pricing advice

[Jimmy Buffett]

I have a Ryko Softgloss. My top wash is $7 and includes trifoam, wheel scrub, and dry. I am adding, as soon as I get a rainy day, a bug spray and a "rainx" type product. I have a $5 and a $6 wash also. How much would you bump it to add the 2 new products? I think I'm going to keep the 3 that I have now the same.

Thanks

 

[briteauto]

It depends on your clientele and the pricing of your competition, but you might want to stay with the $1 increments to your top wash, and make it $5, $6, $7, and $8.

I have found that a bump of more than $1 from the "second to the top" and "top" wash can keep some people away. It is more likely for someone who is willing to spend $7, to go up to $8 for the extras you add. $1 extra for the customer to know they are "getting everything" seems to help your top package be one of the better, if not best, sellers - and that should be the goal.

I have seen this hold true even if you have $2 dollar increments on the lower packages, but still make the top bump only $1. For example: $5, $7, $8. Or $5, $7, $9, $10.

Price your top package where you want it, and then set the others so your customers will see the value in purchasing it.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

JB, as you know I am in your region. You are way too cheap. I have added a Rain-X product and made my top wash $10. I had been $8 on my touchless machines and $9 on my only friction. On the touchless I left the $8 the same as it was, deleted what had been my $7 wash and raised the lower two selections (I have 4 selections) to $6 & $7. I made a $10 wash, which is the $8 with a longer HP pass and Rain-X. No one has batted an eye, no complaints, lots of $10 washes sold, wish I had done it long ago.

On the friction I added Rain-X to the top wash and raised prices from 6-7-8-9 to 7-8-9-10.

If I were in your shoes I would bump your present prices to 6-7-8 and add a $10 wash. It's sure working for me.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

Pat, how long has your $10 wash been in place?

Ted

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Pat, how long has your $10 wash been in place? Ted

Since the first of the year. I have a friend in a nearby town that has had his priced that way much longer and says he can't understand what took me so long.

 

[Jimmy Buffett]

I am already the most expensive in town but also the busiest (and the best). Adding the bug spray and element shield will at least double my chemical expense per car. This year has really started off with a bang. We are probaly at least 25% above normal. I was kind of playing with leaving the 3 that I have the same but adding the new wash at either $9 or $10. I don't see how anybody could gripe about that. You guys think I should raise them all?

 

[captain cw]

Get at least $9 for your top wash. Maybe $5, $7, and $9. That way you still have your $5 wash for the quick washers, but you need to up your top wash to represent the added value to the customer. I sell very few middle washes. It usually goes between the top and bottom washes, with the top wash being my best seller. I'm $5, $8 and $10 with my SoftGloss. I have raised prices at my old wash twice in the past five years and have never had a complaint. I just made more money. Good luck.

 

[robert roman]

Most companies establish pricing points by determining the upper bound of what prices the market can bear relative to what the competition is charging.

Companies that want to gain share will establish price points lower than the competiton. Companies that want to increase net profit per unit, will establish price points that are between the upper bound of what the market will bear and what the competiton is charging.

My general impression is that many self-service operators feel pretty good if their in-bay revenue is up around $7.00 a car. On the other hand, I have found that most in-bay locations can reach $9.00 a car or more with a sound merchandising strategy and marketing plan.

That additional $2.00 can buy a lot of stuff.

 

[bighead]

I went from a price structure of

$6 $7 $8 $9 to
$7 $8 $9 $11 with the addition of a super protectant,

I just killed the $6 wash and left everything else the same.

My wash breakdown went from

20% 4% 16% 60%
to
25% 15% 31% 30%

I figured the $10 price point is a big mental barrier, so I just decided to blow through it and go with $11

It raised my average vend by almost a dollar, and I would do it again in a heart beat.

Of course I am no where near JB's part of the country

 

[chaz1]

Hello All from Cincinnnati Ohio. We operate one Mark vii gt 700 and 4 MArk vii s/s bays, installed and serviced by our good friends at Eagle Express in New Albany, IN.

We've been open about 2.5 years. Our touchless is $6, $8, $10, and $12. Only the 10 and 12 have blow dry. My $12 has hi and low ph (1 pass each) tri foam and two rinses plus hub scrub (hub scrub also on my $10), we add a front bug pass in the summer on the $12. I am likely one of the highest touchless washes around! I thought when I raised from $11-$12 for my top wash last summer that my $10 would be my biggest seller, (I make more on this as it allows for more washes per hour and saves me rinse, trifoam, and soap application. I was wrong, my $12 is still my largest seller but my $10 is just behind this. My average wash is about $9.78. Yes there are other washes 2-3 miles in either direction. They are cheaper and have older equipment that is not well taken care of. We keep our place clean, and in good working order. I am considering dropping my $6 wash and having the top and bottom buttons on my acw both offering the top wash. I have also changed the button color on the acw top wash to yellow. I'm ok with some customers not washing with us if they think we are too high, I'd rather wash fewer cars at a higer ticket. I also think it's ok to make money at my vendor, nothing is under $1, and that includes the heavy paper towel most folks around here sell for 50cents.