Pricing

[GoBuckeyes]

IBA's were 7,9,11,13 Just went to 8,10,12,14
SS cash just increased to $3 for 3 mins. each $.25 buys 15 seconds
SS credit card $5 start buys 7 mins. each additional $.25 buys 21 seconds.
raised max charge to $20. That's what gets pre authorized.

vacs $2 4 minutes.

So far so good. I think I lost some of my worst customers who created most of the mess - the guys that just toss their garbage on the ground. I have noticed more nice cars lately.

SeattleGuy, I love your pricing. We're close...$3 for 3.5 minutes in the bays. What catches my eye the most is your vacuum pricing..$2 for 4 minutes! That's great! Vacuums are a great money maker but they're also a pain in the ass to maintain if you want them to work well. We get $1/3 minutes and have been there for at least 7 yrs. Prior to that, they were $1/4 minutes. Going to 3 minutes helped by almost guaranteeing two cycles from everyone. I think dropping my vacs to $1/2 minutes is too short of a cycle. How long have you been at $2/4 minutes and is that the going rate in Seattle? If you just switched from $1 vacs to $2 vacs what did people say? If I went that route, I would be the lone operator in my area.

 

[chaz]

In Gillette, Wy, we're $1.50 for 3:36, or $0.50 / min on cards. Vacs at $0.50 / 4.25 minutes.

Every other wash in town is at least $1.75 start and $0.75 vacs for 3 minutes.

We're also the only wash in town with an outdoor bay, as long as the hose don't keep blowing apart, we get lots of equipment.

Although I am not at all familiar with the cost of living, taxes, utilities, chemicals parts,and labor ,etc in your part if the country.... It sounds like you are bragging about being the lowest priced guy in town. It would not surprise me if both you and your competition would make more money by simply closing down. If I am missing something, like it's incredibly cheap to operate where you are please let me know, I am speaking on my knowledge of the Cincinnati,OH market.

 

[slamdvw]

I only work at my wash..

The only cost that I know for sure, is electricity. In the city we pay 7.25 cents per kWH, I believe the county pays 5 or 5.5 cents per kwh. I am only going to say it must be pretty cheap to operate here, as a brand new wash just opened up: two HUGE bays, one IBA - and he's at $2 per start ( I can't remember how much time, I think 3:30. )

Just curious, what do you guys pay for power in other parts of the country? To compare apples to apples, yes, we have three phase. Open Delta three phase.

 

[Waxman]

Vacs are the easiest thing at my wash to maintain! empty 1X week, change claws 3X year, new motors 1X year.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Vacs are the easiest thing at my wash to maintain! empty 1X week, change claws 3X year, new motors 1X year.

I'm not saying they are hard to maintain. Every spring we do the same, replace hoses, cuffs, claws, and gaskets, inspect bags and replace motor brushes or motors depending. We also clean them out and beat the bags once a week. However, customers never hang the hoses up and can wear out a claw in no time. They also seem to crush or split the claws as well as plug the hoses often. That's what I meant, daily Mickey Mouse repairs. If we switch to $2 pricing I may have to go back to 2" hoses as they hardly ever clog compared to the easier to handle 1.5" hose and claw.

Anyone else price their vacs at $2 to start?

 

[seattleguy]

When I bought the place the vac pricing was $1.50 for 3 mins. I went to $1 tokens so it was either $1 or $2 start so I decided on $2 and gave an extra minute. Some competitors are still $1 but closest one is about 3 miles away in a worse part of town but a nicer facility. I have had no pushback and was even considering going to $2 for 3 minutes. Vacs might not require a lot of maintenance directly but the people suing them are also the ones that fill up the trash bins. I spend about $1k a month of dumpster pickups. Seems high - where are you guys at? In the slower Fall and Winter I spend about $480 a month on pickups. Also the cost of my guy who empties the garbage cans into the dumpster. Our crazy city council is headed to a $15 an hour minimum wage will will really change everything.

 

[MEP001]

$1000 a month on dumpster service? We're paying $68 a month. What makes yours so high?

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Holy Sh** thats a lot for dumpster service! Is that for one location? I'm in Cleveland and I pay around $125/month for an 8 yd dumpster serviced once a week.

 

[seattleguy]

I have a 4 yard trash dumpster and 2 pickups a week. 1 location. I just called to check and got a nice surprise that the city is raising the rate to $1007 a month. City sets the rate for private garbage service. How many pickups do you guys have?

 

[MEP001]

Six yard dumpster, one pickup a week for $68. It's all privatized, the city has no trash service aside for residential. The private companies will usually offer a lower rate to get a contract.

 

[seattleguy]

MEP - That is fantastic! Seattle doesn't allow competitive private garbage service. There are two companies that service the greater area and the city divided their territory up. Seems like a good econ 101 lesson. Lots of competition $68. Government created monopoly $1007!

Where are you located anyway?

 

[Randy]

We pay $286 a month for 1.5 yard dumpster emptied twice a week and that dumpster is packed every time it’s dumped. It pi$$es me off that the car wash is used as a transfer site for the dump. Garbage service is required in the city but out in the county it’s not and that’s where most of it comes from. We open up the bags and if we can find 3 pieces of mail we call the police and they send a summons for them to appear in court. The military people are the worse. They seem to think they can do whatever they want.

 

[MEP001]

MEP - That is fantastic! Seattle doesn't allow competitive private garbage service. There are two companies that service the greater area and the city divided their territory up. Seems like a good econ 101 lesson. Lots of competition $68. Government created monopoly $1007!

Where are you located anyway?

The wash is in Round Rock, Texas.

 

[seattleguy]

Randy - do you have competitive garbage collection there or does the city lock you in?

 

[Randy]

Randy - do you have competitive garbage collection there or does the city lock you in?

There is No! Competitive garbage collection in my area, the service areas are protected by the State of Washington. My garbage service is with Waste Connections. Just for the heck of it I called them this morning and a 4 yard dumpster would cost me $537.05. I’d like to go to a bigger dumpster, but my problem is you can’t get a big front load garbage truck into the back of the car wash. I’d like to see the county require garbage service to everyone in the county, if everyone is required to and had to pay for garbage service they wouldn’t have to bring it to the car wash.

I have a customer in Southern Oregon who hauls his own garbage. He has a big 4 yard trailer and when it's full off the to dump he goes. What a pain that would be!

 

[sjb]

Thanks for sharing...

In Atlanta, Bays are $2 for 3:20 (penny a second)
Vac's $1 for now 3 minutes (was 4 minutes last month)

I pay the neighbor (Valero) for their dumpster use... $50 a month

Power and perimeter lighting is $700+ a month! Moving to LED on the perimeter lighting (currently 4X1000 metal H) with GA Power. It should reduce that bill by $40 a month... Yah Hoo!

 

[cap732000]

I'm having the same issue I bought a car wash here in oklahoma in a town of 4 to 5k people. There are actually three washes in town I purchased the other one as we'll and will not open as I feel it's just competition for my self. I have rehab this wash and am still working on making this a grade a wash,but, here's my question........ The other car wash in town is being run by a older man because the gentleman who owned it passed and he family lives elsewhere it is for sale but they want a lot because it is on Route 66 people grip about this wash no heat,no soap blah blah,,, but his price is .75 as is mine for close to three minutes. In your guys opinion if I go to a dollar after I get everything up looking new with credit card capability easily be able to attract customers or leave it at .75 to stay competitive with him my wash is only two bay his is 4 bay with a really wore out automatic no credit card capability.

 

[chaz]

I have no idea what utility costs, taxes, labor (yours or someone you hire to help clean, etc), insurance, not to mention what you are investing to making it look new......but .75 or even a buck for about 3 minutes is way, way, way low. Assuming my math is correct, that's 75 hours of use per month, per bay to gross 1200.00 per bay, and then you've got to cover expenses. Good luck!

 

[aca carwash 2]

Wait until someone in your market comes in with $5 for 30 minutes and has shut offs in the concrete so if your done in 10 minutes your doing ok, not sure what the average wash time is.

 

[chaz]

Two things you will never see at my wash, unlimited/ or 30 minutes for a lowball price and fee vacs. We keep our place nice, equipment running and take care of any issues very fast. My customers appreciate this, and are ok with paying for the time and service they use. S/s here is $3 for 4 minutes. Vacs are still $1 for 4 minutes, but I really want to get that up, just haven't done so at this point. Auto is 6,8,10,12.