Debra Gorgos
Active member
Summer is almost which means…..
Poll: I plan on taking a few days off this summer to relax.
- Thread starter Debra Gorgos
- Start date
edredtop
Well-known member
Summer is who you take on vacation...in winter.
I close my carwash every summer for 7-10 days and go on vacation. Love every minute of it. I put signs on all bays and auto that says - closed for vacation, will reopen on such and such date, see you then! Never had any complaints. If your having to take care of business or a problem while on vacation, as I generally did -Well, It’s not a vacation!
MudMoney
Well-known member
I take several long vacations a year, this Saturday headed to British Columbia for 10 days. When I leave my cellphone is turned over to senior employee that also oversees my 2 other businesses. I know how fortunate I am to have Alex make good decisions and I don't 2nd guess those decisions.
soapy
Senior Member
I still have a land line and have calls forwarded to my cell phone. When I leave I forward all calls to my son who also works in the business. My daughter is getting married this year and it will be a 2 to 3 day event. This will be the first time in 28 years that my washes will be closed. I plan on closing for 3 days right in the middle of hunting season. I can already hear the howls from the hunters who will have to wait to clean their muddy vehicles.
Same here. One of my daughters is getting married this summer. She lives 500 miles away, so it will be a week long event for us. Even with help working at the wash I would still get calls! , Generally with a problem they couldn’t figure out or something like that, so I just close it for vacation every summer. I tend to relax and enjoy it much more! Been doing it the past 3 years now! I’ve never noticed a drop in income from losing any customers after I reopen! My customers seem pretty understandable about it!
Carwashking
Active member
My daughter is getting married too!!! I can’t afford to close. 
soapy
Senior Member
I forgot to mention that I have been saving for this wedding for 28 years.
Debra Gorgos
Active member
Congratulations to your daughter!
Kimberly Berg
Well-known member
How do you physically close a car wash for 7-10 days? Do you have gates you can close or do you put up cones in the bays? I haven't taken a vacation in 13 years & VERY ENVIOUS!!
Kimberly Berg
Well-known member
Customers putting MORE containers of sweet sodas, fruity drinks & milkshakes in my trash cans, which brings in LOTS of honeybees! More exercise for me as I'll be washing them out EVERY DAY!!
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MEP001
Well-known member
Evidently you've never had your water main break under the main entry. It's very easy to close a car wash for up to three weeks. Just turn off all the power and put up barricades.
Kimberly Berg
Well-known member
In 19 years, we've closed our car wash at least 10 times, but just for 1-2 days (for new asphalt sealer, backflow device moved & water main plumbing replaced). Although we barricaded the 2 driveways with 2 metal A-frame signs, 10 tall cones & Caution tape, customers will move them & drive into the bays. I can turn off the water & power, but what prevents the homeless from setting up tents in my wash bays? That happened at 2 SS car washes in the next town, they were trashed & vandalized!! I have 31 HD cameras but don't have anyone I could delegate as a security guard. We need to show up 2-3 times to move the homeless along...
I could notify the police I'm closing down for a week, but I would still need to monitor cameras & call them. I don't have a gate that I can close & lock. Just curious what other owners do.I just put signs in each bay that says closed for vacation. I turn the power off to each bay and auto. Even vacuum ,bill changers and vending machines. I leave nothing on. They can still pull in but they read the signs and go on. Like I said, I’ve never had any negative feedback from it. Might be a few people irritated. But the next time they need to wash, they’ll forget about it. The first year I did it I was pretty nervous about it. Now I don’t think anything about it. And I enjoy vacations much more.How do you physically close a car wash for 7-10 days? Do you have gates you can close or do you put up cones in the bays? I haven't taken a vacation in 13 years & VERY ENVIOUS!!
Me too! Here’s the kicker for me. I’ve got another daughter getting married in October . I’ve got two weddings. Luckily she lives here in the same town. I don’t have to travel for that one.
Kimberly Berg
Well-known member
I appreciate your post, very helpful! I would be nervous too, but its worth it! We work so hard in this business, we deserve to take time off & ENJOY our vacations!!
Absolutely worth it! , I was getting burned out. Been in the carwash business for 25 years.I appreciate your post, very helpful! I would be nervous too, but its worth it! We work so hard in this business, we deserve to take time off & ENJOY our vacations!!
Kimberly Berg
Well-known member
I've been in the business for 19 years. Spent the past 8 years researching & upgrading everything! Ironical, that at the very time my car wash is BUSIER than ever, and its paid off, that I'm feeling burned out. Its been 13 years since I took a week off & flew to Hawaii before my divorce. I'm going to ICA next week & look forward to relaxing a bit.
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Glad you can relax a little. Same here. For about 10 years my wash was very, very busy, until new competition came in. It wore me out keeping everything running. But I paid it off early! It can be very demanding owning a 24-7 business!
Especially a business that requires a lot of moving parts!
