

 

[MEP001]

I finally did my own study and watched and counted actual cars washed, and properly divided the cash spent by the number of customers rather than cycles. Going by start-up cycles only, it's 205% more spent by credit card users over cash, but by factoring in the cars, it's only 43% more. Still a good number, but hardly anything magic.

After subtracting all the various credit card fees, it's still 23% more, and with 20% of the gross coming from credit card users it gives the $12,000 improvement we made a pretty good ROI. I'll do some more number crunching to figure out the eventual pay-off, which I suspect we've already passed in two years of in-bay CC acceptance.

The only thing I haven't figured into this study yet is whether anyone reswiped their card on the same car - I'm waiting on the eXact report for the study period, and even one reswipe for every 20 cars would increase the number to 50%. I don't expect any since there have been only 9 in the first full year, and this was a one-week survey.

 

[bigleo48]

Back to the subject, spot free is a must and Kleenrite has good systems a very competitive prices. IMHO Air-Shamee and Tri Foam gun are options you add after the basics such as presoak, tire cleaner, Clear Coat Sealant, spot-free.

I have the air-shamee and it does ok, but before you commit to it, make sure your service can handle the 30amps/bay when used simultaniously. So 5x30=150amps @ 110VAC!!!

I do not have tri-foam and a number of veteran carwashers on this forum have advised against it as the ROI would be years away based on their usage.

Petwash (and if you are closing a bay you should do at least 2) is also a good idea, but needs attending. ROI on mine was 10 months.

Hope this helps
BigLeo