Selling Washes at 3rd party gas station?

[zachavm]

My wash has a 7-Eleven gas station about a block away across the street. I'm considering trying to contact them and setup selling washes through their POS system on the pumps. Does anyone else have experience with this? If I do it, I want to make sure I negotiate a good agreement. I curious what type of arrangement I should target.

Some other info, I have an Hamilton Autotec 5 (ACW-5) paystation with a PDQ Laserwash 4000. We just had an issue with the paystation and it seems that just to keep it going I'll have to replace the controller box which Hamilton said was $1600 through them. If I make this move, it seems now it the time and I can just buy a new paystation.

I don't do a ton of business here, but I think I currently run around 25-30 washes per day. If this could majorly bump that up it could be worth it.

 

[dukeofsuds]

I would imagine you have both a technical problem and a business problem.

I think the business problem is probably the hardest to surmount. First question -- who will you be dealing with at 7-11? Owner or corporate or neither? If corporate store, don't bother. They don't want the hassle for what -- 5 washes a day? If the owner isn't on site all the time -- then also don't bother. Employees won't sell for you. Too much noise, or hassle. If owner is local and on the site, then you might have something. But you don't give enough detail to answer a) what's in it for the 7-11, and b) who's involved.

The technical problem is a technical problem. Until you figure out what's possible on the business side, then figure out what the technical side will answer. If you and the 7-11 split the cash evenly, $1600 is about 320 washes if you average $10 a wash.

Quite honestly, I'd consider other marketing options. You say 25 washes average. What's your traffic count look like. What's your competitors doing? How clean is your site? How good is the quality of your wash? What do you do on marketing? What do your competitors do? How's your pricing? How integrated with the community are you?

You very well may have the answers to these, but I'd surely cover those before I did a $1600 investment. And if you have $1600 to invest, then I'd consider the various returns of investment you could do with things beyond 7-11.

 

[soonermajic]

I did this, about 3 yrs ago. Spent a helluva lot more than $1600. $1000 for POS4000, $1400 to upgrade my WSII, about $1500 for gas station tech to hook me up to pumps & upgrade some equipment + $800 for my distributor.
I dealt with the owner, & he was good to me & store manager was to. Zero employees cared, & I even knew most of em.
I sold washes at the pump & gave gas station 10 cents/gal & I got all the carwash. After 2 yrs I sold the wash & new carwash owner ended this deal about his 5th month in.
It was not profitable at all. This was in a tiny town of 3000 & has station was literally 100' from my LW 4000.
I had pumptoppers, gas pump hose oval cards & countertop mat. I also had a nice Large banner at my wash describing it + told EVERYBODY for over a yr. It was my biggest waste of money ever!
I still believe this is something that could be profitable, but I thi k ot needs to be on site with the gas station

 

[mac]

sooner described the mechanical process. I would offer him $1 per wash sold at his pumps. You can find some of the pieces on ebay at good prices.

 

[soonermajic]

Whatbpueces are you talking about, Mac?

 

[Greg Pack]

I talked to a C store owner recently. He gave his employees .50 per wash and said that made them good salespeople.

 

[mac]

Whatbpueces are you talking about, Mac?

If you have a Unitec entry unit you need to put a POS 4000 in the store and tie it into the gas pumps.