Switchover

[I.B. Washincars]

I think it depends on how much you want to spend to improve service. Your payment method is a big part of that. Making it easier for the customer should result in more bay time spent and paid for. I'll rate the payment methods as I feel are the worst to the best.

1 - Tokens - worst
2 - Quarters - only a little better
3 - Dollar coins - a little better yet
4 - Bill breaker, preferably one that dispense bills and coins - even better
5 - Bills and CC accepted in the bays - Best by far. In most cases this eliminates the need for change and the multiple trips to the changer, usually while the car is tying up the bay without the meter running.

I started dispensing dollar coins as soon as they came out. I have added bill acceptors to two of my washes and CC at one of them. I plan to do my other washes as finances allow. I really don't see the bill acceptors as an alternate since were not really comparing apples to apples. In most washes you can start dispensing dollar coins with a minor mod to the changer, but adding bill acceptors costs many times as much.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

We purchased a quarter counter several years ago and have been selling but not dispensing $1 tokens. Turns out that our tokens are a little larger than quarters and they separate and surface while counting--this was dumb luck on our part. We added bay bill acceptors a couple years ago and see no reason to dispense tokens--we just sell in bulk at Christmas with 10--20 % discount depending on amount. We also sell to businesses. Makes great stocking stuffers--if we don't put up on reader board they come asking.

Ted

 

[Reds]

For whatever it's worth I would like to go to all bills. No change at all. I currently accept bills & quarters in my SS. Bills account for about 80% of SS sales. Bank charges me to count/wrap quarters at the end of the month. I am considering configuring my change machine to accept 5's and 10's for a starter, let people put one's in the bay meter. I'm tired of fishing Canadian quarters, slugs, bent coins, etc. out of my bay meters. Do you think I'm nuts?

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Kind of

 

[Randy]

There?s a car wash operator here that got tried of un-jamming his coin acceptors with all the Nickels, Dimes and Pennies that he wedged the coin drop shoe open so any coin that is put into the coin box drops into the vault. He put a small sticker on the front of the coin box that says ?US Quarters only all other coins WILL BE LOST? He?s never ha a problem with anyone complaining. He gets enough extra change to take his wife out to a nice dinner once a month.

 

[DavidM]

Reds, I have also considered eliminating coins. It is easy to get away from dispensing coins for change but the problem is that I have many customers that carry coins on to my site. I have not dispensed quarters for 5 years but still deposit many bags of quarters. I don't think our customers would be happy if they could not use their "ashtray coins"
So I have decided to work towards encouraging use of bills and CC but still accepting coins.
I do believe that our industry does need to work to get away from coin driven and move to bill and credit card driven. I think coins are a large part of what has kept SS prices low for so long.

(What type of acceptors do you have? We have very little problem with Canadian coins, slugs, etc. They should drop out the reject chute without issue.)

 

[Earl Weiss]

I really don't see the bill acceptors as an alternate since were not really comparing apples to apples. In most washes you can start dispensing dollar coins with a minor mod to the changer, but adding bill acceptors costs many times as much.

What type of changers and what was the cost of the Changeover?

I'm just thinking that if you convert changers to dollar coins only it forces the customers to $1.00 increment purchases . Good for buisiness or PO the customers? Not sure what the result is. May depend on the competitive environment.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I may have lost a few customers at first, but they all came back. I knew that I could get away with the changeover because of the caliber of my wash compared to my competition. Neither one of my competitors accept anything but quarters.

On a different note....I got a 'fat' contract with one of the local heating and cooling companies today.

 

[cantbreak80]

What type of changers and what was the cost of the Changeover?

I'm just thinking that if you convert changers to dollar coins only it forces the customers to $1.00 increment purchases . Good for buisiness or PO the customers? Not sure what the result is. May depend on the competitive environment.

I operate with $1 coin only bill changers. But, every coin acceptor accepts quarters, too.

After nearly 9 years, customers still spend lots of quarters...accounting for nearly 29% of the revenue.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

My quarter revenue even with the switch is closer to 45%. It's unreal.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I run in the 40% range as well. I can't imagine anyone not accepting quarters

 

[Randy]

I have to agree with Pat Hall. I can?t imagine not accepting Quarters if your dispensing Tokens or Dollar coins. If you are you?re leaving a lot of money on the table.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Please explain. Why do you think that? I would think that if a customer showed up with quarters and couldn't use them, they wouldn't be pleased about that.

 

[Randy]

If you dispense Tokens from your Changer you should also accept Dollar coins and Quarters in your Bays, Vac?s and vending. If you Dispense Dollar coins from your Changer you should also accept Quarters in your Bays, Vac?s and Vending. If you don?t accept Quarters you?re missing out on a great income stream, you want to make it as easy as it can be for the customer to spend there money. I?d take Nickels and Dimes if I could. We take a lot of Quarters to the bank every week.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I did not get an answer to the earlier post. For those who have done it. What types of changers do you have and what was the cost to change to dollar coins.

BTW installed 4 bill aacceptors Thurs and it rained all day. Opened them today and found $75.00 . Luv'd to see some 5's and even a 10.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Please explain. Why do you think that? I would think that if a customer showed up with quarters and couldn't use them, they wouldn't be pleased about that.

John, who is your question for?

Earl, I have dual Hamilton changers. Switching from quarters to dollars only required new hopper wheels, about 50 bucks. I decided later on I wanted to do a combination of dollars and quarters, that took about another hundred. Also the combo conversion requires that you use only one controller so you end up with a spare when you're all done.

 

[MEP001]

I would likely never set up a wash to dispense only tokens or dollar coins, but there are many out there who have done so and have had success with it. It's only one person's opinion that "you should also accept Quarters."

The primary reason for switching to all tokens is to eliminate the reward for equipment break-ins. If for example there's no cash in your vacuums, and of course the idiot crook is aware of this, he won't cut it open just to get your tokens.

If dollar coins were more easily available, I might consider converting one side of the changer to dispense them but leaving the bays an odd-dollar start-up cost. We already get heavy use of the in-bay bill acceptors which are only there as a customer convenience, so there's no doubt that some don't want to handle a big stack of quarters.

 

[Twodose]

Why not just dispense tokens instead of dollar coins which are a hassle to get and are easily confused with quarters?

 

[MEP001]

Because some customers won't like not getting cash when they put a bill in the changer. Dispensing dollar coins is the least likely way to upset the ones not abusing the changer.

 

[Reds]

So I have decided to work towards encouraging use of bills and CC but still accepting coins.
I do believe that our industry does need to work to get away from coin driven and move to bill and credit card driven. I think coins are a large part of what has kept SS prices low for so long.

I did not state my intent very well. I also want to encourage the use of bills & CC, but still accept coins. I see lots of customers pull up that already have their change in hand. But I would prefer to "steer" people to use bills instead. I sent out the coin acceptor in one of my bays for repair, and while it was gone (5 days during busy season) I only accepted bills in that bay. I only received one complaint and sales were on a par with the adjoining bay. Although I would still accept quarters I would like to try to train customers to use bills. An awfull lot of people still call us "the quarter carwash". When customers approach me for change I tell them where the changer is located and also let them know that we accept bills in the baymeter - most of them are very surprised to be able to use bills at a "quarter carwash". I believe that this 25? mentality that the public has works against us when we need to raise prices.
I converted my vendmaster to accept only bills, but dispense quarters for change and my vending sales are up, so no quarters did not affect that small piece of my biz.
Incidently, quarters account for 13% of my SS biz and I believe this is because I actively steer customers to use bills.