American Coin-Op - May 2022

Ways to Build

Customer Loyalty I N S I D E : J U L IYN S2 I0D0E5: M A Y 2 0 2 2 INCORPORATING PICKUP/DELIVERY SERIES CONTINUES: NECESSARY TOOLS

FROM PAULIE B: BOTTLENECKS AND HOW TO MANAGE (AVOID?) THEM

CLEAN SHOW GOING BACK TO ODD-YEAR CYCLE STARTING WITH 2025 EVENT

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CONTENTS MAY 2022 VOLUME 63 ISSUE 5

COVER STORY

WAYS TO BUILD CUSTOMER LOYALTY Attracting someone to try your selfservice laundry or wash and fold service for the first time is good.

Convincing them to return a second or third time is better. Captivating them so they won’t go anywhere else is best.

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(Cover image:(Photo: © RossHelen/iStockphotos)

INSIDE

COLUMNS

18 INCORPORATING PICKUP & DELIVERY IN

TODAY’S LAUNDRY: THE NECESSARY TOOLS In Part 2 of our series on this hot service trend, with the help of five laundromat operators, we assess the use of delivery vehicles, computer software and potential add-ons the new service can require.

DEPARTMENTS 4 VIEWPOINT 27 PRODUCT NEWS 28 NEWSMAKERS

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AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

29 WEB UPDATE 30 CLASSIFIEDS 31 AD INDEX

24 POINTERS FROM PAULIE B: BOTTLENECKS AND HOW TO MANAGE (AVOID?) THEM When a mat’s floor plan is being considered, traffic flow is sometimes overlooked, says retired multi-store operator Paul Russo. He knows a thing or two about operating in cramped laundromats, having run stores in high-rent New York City for over 40 years. It’s all “proxemics”— the amount of space a person believes they need between themselves and others—and balancing the need to maximize sales while maintaining a smooth traffic flow of happy customers.

DID YOU KNOW...

American Coin-Op releases a new podcast on a different topic of interest every other month? Give it a listen at AmericanCoinOp.com/podcasts/archive.

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VIEWPOINT

Charles Thompson, Publisher E-mail: cthompson@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1680

Donald Feinstein, Associate Publisher/ National Sales Director E-mail: dfeinstein@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1682

DEVOTION NOTION

Bruce Beggs

“I thought I’d try your place out.”

“I’ve been here a couple of times before.”

“I don’t go anywhere else to do my laundry.”

The notion of customer loyalty is strengthened every time someone returns to your store to do their laundry themselves or to drop it off for your staff to do. In the case of a laundromat, loyalty equals repeat business.

And the best way to foster this loyalty is to create an excellent service experience for your customer while crafting a relationship that’s built to last and last.

In “Ways to Build Customer Loyalty,” five laundromat owners and operators from around the country share their thoughts on loyalty programs, discounts and freebies, the power of payment acceptance beyond coins, social media marketing, and more. Our cover feature begins on page 10.

Elsewhere in this month’s issue, we continue our series on “Incorporating Pickup & Delivery,” this time looking at delivery vehicles, software and possible add-ons: ”The Necessary Tools.”

Retired industry veteran Paul Russo, in his monthly “Pointers from Paulie B” column, examines the bottlenecks that sometimes slow things down in laundromats and offers tips for managing (avoiding?) them.

And finally, from our Newsmakers section, word has come down that The Clean Show will return to its traditional odd-year cycle beginning in 2025. Coincidentally, Show Manager Greg Jira of Messe Frankfurt North America is my guest on the latest episode of the American Coin-Op Podcast; give it a listen by visiting AmericanCoinOp.com.

Bruce Beggs Editorial Director

Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director E-mail: bbeggs@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1683 Mathew Pawlak, Production Manager Nathan Frerichs, Digital Media Director E-mail: nfrerichs@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1681

ADVISORY BOARD Douglas Pratt Sharon Sager Andy Wray

Tony Regan Michael Schantz

OFFICE INFORMATION Main: 312-361-1700

SUBSCRIPTIONS 847-504-8175 ACO@Omeda.com www.AmericanCoinOp.com

American Coin-Op (ISSN 0092-2811) is published monthly. Subscription prices, payment in advance: U.S., 1 year $50.00; 2 years $100.00.

Foreign, 1 year $120.00; 2 years $240.00.

Single copies $10.00 for U.S., $20.00 for all other countries. Published by American Trade Magazines LLC, 650 West Lake Street, Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60661. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER, Send changes of address and form 3579 to American Coin-Op, Subscription Dept., 125 Schelter Rd., #350, Lincolnshire, IL 60069-3666. Volume 63, number 5. Editorial, executive and advertising offices are at 650 West Lake Street, Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60661. Charles Thompson, President and Publisher. American Coin-Op is distributed selectively to owners, operators and managers of chain and individually owned coin-operated laundry establishments in the United States. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising for any reason. © Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2022. Printed in U.S.A. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher or his representative. American Coin-Op does not endorse, recommend or guarantee any article, product, service or information found within. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of American Coin-Op or its staff. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the magazine’s contents at time of publication, neither the editors, publishers nor its agents can accept responsibility for damages or injury which may arise therefrom.

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AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

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INDUSTRY SURVEY

HIGHER GAS PRICES PRESENT PICKUP & DELIVERY CHALLENGE W

ash/dry/fold (WDF) laundry service has been popular for years, and offering pickup and delivery is a hot service trend right now. So for this quarter’s Your Views survey, American Coin-Op asked its audience if the premium offering figures in their business plan.

Sixty-five percent of laundry owners who responded to the unscientific poll offer drop-off, and 30% offer pickup and delivery.

One-quarter don’t offer WDF service of any kind, and 2.5% say they’re considering adding it. (Respondents were asked to “check all that apply” among these possible answers.)

“When COVID hit and our foot traffic for self-service laundry

Do you offer some type of wash/dry/fold (WDF) Do you offer some type of(Check wash/dry/fold (WDF) all that apply) laundry service? laundry service? (Check all that apply) Yes, we offer drop-off Yes, we offer drop-off Yes, we offer pickup Yes, we and offerdelivery pickup

delivery No, but we’re and considering WDF No, but we’re adding considering adding WDF No, we don’t offer WDF No, we don’t offer WDF

65.0%

65.0% 30.0%

30.0% 2.5%

2.5% 25.0% 25.0%

Regardless of service type, of service all that apply) how Regardless do you market it? (Checktype, how do you market it? (Check all that apply) Offer coupons Offer coupons Post in-store signage Post in-store signage Pass out leaflets in community Pass out leaflets

in Advertise community in traditional media Advertise in traditional media Advertise in social media Advertise in social media I don’t market this service I don’t market this service Other Other

7.5%

7.5% 40.0% 40.0% 2.5% 2.5% 10.0% 10.0% 50.0% 50.0% 20.0% 20.0% 2.5% 2.5%

To read other Your Views survey stories, visit www.americancoinop.com 6

AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

dropped by 75%, we had to get into pickup and delivery to survive,” says one respondent.

It’s one thing to offer a service but it’s another thing to promote it. Advertising in social media (50%) and posting in-store signage (40%) are the most popular methods for marketing WDF, according to respondents. Advertising in traditional media such as newspaper or radio (10%), offering coupons (7.5%), passing out leaflets (2.5%) and “other” methods (2.5%), including posting exterior signage, also saw some traction.

Twenty percent of respondents don’t market the service.

Once you offer even basic WDF, you’ve got to be able to manage it. At the moment, a shortage of skilled labor (33.3%) is the greatest challenge there, followed closely by training and trusting attendants with the task (26.7%), respondents say. Other obstacles are designating machines for the work (10%), dealing with problem garments (6.7%) and keeping orders straight (3.3%).

For 20% of respondents, the greatest challenge lies in the “other” category. The unpredictability of volume, getting too much work all at once, and keeping supplies stocked were mentioned.

“When managed right, when employees are properly trained, (it’s) a great way to increase profits at your coin laundry, and keep the store attended and clean!” exclaimed one respondent.

As far as managing pickup and delivery, some challenges there include high fuel prices (18.2%), a shortage of skilled labor (18.2%), securing customer loyalty (13.6%), facing lots of competition (4.5%), and tracking orders through the process (4.5%).

The “other” category received the most votes (40.9%) but many responses were operators saying they don’t offer pickup/delivery.

Speaking to high gas prices, 37.5% of operators who took the poll say they have taken no action in response, but several have: • “Just instituted a $4 surcharge for each order.”

• “Raised washer prices.”

• “Yes, we have had to raise prices on many services.”

• “Yes, $2 fuel surcharge.”

“With increasing labor costs and increasing costs regarding detergent, hangers and plastic wrap, we have found it necessary to raise our drop-off price,” a respondent explains. “It’s likely to increase at least once more during this calendar year.”

One operator calls WDF “absolutely the wave of this decade,” while another says adding it with or without pickup/delivery “makes the laundry business a full-time occupation for (the) owner.”

American Coin-Op’s Your Views survey presents an unscientific snapshot of the trade audience’s viewpoints. Email subscribers are invited to participate anonymously. To better define owner/ operator opinions and industry trends, the entire trade audience is encouraged to take part.

ACO www.americancoinop.com

ADVERTORIAL

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The MAT20 is an ideal balance of traditional top-load performance and innovative features.

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BUILT TO LAST

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The MAT20’s exceptional reliability doesn’t end there.

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NORTHGATE’S OUTDATED MACHINES HAD TO GO, BUT THEIR PROFITABILITY NEEDED TO STAY.

Glen Hawkins bought Northgate Laundromat in 2017 and soon realized he needed new equipment. Knowing generations recognize and trust the Maytag brand, he retooled with a number of new machines. Choosing Maytag® Commercial Laundry helped him increase profit potential, enjoy loyal customers and be confident that his choice was right for the future.

See more of his story at Glen-MaytagCommercialLaundry.com. ®/™ © 2022 Maytag. All rights reserved.

Ways to Build

Customer Loyalty

Hank Nelken (left), owner of three Half Price Laundry locations in California’s San Fernando Valley, takes a selfie with some of his staff. (Photo: Half Price Laundry)

CEO Todd Ofsink combined two empty New York City storefronts to create eco-friendly Todd Layne Cleaners & Laundromat. (Photo: Todd Layne Cleaners & Laundromat)

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AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

Crafting relationships you want to last and last

Lloyd Silver positioned his Sage Laundry’s attendant counter at the front of the store so that customers coming in will know they’re cared for right away. (Photo: Sage Laundry)

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by Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director

A

LOYALTY PROGRAMS Some businesses offer a reward or bonus based on the number of times a customer uses a service. Upon reaching whatever metric the business owner has established, the customer is rewarded in some way.

Hollywood screenwriter Hank Nelken got into the laundry industry through real estate. He was helping a lawyer pursue a laundromat for sale when the person decided to drop out. Left on his own in the deal, Nelken bought the California business himself in 2018. This month, he adds store No. 3 to his Half Price Laundry portfolio. His fully attended San Fernando Valley stores offer self-service, wash and fold, commercial laundry, dry Hank Nelken cleaning, and pickup and delivery, and range in size from 2,500 to 4,000 square feet.

His first two stores feature payment by loyalty card that can be loaded using cash, credit card or EBT. Payment at the new store just coming online will be partially coin, partially credit card.

“The (loyalty) card system is kind of an automatic loyalty program because there are built-in bonuses, and you can make bonus points and get free washes,” Nelken says. “Just having the card system itself is a loyalty program. And you can change that, make it more enticing, or less. That’s sort of inherent in the card system.”

Laura Simoes and Kristyn Van Ostern just celebrated their fifth anniversary in the industry last month. They purchased an existing laundry in April 2017 that has evolved into Wash Street, a laundry services company that offers self-service, wash and fold, and dry cleaning (plus pickup and delivery for the latter two).

The 1,600-square-foot facility operated by eight full-time employees serves the areas in and around Manchester, New Hampshire. The co-owners agree that their business has grown much more rapidly than they had expected.

Their loyalty program related to wash and fold, drycleaning and pickup and delivery is a function of their point of sale system.

From a coin-op perspective, it’s a function of their cashless payment system.

“Our software programs, on both sides of the business, in many ways dictate what our loyalty program looks like. We have the ability to, within that, make some changes, but we are rewarding people for being recurring customers,” Van Ostern says. “That’s www.americancoinop.com

Co-owners Laura Simoes and Kristyn Van Ostern say Wash Street, their 5-year-old laundry services company, has grown much more rapidly than expected. (Photo: Wash Street) really important to us so that we know we can count on them each week from a wash and fold and drycleaning perspective, and on the coin-op side, it’s a function of the number of times you come in and the discounted or free services you get as a result.”

Todd Layne Cleaners & Laundromat got its start in New York City in 2006, founded by management consultant Todd Ofsink.

“I saw a need for a different type of laundry service specific to Manhattan. That’s really what started my journey,” he says. “I saw two empty storefronts. One had been a shuttered laundromat, the other was a hair salon. I combined the two and turned it into an eco-friendly drycleaning and laundry company.”

The laundromat shares staff with the drycleaning operation, so it’s attended at all times when open.

Ofsink still uses a punch card to keep customers coming back.

“It’s the type of thing, all of the years that we’ve been in business, it’s been very successful,” he says. “If someone is a self-service customer, we have a card with the punches, and after 10 punches, they get a free wash.

Also, when we do the laundry for them, after 10 bags of laundry, we give them up to 20 pounds free. Sort of their 11th wash is free.”

Even Todd Layne’s younger millennial and Generation Z customers “kind of like having this card,” Ofsink says, “taking it out of their Todd Ofsink wallet to get the punch as opposed to it just being an electronic program.”

Not everyone believes having a loyalty program is necessary.

Lloyd Silver purchased and retooled an existing laundromat in Woodland, Calif., and his Sage Laundry is celebrating its first anniversary this month. Self-service, wash and fold, commercial laundry, and pickup and delivery are on the store’s menu.

Silver, who’s owned a marketing agency for 15 years, was looking for ways to diversify his income during the pandemic. He wanted to leverage his marketing skills in a business that wouldn’t require full-time involvement.

“It was an existing laundromat and it had a failing reputation,” he says. “I knew I needed to come in and if were going to acquire loyal customers, I had to provide an experience that wasn’t just a little bit better than it was, but the best experience they’ve had in a laundromat. I wanted to just blow people away.”

▼

ttracting someone to try your self-service laundry business or wash and fold service for the first time is good.

Convincing that one-time customer to return a second or third time is better.

Captivating that semi-regular customer to the extent they won’t go anywhere else is best.

Boosting customer retention relies heavily on building relationships, including your ability to understand your customer’s needs and to create a consistently excellent experience each time he/she interacts with you. Mutual regard and understanding can lead to what every smart laundry owner strives for: customer loyalty.

In pursuit of this goal, laundromat operators often employ assorted tools to create a customer base of regulars.

MAY 2022

AMERICAN COIN-OP 11

And that effort starts the moment a customer comes in the entrance: “When you walk in our store, we don’t have the attendant counter in the back, where you see them in a lot of laundromats. Little window in the back. No, I have a reception counter right in the front. Our attendants, if they’re not busy, are right there to welcome people as they Lloyd Silver come in.”

With a laser focus on experience-building, Silver doesn’t see the need to offer the promise of a few dollars for return business.

“When you hear ‘loyalty’ as a marketer, what comes to mind is a program that rewards for repeated use. How can I reward my customers for continuing to come back? I actually dismissed that fairly quickly,” he says. “I talked to some people in the industry who I respected, which confirmed my thinking. If we’re creating this amazing experience that they can’t get anywhere else, why do I have to incentivize them to keep coming back?”

DISCOUNTS & FREEBIES Nelken’s position on discounts is right there in his laundry’s name: “Half Price.”

“Half-price Thursday is like our big one. All day, so it’s busy.

Imagine, $9 for a machine is now $4.50—that’s a big difference.

“We also do free-dry Tuesday at both the stores, but I just stopped it at the second store last week because the price of gas has gone up so much. It’s gone up like 30%. I just felt like free dry at that point didn’t make sense. I still have it at the first store but I’m probably going to get rid of it.”

Nelken also sends mailers to targeted neighborhoods offering $15 off a customer’s first wash-and-fold order, and he’s tried circulating flyers with an offer of free soap and $5 pre-loaded on a loyalty card.

Ofsink’s laundromat has also attempted a variety of promotions through the years but free soap—“We’ll give a free soap pod on

Fridays throughout the day,” he says—has been one that’s hung on.

But it’s another freebie—free rewash—that’s aimed at making sure customers are satisfied with their service. Whether it’s selfservice or wash and fold, if you’re dissatisfied with the appearance of your clothes cleaned by Todd Layne Laundromat, Ofsink’s staff will wash them again for free.

“That’s both for people that do their own laundry, they do it themselves and they say, ‘Hey, it didn’t come out as clean,’ whatever it is, we don’t care, you could wash it again for free. The same thing with the bulk of our business, which is doing laundry for customers. Any kind of issue, the offer [of rewash] is always extended, and my staff are trained: ‘Let us redo it again for you for free,’ right off the bat.”

The incremental cost is higher if his staff washes somebody’s laundry a second time but he’s willing to accept that to keep his customers happy.

“It’s just a very easy policy to have, and everyone knows it,” Ofsink says. “If there’s an issue, even if it’s a couple of pieces within someone’s laundry that we’ve done … we don’t care [what the cause is], we redo everything.”

Customers enjoying the benefits of a freebie or discount may not realize that some laundry owners use them in an attempt to control business volume.

“We use them as a way to incentivize folks to stick with us but, I’ll be honest, it’s also a way for us to smooth out our production,” Van Ostern says. “We use our discount and loyalty programs to entice folks to let us pick up their laundry, or (for them to) come in, when times are slow. There are certain days of the week that are slower, they’re different from a coin-op perspective and a pickup and delivery perspective.

“We really use our loyalty and discount programs to try to get folks to have pickups, in the wash-and-fold case, on Sundays and Mondays, which happen to be slower days for us. On the coin-op side, those wouldn’t be the days that we’re enticing folks to come in, because Sunday is a busier day.”

“I hope the piece about finding ways to make this work for the business is amplified,” Simoes says, “because it’s not just about getting more business in the door, it’s about getting more business in the door at a time when you can handle it at the level of excellence that our customers expect and that we want to deliver.”

PAYMENT TYPES

▼

Nelken’s position on discounts is in his laundry’s name: “Half Price.” Things are busy there on Thursdays when vend prices are cut in half. (Photo: Half Price Laundry)

Can accepting payment options beyond coin influence customer loyalty? The store owners we interviewed saw a lot of positives in offering payment variety because they can boost business in different ways.

“In this day and age, people use credit cards a lot, so it’s just easier to do that than to carry a bunch of coins,” Nelken says. “But some people still want to do their quarters. I think offering multiple (payment) options is key.”

Customers visiting Silver’s store can pay in several ways: “Our machines do accept quarters and we have typical bill changers in there. All of our machines are Dexter, so we use the … DexterPay system.”

He stopped short of placing card readers on every machine due to the expense, he says, but there’s an alternative.

“We accept credit cards at our cash register,” Silver says. “People load the machines and tell our attendants they want to use

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AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

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machines 19 and 21. Our attendants add it to their tab and start the machines for them. When they’re all done, they pay for it with a credit card at the register.”

“From an owner perspective, it is a much easier system to keep track of when (the software) is keeping track of it for us,” Van Ostern says of Wash Street’s cashless payment component. “We can go in and see how many customers are using their loyalty points and then send out things like emails or text messages to remind folks when they aren’t using them.”

GETTING THE WORD OUT Keeping customers and prospects informed about what’s going on at your store can help build loyalty, and social media has made that easier than ever.

“I’m using all of it now,” Nelken says. “Facebook and Instagram are kind of what I use the most. The other big one is (my company) website itself. I also put on a … live chat on the website … and that goes right to my cellphone, too. As I scale, it’s going to be someone else but for now, it’s not that many texts I get.”

The screenwriter creates short videos for his store’s Instagram followers: “I have one every couple of days and it’s just fun for me to do. What I can’t do is quantify how much that really affects my business. … But I just feel like it’s out in the world, people are sharing it, more people see it, it’s got to help.”

Wash Street uses Facebook, Instagram and Google Business (now Google Business Profile), the latter of which Van Ostern says “isn’t really social media but you post on it.

You post specials, you post pictures.” The Laura Simoes owners recently started an Instagram video series to help answer frequently asked questions about their service.

“I’ll say that social media is good but email is where we get the greatest uptake of people using our discount codes,” says Van Ostern, who admits she gets a thrill sending a message with an

offer code and then watching to see how long it takes for someone to redeem it.

“Sometimes it’s within a half-hour and that makes me very, very happy,” she says.

“Those social media channels, they play a small role,” Ofsink says. “Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, at the end of the day, these laundry businesses, they’re not the Kristyn Van Ostern sexiest businesses out there, where people are really eager to follow you. But we’re out there.”

The more experienced marketer, Silver finds Facebook organic posting to be fairly ineffective because of the small percentage of followers actually seeing your posts. He does use Facebook advertising frequently.

But the channel he’s found to be most effective is Google Business Profile: “When you post updates there and people are searching for your business, those updates will show up in your company’s knowledge panel.”

EASIER OR HARDER TO GAIN SOMEONE’S LOYALTY TODAY? Does gaining a customer’s loyalty come easier or harder today?

“I think it’s definitely gotten more difficult, and I’m speaking more to the New York City market,” Ofsink says. “There’s a lot of new competition. There’s a lot of money-backed operations that are really nothing more than a technology platform that then outsource all of the work to other places. There’s at least five new ones here in New York in the last couple of months, so I think it does make it more difficult to keep that loyalty.”

“From my perspective, it’s far easier,” Van Ostern believes. “It could be that we’re better at it now than we were five years ago.

I will say our customer base seems to be more adept at using (our discount codes).”

“I think part of that is we’re better known, too,” Simoes adds.

“We’ve built up a lot of trust with our own customers and then they, in turn, have endorsed us to others.”

“I don’t know that it’s changed in my three or four years,” says Nelken. “I really think customer loyalty is all about the service. You can do the promotions and all that stuff but at the end of the day, it seems like people come because you have friendly attendants, (your store is) clean, machines are working, it’s taken care of.

“That’s in terms of the stores themselves. Then the pickup and delivery is a whole other level of service. If it’s responsive, on time, the clothes look good, that’s what keeps people coming back.”

WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE...

A view of the bank of dryers at Sage Laundry. Rather than place card readers on every machine, Silver accepts credit card payments at his register. (Photo: Sage Laundry) 14

AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

“If you’re willing to create the right experience, then it’s easy to create that kind of customer loyalty,” Silver believes. “If you’re providing the same experience as everybody else, then I think it’s going to be really challenging, because now you’re just battling for the lowest cost.”

“Loyalty is as much about setting up that communication channel and making sure (your customers) know how to access it as it is about discount codes,” says Van Ostern.

“If you’re providing good service, good customer service plus a good product, the service that you’re providing, a clean environment, at a fair price, I think that’s always been and always will be the key to success for this type of business,” Ofsink says.

ACO www.americancoinop.com

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10/9/20 10:23 10/9/20 10:45 AM AM

SECOND IN A THREE-PART SERIES

Incorporating

&

Pickup Delivery in Today’s Laundry: (Image: © creatOR76/Depositphotos)

Part 2 of 3:

The Necessary Tools E

arlier this year, we introduced “Incorporating Pickup and Delivery,” a three-part series exploring the hot service trend.

Part 1 (in the February issue) examined the labor and workflow considerations tied to such a service through the eyes of a trio of laundry owners.

This month, with the help of five more laundromat operators, we continue our series by assessing the use of delivery vehicles, com-

Driving a personal vehicle for deliveries can be seen as “rinky-dink,” says Hank Nelken, while a dedicated delivery vehicle presents an air of professionlism. (Photo: Half Price Laundry) 18

AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

puter software and potential add-ons the new service can require.

Once a laundry offers drop-off wash/dry/fold service, moving into pickup and delivery (PUD) can be a natural evolution.

Especially when circumstances like a viral pandemic create big opportunities.

‘EVERYBODY’S GETTING STUFF DELIVERED’ Hank Nelken, who owns and operates three Half Price Laundries in California’s San Fernando Valley, got into PUD after he opened his second store in April 2020, just as the pandemic was declared. His first store soon saw a 25% drop in business.

“I thought let’s do pickup and delivery, because everybody’s getting stuff delivered,” Nelken says. “It was just me, driving my car, and I just used Square as a way to make appointments; it was real basic.”

He did that for a few months, then recruited a driver and paid him for gas. As business grew, he bought a used white panel van and branded it.

“No. 1, putting a logo on a van and having it drive around is a nice way to get some advertising. It’s hard to quantify who’s called from (seeing) the van but it’s out there, driving around, so it’s marketing.

“Also, when you pull up to someone’s place, it’s professional.

When you pull up in a car, they think it’s rinky-dink. (With the van), it feels like more of a real business. Frankly, once you get so many orders, you can’t fit them in the car anyway.”

While spiffying up the van on the outside, he didn’t do anything to outfit it for PUD inside … at first. Eventually he invested thousands in shelving, clothing bars and racks to “make it

▼

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‘CHALLENGING ELEMENT TO ADD’ For partners Kristyn Van Ostern and Laura Simoes, the PUD service they offer serves about two dozen southern New

LAUNDRY DELIVERERS COPING WITH HIGHER FUEL PRICES RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR AMONG FACTORS THAT CAUSED FUEL COSTS TO SPIKE

W

hen the cost for a gallon of gas hit record levels in March, businesses that offer laundry pickup and delivery felt the pinch.

On March 28, the national average for a gallon of gas was $4.24, according to AAA. That was 63 cents higher than a month earlier and $1.38 more than one year ago.

“How many once-in-a-lifetime events are we going to have before we realize that things in this industry are continually getting more expensive, not less expensive?” offers Mark Vlaskamp, co-owner and managing partner of The Folde, a laundry pickup and delivery service that relies on laundromats it owns in Houston and Austin, Texas.

“First, it was COVID, then winter freezes, then a chip shortage, then a labor shortage, then a labor strike with machine manu20

AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

Hampshire communities. They bought an existing laundromat in 2017 to start their Wash Street laundry services company in Manchester but PUD didn’t come until later.

“It was a challenging element to add,” Van Ostern says. “It probably took us about a year from when we first thought of the idea of adding it when we bought the laundromat to being able to actually execute on it.”

They admit making a mistake early on “by hiring drivers but having them use their own vehicles,” she says. “That does not work if you have a robust PUD service. We didn’t really start growing that until we purchased our own vehicle in 2020.”

That was a Nissan NV200, the smallest van they could afford at the time.

“As it turns out, we know exactly how much laundry it can hold, because we have maxed it out multiple times—about 1,200 pounds.”

“It really hurts to have to essentially leave money on the

facturers, and now we’ve got a gas shortage — all causing an increase in input costs.”

The Folde adjusts its prices multiple times annually to account for rising costs, although not specifically for fuel. Vlaskamp believes delivery operators are doing themselves a disservice by pricing as a commodity and encourages them to raise their prices for this “hard, expensive work.”

In Long Beach, California, where Matt Simmons runs Super Suds Laundromat with brother Aaron, gas was recently $6 a gallon.

“We just raised our wash-and-fold delivery price by 10 cents a pound,” Simmons says. “A price increase of 5 cents per pound will add about $2 to each pickup and delivery order. We were considering a flat fee surcharge to cover rising fuel prices; however, wrapping fuel costs into the price per pound is easier to convey to the customer.

Rising fuel costs is a good ‘excuse’ to raise your prices.”

In northwest Washington, near Colleen Unema’s Brio Laundry, the price of gas was $4.69 a gallon. She has maintained her normal pickup-and-delivery price structure but added a $5 fuel charge.

“We only offer a small radius on specific days, so our driver isn’t going all over the place,” she says of Brio’s service area. “In between, ‘out of service areas’ can bring it

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official.” He’s looking to add a second van now that his third store just opened this month.

To manage order placement and tracking, Nelken uses a washand-fold software system that includes a PUD component.

“Without some kind of software system, you just can’t scale it,” he says. “You could do one store and take care of it all yourself, be organized, and you can do it. But if you really want to scale it … and let it grow, you’ve got to have some kind of system in place.”

Only until recently, Nelken was relying on one person to handle both laundering and driving duties.

“I knew it would work for the very beginning. But we’ve already grown out of that. Just this week, I hired a different driver. We’ll see how that works in terms of splitting it up.”

in or wait till we go there. (We) try to hit each neighborhood (twice) a week.”

Eric Smith, a professor of practice at the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans, is an expert in energy markets and the oil and gas industry. He tells sister publication American Laundry News that the high fuel costs, for the most part, were linked to the cost to transport the heavy crude oil used to make gasoline and diesel fuel.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has put a squeeze on the amount of heavy crude available.

California, where the price of gas was at its highest in late March, has its own issues, says Smith. They’re largely driven by factors such as drought and the fact that the state imports a lot of the crude it uses from places like Columbia and Ecuador.

Generally, Smith says he doesn’t think there will be a massive impact on U.S. fuel capacity but expects the country to see a ‘higher-for-longer’ price based on the uncertainty involved with Russia and Ukraine.

“Even if we were magically to have an armistice, a cease-fire, tomorrow, it will still take months to get everything balanced out again and get the crude flowing in the direction it was flowing before all of this happened.”

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Wash Valley’s co-owners have maxed out their Nissan NV200’s cargo space many times.

They’ve ordered another delivery vehicle with nearly triple the capacity. (Photo: Wash Street) table when you’re at a pickup and you can’t get everything in the van,” Simoes says. “It’s soul-crushing.”

They have another vehicle on order, attracted to its much larger cargo space: “We have pickups of 3,000 pounds, so we knew it had to be able to fit at least 3,000 pounds,” Van Ostern says. “It’s about figuring out how much you’re going to pick up before bringing it all back again.”

The partners hire workers to fold laundry and if they’re skilled enough, they give them a shot at driving. They say it’s effective because these individuals know their business intimately.

“Sometimes, you’re the only face,” Van Ostern says of these employees. “(A customer) may never set foot in our store, so you’re the only representative of Wash Street, so it’s important to us that you be able to answer basic questions.”

A point of sale system with route optimization software enables Wash Street to accept and fulfill PUD orders, including some very large ones placed by the area’s many summer camps.

“One of the things that folks who get into the PUD business don’t realize … is the space you need, storage for the bags that may not be going out that day,” Van Ostern says. “That racking takes up a lot more room than we had planned on. We ended up with a POD, like a storage unit, that we have outside of our store because … we needed more space.”

A second POD for cleaned goods may become necessary this summer, she adds.

His community of 65,000 is surrounded by a much larger population, so “for us to be able to get out and go to customers just opened up our audience completely,” he says.

After looking at getting a panel van, Silver settled on a used Honda Element, which he calls a “fantastic starter for PUD.” “They’re a very boxy, small SUV that has suicide doors and the tailgate opens fully. You can remove the back seats. We’ve had close to 1,000 pounds of laundry in there.”

He had vinyl decals with his business information professionally made and affixed to the vehicle in lieu of “wrapping it.”

“I would have loved to have wrapped it but I didn’t want to spend three grand to wrap it because I prefer to take that and buy a panel van sometime this year.”

Sage Laundry uses a point of sale system that doesn’t include PUD functions, so the tech-savvy Silver has pieced together other tools—including Calendly scheduling, Google Sheets, ActiveCampaign customer experience automation and the Integromat integration platform—to basically create his own PUD software that’s doing the job for now.

The laundry offers PUD during a three-hour window daily except Sunday, and Silver schedules his attendants so they alternate responsibility for the service. He says he’s close to needing dedicated drivers.

Everyone involved in the process—whether in the store or on the road—shares responsibility for providing quality service.

“I think it’s equal, dividing the roles of traditional wash and fold processor vs. the delivery driver. Everybody has to do their job well. If there’s any breakdown in that, the whole process looks bad.”

GOOD PORTION OF ORDERS DELIVERED ON FOOT Todd Layne Cleaners & Laundromat in New York City differs

‘EVERYBODY HAS TO DO THEIR JOB WELL’ Lloyd Silver opened his Sage Laundry in Woodland, California, in May 2021 with self-service and drop-off service. He added PUD as 2022 began.

22

AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

Sage Laundry owner Lloyd Silver purchased a used Honda Element for pickups and deliveries, calling it a “fantastic starter” vehicle when adding the service. (Photo: Sage Laundry) www.americancoinop.com

from the other featured businesses in that its staff doesn’t drive to deliver most PUD orders.

“Because we’re in NYC and everything is so dense and concentrated, a good portion of our PUDs are done by foot” using carts, says founder and CEO Todd Ofsink. “We’ll use that up to about a 25-block radius.”

Over the years, he’s tried a variety of options for delivery, including Todd Layne personnel driving the company’s own vans.

“We’re working with a really good logistics company right now and anything that’s further away, outside of our smaller radius, they’re actually doing all of our PUDs for us,” Ofsink says. “We have sort of outsourced that function for anything beyond our immediate area.”

Even though Ofsink’s business doesn’t use its own delivery vehicles, he has a good idea of how he’d want them to look and perform: “We have to go back to the basics here. It’s one that’s properly maintained. B, it’s clean. C, it’s the right size, the right type of vehicle, like a crossover or SUV.” Cargo capacity and vehicle shape are also important, he says,

to allow easy access and hold goods properly during transport.

“Initially, when I first started the business (in 2006), there was no pickup and delivery,” Ofsink says. “Over the last few years, it has increased, especially throughout the pandemic, to a point where we’re probably at 80% of our customers, it’s all pickupand-delivery-based.”

Todd Layne has multiple routes by time window, currently at 1-hour shifts, and at press time was preparing to enhance its point of sale system.

“There are technologies out there to build PUD into the POS system,” Ofsink says. “We’ve looked at several of them. (The company we’re partnering with has) a clear understanding of the laundry business specifically and integrating the whole PUD function.”

In terms of storage, Ofsink can see the benefits a staging area with a series of alphabetized racks would offer the PUD provider.

He calls laundry service “one of the toughest businesses out there” but says “it’s an amazing feeling, once you have all this worked out, and you work out the kinks.”

ACO

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MAY 2022

AMERICAN COIN-OP 23

POINTERS FROM PAULIE B

BOTTLENECKS AND HOW TO MANAGE (AVOID?) THEM W

Paul Russo

hen a mat’s floor plan is being considered, traffic flow is sometimes overlooked. Having operated in high-rent New York City for over 40 years, I have some experience with cramped laundromats, so let me share some observations with you.

For anyone who is considering their first mat, whether buying existing or building from scratch, the choice, number and mix of machines should be paramount in your mind to consider smooth traffic flow when the mat will be at its busiest. You want to maximize machine use so you can make as much income as possible, but it’s also very important that your customers don’t feel crowded.

When they do, arguments and fights break out much more often and, at the least, people feel uncomfortable. Some will not come back. (Ask yourself how many times you’ve avoided crowded places.)

You ever gotten calls from customers asking if your mat isn’t busy so they can pop in? If this happens often, it could be a sign that your mat is too cramped.

I’m talking about “proxemics,” the amount of space a person believes they need between themselves and others.

On average, personal space of less than 24 inches is uncomfortable for most people. In these days after masks and lockdowns, people may want more than that, so the need for space is more important than ever.

So how does one balance the need to maximize sales while maintaining a smooth traffic flow of happy customers?

(Photo: © wavebreakmedia/Depositphotos) 24

AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

SITUATIONS & SOLUTIONS Narrow aisle width is a top cause of bottlenecks, so this is something to consider before building a mat. For free traffic flow, aisles can be as wide as you want, but not as narrow as you want or you’ll end up with jams.

In big-city laundromats where rent is high, aisles are usually much tighter than those in rural or suburban stores. At a bare minimum, each aisle needs to allow at least two laundry carts to pass, plus have space for people to pass and for washer/dryer doors to be opened. So, figure 5 feet to play it safe, but 6 feet or more is better.

Generally speaking, an aisle of 6-8 feet is comfortable.

I’ve seen aisles as narrow as 41/2 feet and as wide as 12 feet or more. Not only does a wide aisle make traffic flow more tolerable, your mat actually looks better!

Back in the ’80s, I had a long, narrow mat. After I built up a good customer base, I didn’t like the fit at all, and neither did my customers when it got crowded.

I kept it for about a decade because the location was a good earner, but I eventually decided to sell it because of the narrow aisles.

I found that if a mat is wider than it is long, it makes a nice, big impression from the street due to the wide storefront, plus gives you more layout choices.

Having too much equipment can lead to bottlenecks.

Ironically, bigger machines can help prevent them.

Some distributors will try to pack as many machines as possible in a mat, but if there aren’t enough folding tables and “people space,” the mat will never be able to operate at full capacity.

You’re better off installing more large-capacity machines than lots of small ones because the larger can handle more laundry in a smaller footprint, using less floor space and therefore leaving more room.

(And don’t forget that choosing washers with high extract speeds means you’ll be able to get customers out of your store faster.)

A typical 20-pound washer has a footprint of roughly 26 by 25 inches, or 650 square inches. The largest washer I’m aware of, 120 pounds, has an approximate footprint of 2,016 square inches (42 by 48 inches). So that 120-pounder has a footprint that’s about three times the size of a 20-pounder, but with six times the capacity.

The same can be said for dryers, and if you have more big washers, you’ll need more big dryers.

And if you look at laundry carts, the same is true about size. I found that a 4.5-bushel cart holds 80% www.americancoinop.com

while removing less popular machines), raise their vend price, or lower the prices on some other washers. The only exception to this is if you price your small washers as a lead to get people in the door.

Some distributors will tell you a mat needs at least 20 inches behind the washers and dryers for servicing. Some say 24. Due to the need to maximize aisle width, my mats had 18 inches of rear clearance; one dryer bank had 16! (I’m a small guy and 16 inches was even too small for me.)

PERCEPTION OR REALITY? To some people, perception of a tight mat can be just as important as reality.

Some mats just look cramped, even when they aren’t. If a customer thinks your mat is cramped, then for all intents and purposes, it is.

You can tweak this with big mirrors, high ceilings and light colors. For example, when placed properly, large wall mirrors can give the illusion that your mat is bigger than it really is.

Russo, shown here circa 2005, found that placing big mirrors on the wall above and behind machines makes it look like a laundromat has twice as many. Here, he snaps a photo of his reflection. (Photo: Paul Russo) I found that putting big mirrors on the wall above and behind a bank of washers makes it look like the mat has twice as many washers! Besides, most people like to check themselves out in the mirrors.

▼

more laundry than a standard 2.5-bushel but has a footprint that’s only 25% larger.

Therefore, you’d need fewer carts if you went with the larger size.

The bigger carts are no wider than a standard cart, so the traffic flow is the same because customers will push them around like cars passing on the street.

Double pole racks are great spacesavers, plus they make carts harder to steal.

If we needed a finished machine for the next customer but the first customer had stepped out, we’d put that person’s laundry in a new plastic bag, label it with the machine number, then place it over the washer bulkheads instead of using a cart.

The popularity of certain washers can lead to customer jams. If you have some machines that are being used more than others, it can mean one of three things: 1) you don’t have enough of those washers, 2) they are priced too low, or 3) your other machines are priced too high.

To balance their usage, you should either install more of those washers (possibly

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AMERICAN COIN-OP 25

POINTERS FROM PAULIE B

A hanging counter is just like one you have on the floor, only it’s securely suspended from the ceiling so you can store drop-offs or anything else you may need to keep handy. (Photos: Paul Russo) If placed on a wall behind a folding table, they can see everything behind them. This helps to give people a sense of security. I found it also helps crew members monitor what’s going on behind their backs.

Extending your operation to run 24/7 is a great way to move some customers away from busy times, provided that your market can support you being open around the clock. No matter when your store is open, have your normal “busy” and “slow” hours posted as a reminder for customers.

Seniors typically can come to the laundry any day they want, so give them a “senior discount,” an incentive to visit on your slowest days instead of a busy weekend.

Stacking equipment can help free up space. Most mats in New York City now have stacked dryers for that reason. There is a smaller footprint but customers can get cramped at these dryers because they’re not as spread out as a single dryer bank.

Customers often choose the upper pocket so they don’t have to bend down for the lower one. When the mat gets busy, other customers will take the lower dryers. A scenario comes up where a customer wants access to the lower pocket while another wants access to the upper, causing not only cramping but actual bumping into each other. The best solution I found was to split up the bank of dryers by putting a folding table in the middle. This created a recessed area where people could scoot out of the way of the traffic.

Speaking of folding tables, customers naturally tend to spread out at them, so 26

AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

adding a shelf over each one adds space.

Customers do use these shelves, mainly to neatly stack folded items before they put them in their bag.

Hanging racks, either on tables or carts, help to keep clothes on hangers from being spread out on tables and chairs, saving room and giving customers convenience as well.

Folding tables are not nearly as deep as washers and dryers, and big washers can really jut out into a narrow aisle. Narrow NYC mats will often place a folding table opposite the big washers to allow more space in the aisle.

Back rooms can end up filled with junk you don’t really need. Maybe yours can be used to make room for some carts or unclaimed drop-offs.

Have you heard of a hanging counter?

It’s a counter just like one you have on the floor, only it’s securely suspended from your ceiling so you can store drop-offs or anything else you may need to keep handy.

Speaking of drop-offs, posting a sign that reads “Please Pick Up Your Laundry Within 5 Days,” coupled with calling customers who have left laundry more than 30 days, can keep the flow of goods moving.

And if you need some extra storage for drop-offs, have you thought about using bulkheads?

Some mat owners build mats with the plumbing and electrical service wide open behind the washers to allow quick, easy shut-off in case of emergency. But all kinds of trash can end up behind the washers, and anyone can reach behind and mess

with your water and electric. If you finish off the service areas with shelves, you eliminate those issues while giving your mat some storage space at the same. Just make sure you have shut-offs for easy access at the end of each washer bank.

If you have the option and ability to do so, expand your mat. When the space next door to one of my mats became available, I grabbed it! It was one of the easiest constructions I ever did, and it nearly doubled my floor space. The empty store was under construction for about four months, and we only had to close the existing mat for one day to knock down the walls.

If your store develops bottlenecks from time to time, don’t be discouraged. You have options, both physically and operationally, that can help you spread out the crowd.

ACO Paul Russo owned and operated multiple Laundromats in New York City for more than 40 years before retiring in 2018.

You’re welcome to direct any questions or comments for Russo to Editor Bruce Beggs at bbeggs@atmags.com.

Russo suggests that you post your normal “busy” and “slow” hours so customers can choose when to visit and avoid becoming part of a bottleneck. www.americancoinop.com

«

PRODUCT NEWS NEW MODULE INCREASES PAYMENT COMPATIBILITY WITH OLDER MACHINES

PayRange has introduced an add-on Mechanical Timer Module that allows for laundry machines without electronic control boards to be upgraded to accept mobile payments.

It’s a low-cost, easy-to-install way to add mobile payment acceptance to machines controlled by a mechanical timer, the company says, describing it as a solution for every brand and type of laundry machine that accepts coin for payment.

The proprietary Mechanical Timer Module is added with the BluKey mobile payment device that PayRange says is used in over 500,000 machines throughout the U.S. and Canada. This allows operators with machines that were previously noncompatible with

other payment types to upgrade to the convenience of mobile payment acceptance.

“In talking with our operators who have been using PayRange for some time, the only gap we had in machine compatibility was the inability to add PayRange to some of their older machines that use a mechanical timer to start a cycle,” says Steve White, SMB sales manager for PayRange.

The Mechanical Timer Module contains an electronic control board and connects to a BluKey and wiring harness. Installation takes just a few minutes, the company advises.

“The benefit to operators is that now, regardless of brand or type of laundry machine they have, PayRange

can confidently say they’ve got you covered,” White adds.

The Mechanical Timer Module is available for purchase now online via the PayRange online store; it requires a BluKey device for laundry.

www.payrange.com

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NEWSMAKERS MR JEFF OPENS ITS 1ST MIAMI-AREA FRANCHISE Mr Jeff, an on-demand laundry service franchise infused with AI technology, expanded by opening its first Florida location in March. Miami resident Sergio Aguirre owns and operates the Coral Gables store.

The franchise says it has modernized the task of doing laundry in more than 30 countries through a 48-hour pickup and delivery mobile app-based service. Aguirre was introduced to Mr Jeff while living in Mexico.

“After learning Mr Jeff was expanding into the United States, I jumped at the opportunity to open this business to help people in the Miami area replace the time spent doing laundry every weekend, with time better spent enjoying experiences with friends and family,” Aguirre says.

He believes “the South Florida market is ripe for outsourced laundry services.”

Peter Stern, managing director of Mr Jeff’s U.S. market, expects to find success in Florida due to the dense populations of its major markets, thriving economy full of active residents, and the overall community of college students, to engage as early-on brand adopters.

Mr Jeff—named after Geoffrey, the witty butler from 1990s TV sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”—is expanding into other U.S. locations such as Massachusetts, Texas and New York, as well as additional markets within Florida.

LAUNDROMAT VETS INSPIRED TO ASSIST NEWCOMER THROUGH GRANT Atlanta’s Wash and Spin Coin Laundry, owned and operated by Wade and Yvette Morton Williams, has created an award to help new laundry owners succeed.

The Inspired To Grow Higher Award is a $2,000 grant to be used to market the business of one applicant who has opened a single laundromat and has been operating for less than 24 months.

Wash and Spin Coin Laundry has teamed with Spynr to provide digital marketing tools.

“There has never been a more exciting time to be in this industry that we love,” says Yvette Morton Williams, who co-owns a multistore operation in the metro Atlanta area with husband Wade. “We are thrilled to be able to assist a new laundromat owner as they begin this incredible journey. We expect that this marketing award will be the spark to ignite a huge flame that will shine brightly for years to come.”

The 12 years they’ve been in the industry has been “a wild journey,” according to Williams.

“We know how important a solid marketing plan is to a company’s success, and many new businesses are cash-strapped as they begin,” she tells American Coin-Op. “According to the [Small Business Administration], about one-third of small businesses fail within the first two years. What happens during that time is very important to a company’s longer-term stability.”

Those wishing to apply or to learn more about the Inspired To Grow Higher Award may visit https://inspiredtogrowhigher.com.

“We’ve always enjoyed being a part of the communities in which we operate,” Williams says. “We’ve offered educational scholarships for years as a way to give back and this award feels somewhat similar to that.”

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AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

Inspired in part by their own journey, multi-store owners Wade and Yvette Morton Williams have created a $2,000 marketing services grant intended to assist a new laundromat owner.

Deadline to apply is June 17. (Graphic: Wash and Spin Coin Laundry) The Williamses see the award as a “great way to assist someone as they enter this industry and establish a space that has the potential to not only clean a community’s dirty laundry, but to connect and uplift them as well.”

Applicants can upload photos of their business as well as submit a video lasting 1-2 minutes that explains why they should be selected for the award.

Applications are due by Friday, June 17, with the winner to be announced during The Clean Show this summer.

CLEAN SHOW SHIFTING BACK TO ODD-YEAR CYCLE BEGINNING IN 2025 Even as preparations continue for this year’s Clean Show in Atlanta, the event organizer has scheduled the next two shows, announcing that Clean will return to its traditional odd-year cycle beginning in 2025.

The action comes in response to the unprecedented postponement and rescheduling of events and trade fairs across the industry.

“Our goal in shifting Clean back to an odd-year cycle is to help restore balance to the international trade fair calendar as the industry recovers post-COVID,” says Greg Jira, show director for Messe Frankfurt North America. “We believe this decision is best for the global industry as a whole.”

After Clean 2022 on July 30 through Aug. 2 this year, the next edition will take place in August 2025 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. It last hosted Clean in 2005.

Two years later, in July 2027, The Clean Show will return to the Las Vegas Convention Center, marking the seventh time that Vegas hosts the event.

“We are looking forward to returning to these cities with a history of successful Clean Shows,” says Jira. “The venues are excited to have us back, and the industry is definitely ready for the return of our regularly scheduled in-person events.”

Registration is open for Clean 2022, which is expecting more than 300 exhibitors from every segment of the textile care industry.

To learn more, visit www.cleanshow.com. (continued on page 32) www.americancoinop.com

WEB UPDATE

Most popular stories from AmericanCoinOp.com for the 30 days ending April 8 — (WE) denotes Web Exclusive

TOP FIVE NEWS STORIES

COLUMNISTS/FEATURES

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• Curbside Laundries to Host Pre-Clean Dinner

• Pointers from Paulie B: Is the Laundromat Business Right for You?

From AmericanLaundryNews.com:

• Mr Jeff Opening 1st Franchise in Miami Area

• Shopping Center Developer Invests in Vended Laundries

• Laundromat Vets Inspired to Assist an Industry Newcomer

• 2021-2022 State of the Industry Survey

• Healthcare Laundry Reports Record-Breaking Year • Effective Laundry Chemistry Solutions

From AmericanDrycleaner.com: • Colorado Franchisees Team Up to Open Drycleaning Plant (WE)

• Bronx Business Joins ‘Laundry Learning’ Movement

• Zengeler Cleaners to Relocate, Update Location (WE)

• Clean Show Shifting Back to Odd-Year Cycle in 2025

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NEWSMAKERS (continued from page 28) CALIFORNIA LANDS ITS 1ST SPEED QUEEN FRANCHISE LOCATION The first Speed Queen Laundromat franchise location in California opened in Long Beach in early April. A grand-opening event kicked off a week of special activities at the store.

Located at 1526 E. 4th St., the store offers 3,600 square feet of space, featuring washers with capacities ranging from a single load to 80 pounds and tumble dryers up to 45 pounds.

An April grand-opening event kicked off a busy week of special activities at this new Speed Queen Laundromat franchise store in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Alliance Laundry Systems) Co-owners Saba Safiari, a former U.S. Marine, and his uncle, Robert Rafia, were eager to bring their community a truly great customer experience, something they say area laundromats were falling short of.

“The hard-working people of Long Beach deserve better, and we know this laundry will give them a premium experience,” Safiari says.

Rafia saw the Speed Queen Laundry franchise as a way to leverage technology, branding, and learnings to meet a need in the market … and move quickly.

“I don’t wait for things to happen,” he quips of working with the Speed Queen team to move the project at “light speed.”

For one week, the store’s customers were treated to free wash cycles in the touchscreen-controlled equipment. Additionally, customers who downloaded and signed up for the Speed Queen app— which is designed to streamline the experience with app payment and a rewards program—saw $5 added to their account.

Fast, efficient washer-extractors and tumble dryers offer customers exceptional flexibility to tailor cycles, while getting them in and out in an hour, all in a clean, well-lit environment with vibrant colors, the owners say. The store also features wash/dry/fold service for customers whose time is at a premium.

RINSE DELIVERY SERVICE LAUNCHES IN NEW YORK CITY Laundry and drycleaning pickup and delivery service Rinse has launched in New York City, where it will be servicing the majority of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, as well as The Bronx.

Rinse was founded in 2013 with the goal of removing friction from clothing care. It says it offers a “simple, consistent, high32

AMERICAN COIN-OP MAY 2022

quality solution” to laundry and dry cleaning in the San Francisco Bay Area; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C., metro area; Chicago; Boston; and now New York City.

In another development, Rinse has acquired competitor FlyCleaners, expanding the company’s customer base in New York.

Terms of the deal were not announced.

BRONX BUSINESS JOINS ‘LAUNDRY LEARNING’ MOVEMENT The Clean Rite Center on Tremont Avenue in The Bronx, New York, has joined a nationwide movement to bring learning to local public laundries. In early April, the business unveiled a new onsite reading and learning area for children and announced family storytime sessions and financial education programming.

The Family Read, Play & Learn (RPL) space is designed by the Laundry Cares Foundation and Too Small to Fail to support children’s early brain and language development. It includes a comfortable seating area, high-quality books, toys and other materials designed to help parents engage in literacy-rich interactions with their children during laundry time. It features books from Scholastic Corp. (which children are encouraged to take home) as well as furniture and toys from Lakeshore Learning.

“The root of Clean Rite’s entire success is in the communities we’ve served for the past 25 years,” says Alex Weiss, owner of Laundry Capital Co. LLC, parent company of Clean Rite. “Any time we can find an opportunity to give back to any of these communities, we think it’s truly important to do so.”

“We want to meet families where they are and a laundromat is a place, especially in New York, where families congregate,” says Librarian Sherice White, of Clason’s Point Library. “During this waiting period, which can be upwards of two hours or more, we have an opportunity to engage with kids and spark an interest in reading and learning that we hope will last a lifetime.”

The unveiling is the first of many upcoming events to promote family and community well-being by Clean Rite Centers and parent company Laundry Capital, according to Chief of Staff Felicia Galitsky: “Our tie to the community runs deep and Laundry Capital is fully investing time and resources into bettering the areas where our laundries are located.”

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Clean Rite’s new Family Read, Play & Learn space brought together a number of organizations for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 2. The RPL is designed by the Laundry Cares Foundation and Too Small to Fail to support children’s early brain and language development. (Photo: Clean Rite Center) www.americancoinop.com

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