Survey results for Start-Up-Time-Price Across the Country

[Kidwash]

I think it would help me and others who have improved their washes in many ways and have not seen an increase in revenue as a direct result of improvements and are now thinking it may have more to do with "were we are at with start-up-time -price & minutes". Therefore, I ask the forum members to help by replying with your:

City
State
Start-up-Price & Minutes
Please add any other info you feel can help

I think this survey log will help many understand how we compare in our geographical areas.

I am located in Warren, Michigan, $1.50 for 3 minutes.

[Bud]

$1.75 for 3.25 min. = 28 sec./ coin

[Eric H]

Fitchburg/Leominster, MA $3.50 for 4:40 (.25 = 20 sec)

[thoffmanjr]

Albany, NY
We have 4 price points.. spend more, get more
Same price points for cash or credit card ($3 minimum)
$1= 1m:20s (.25= 20 sec)
$5= 9m:00s (.25= 27 sec)
$8=16m:00s (.25= 30 sec)
$10=22m:00s (.25= 33 sec)

[Ben's Car Wash]

Zephyrhills, Fl (near Tampa)

$2 for 5 min
$5 for credit card

[Dubois Laundry/Carwash]

Dubois
Wyoming
$1.50
3 minutes

[JMMUSTANG]

St. Louis, Mo.

One wash $1.00 - 2 minutes
Bonus time $5.00 - 14 minutes

Second wash $1.50- 4 minures

[Reds]

Northeasten Pa: $2. for 4 minutes

[Doug P.]

$1.00 for 2.5 minutes

Bonus Time $5.00 for 17.5 minutes

South Central Kentucky

[Waxman]

Orange, Massachusetts

$2/3.5 minutes.

[DavidM]

Central PA

$2 for 4 minutes

[SplishSplash]

DFW, Texas

$1.25 for 4 mins

First of year will be changing to $1.50 for 4 mins

[I.B. Washincars]

$2 - 5 minutes

$1.50 - 4 minutes seems to be the going price in my region, but most in my immediate area have followed me to $2.

Central Ky.

[CWMan]

I'm currently $1.25 for 3 minutes... (.25 = 36 seconds), but switching to $1.50 for 3 minutes Nov 1st... (.25 = 30 seconds). Kansas City area.

[Jim Caudill]

Enon (near Dayton) Ohio
$1.50 for 4 min

[scott]

$1.25 for 3:30
central virginia

[MEP001]

$1.25 for 3:20
Round Rock, Texas

I'd like to go to $1.50 and stay 3:20, but we're already the highest start-up in town.

[Carwasher]

Eastern Massachusetts
$3 for 4 min.

[dpessler]

$1.75 for 4 min, I'm the highest around other than Mike's in Cincinnati

[Keith Baker]

$2.00 for 4 minutes with quarters, but $2.00 in tokens will give 5 minutes during the slower months.

Vacs are $1.00 for 4 1/2 minutes.

Omaha, Ne.

[Twodose]

Hanover Township
Pennsylvania

Northeast Part of the State.

$2.00 = 4:00 min

[Mr Frank]

Columbus, Ohio
$2.00 for 3:10


Vac $1.25 for 4 min.

[UGA]

Atlanta suburbs,
1.25 for 3:30. I am about a quarter low on start up but pretty much the same for time per coin.

[robert roman]

I believe that you may be barking up the wrong tree by focusing on the start-up price. First of all, if the changes you have made have not produced an increase in sales volume, average revenue or profit or a decrease in operating expense, then you haven't really improved anything.

You may want to first consider marketing and promoting the wash and then consider what is necessary in terms of production and technology.

In today's economy, most consumers make purchasing decisions on the basis of convenience, time and value. For example, where is the closest store from where I live or work, how much time is involved with making the purchase, how much will it cost and can I buy it right now?

How does your store's value proposition answer these questions in relation to what the competition is offering in your region of influence and retail trade area?

You charge $1.50 for 3 minutes. If your average customer uses 2.3 cycles per wash, purchases a vacuum for $1.00 and one vending item for $1.00, the total cost to wash their vehicle would be $5.00 plus the cost of their time to complete the work which usually takes at least 20 minutes without any waiting time.

How do you improve this business model? Internal cost controls can help but how do you increase profits once costs are minimized? In order to improve the model, you need to identify the things that you can do to reduce the total time and total (not incremental) cost of the wash or increase the customer's perceived value of your products and services. This involves marketing and promoting the wash.

[gohlman]

$1.50 3.5 minutes
central Kansas

[Axxlrod]

California Central Coast
$3 = 3.5 minutes
Vacs $2 = 4 minutes

[Kate Carr]

Speaking of surveys...

PC&D has launched its 2008 survey of the self-serve industry. We've cut the number of questions down to 58, so it should only take a few minutes to complete.

To participate, click here (http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2272WDZYA4H) or copy and paste this address into your web browser: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2272WDZYA4H

Cheers,
Kate

[diycarwash]

Fellow Self Service Operators.
I have 3 self service car washes in the Houston area. My washes are $1 for 3 minutes, but I am getting the itch for a price increase. Which do you guys feel is a better option?
$2 for 5 minutes or $1 for 2:30? I use dollar tokens, so I feel I should keep it at dollar increments.

Thanks for your replies.

[JMMUSTANG]

You might have a problem with customers putting in $1.00 since this has been your starting time for a while not $2.00 to start and nothing happens.
I was 1.50 for 4 minutes.
I lowered to 1.00 for 2 minutes.
Most of my complaints were from customers not putting enough money in the machine.
After lowering the time/price point I bet 80% of my complaints went away.

[Kidwash]

Have you noticed an increase in revenue by lowering the start-up cost to a $1 for 2 mins? Also, is it better for the customer?

[MEP001]

diycarwash, the reception of a price increase will depend on your client?le. Obviously the "high rent" ones will be less phased.

In my experience, income is helped more by a price increase than the lowering of time. You may not see it, but a lot of people are there to spend as little money as they can. Some just rinse and leave, some will bucket wash and only start up once or twice, some will bring an item to wash. If you lower time, they won't always spend more, but if you raise price nearly all will.

If you do go so far as to double your start-up time, a good idea will to have signage to promote that they're getting more time.

[washnvac]

Lower Delaware: $5 for 30 minutes

[rzeavy]

$2.50 for 4 min.
Los Angeles, CA.

[rzeavy]

Los Angeles, CA.
$2.50 for 4 minutes

[robtl]

$1.50 for 4-min

[JMMUSTANG]

Have you noticed an increase in revenue by lowering the start-up cost to a $1 for 2 mins? Also, is it better for the customer?

Customers like it. If they run out of time they only have to put in a $1 to finish.
Bucket washing has been no different at a $1 vs. 1.50 startup.
I do have customers that told me they came in just to wash their wheels a day or two after washing their car.
As far as an increase in income it's hard to tell, business has not been great with all the rain.
But I can tell you that the complaints (because they didn't put enough money in) has gone down big time.
I've been in the self serv business since 1977 and I can tell you I've never seen such a bad business climate for what ever reasons. To increase prices right now just doesn't seem to me to be a prudent business decision at this time.

[MikeV]

I get $1.00 for 4 minutes in Seabrook, TX. Been that way for 10 years. I did raise the price on my auto a couple of years ago. Went from $3,4,5,6 to $4,5,6,7. What a deal!!!

[Red Baron]

Idalou Texas

$1.50 = 3-1/2 minutes
$1.50 = 4 minutes on outside bay (being underused [59% of most popular bay] trying to boost usage with signage calling attention to discounted bay)

[blurdgman]

After 24 years in the business I've come to the conclusion that coins and warning buzzers have been a detriment to the SS business. Yes we offer $1 tokens from our bill changers and from our American Changer Credit Card Token machines and require a startup of 2 tokens for 190 seconds, recently down from 210 seconds. Yes and the buzzer goes off one minute before the cycle ends causing stress to our customer's well being as he/she hurries to keep from putting the next coin in.
After operating Washgear credit card terminals in all our bays for the past three year we found that 25% of our customers have used the Washgear with average spending from $4.60 to $6.70 per wash depending on location. They take their time and wash their cars without buzzers, without stress and consequently spend more time and money.
After our recent decrease in time per coin we are offering a 10% bonus time if the customer uses the in bay terminal e.g. 210 seconds for the $2 startup. As soon as this catches on we expect leisurely washes via in bay CC use to increase beyond the 29% that we've already achieved. Some day we hopefully will eliminate coin use altogether.

[mitchell3026]

NE PA $2.50 for 4mins

[coincarwash.ca]

Toronto, Canada

$3 start up = 4 minutes
Vacs $2 = 4 minutes

[Red Baron]

Coincar, do you accept Loonies? If we didn't accept loonies my customer based woul be 50% of what it is.

[GoBuckeyes]

$3.00 for 4 minutes, $0.25 = 20 seconds
$1.00 for 3 minutes of Vacuum time

[coincarwash.ca]

Coincar, do you accept Loonies? If we didn't accept loonies my customer based woul be 50% of what it is.

We accept Loonies, Toonies, Quarters and tokens.....we are in Canada don't forget.

[MEP001]

I found a Canadian quarter in my pocket the other day, almost handed it to a customer who was trading me a bunch of nickels and dimes for a quarter. Fortunately we don't see a lot of Canadian coins in Texas.

[BayWatch]

bays are $0.25 startup, 40 secs per
vacs are $0.75 startup, 3 minutes

wanting to go to 30 secs per quarter on the bays, am waiting a month or so when I upgrade signage and bay equipment

Lubbock, Tx

[Sequoia]

Northern California:

$2 -4 minutes
$4 -10 minutes

[JMMUSTANG]

One wash is $1.50 for 4 minutes for the last 8 years.
The other wash is $1.00 for 2 minutes plus bonus time of 14 minutes for $5.00
Vacs $1.00 for 4 minutes.

[Wally]

Blurdgman, are you saying we need to disconnect the buzzers?

[blurdgman]

Buzzers are a hazard to our business. Coins also are a hazard in that their use cause the customer to hurry and get as much done without having to put in the next coin. Why are we punishing our customers and our business with buzzers and coins when we can offer credit or fleet card use that allow a customer to leisurely wash for as much or little time that they require? I pay on average about 5.6% in merchant service fees. I think it's well worth it. The funds are automatically deposited in the bank. It decreases vandalism and pilferage and offers many advantages.
Disconnecting the buzzer may not be as effective as evolving into total credit card use. The use of the coin is the larger culprit. Think about it.

[Sequoia]

I think buzzers are fine, actually helpful. It's better for my business, long term, if a buzzer makes a customer hurry the rinse process as opposed to being surprised by the water shutting off and then driving out with soap still on the vehicle. The buzzers help with that.

CC acceptance is obviously beneficial, but it's a substantial cost to put it in all of the bays and that cost takes years to recoup.

I added a credit-card-to-token machine (along with another bill changer.) While it isn't as beneficial as accepting credit cards in the bays, it does allow CC usage for much less cost than the alternative. Plus it makes them walk over and stand right next to the vending machine as that is where I installed the credit-card-to-token machine.

[MEP001]

Our customers like the buzzer. I suspect blurdgman doesn't like them since he can't get another full start-up from them when they deposit two coins before time expires.

I don't see them as "a hazard to our business" at all, in fact I've seen and heard many times where customers will migrate to upgraded bays or newer washes because they like seeing the time remaining.

I also tend to avoid such opinions as "Buzzers are a hazard to our business" when they are stated as if they're factual.

[Tom Thumb]

Orlando,fl

$2.00 for 4.5 min.
vac $1.00 for 4 min.

[swampdonkey]

$ 2.00 - 4:16
.25- 32 seconds

Havre, Montana

[blurdgman]

To MEP001:
What is the average amount spent for a wash by your customers who enjoy the buzzer? Our in bay credit card spenders pay on average $4.60 at one of our locations and $6.70 at another and they don't hear a buzzer. Our cost is $2 startup for 210 seconds. I suspect that our coin customers spend about $3 or $4 per wash. Do these figures make you rethink whether the cost of in bay terminals are worth it?

[MEP001]

Do these figures make you rethink whether the cost of in bay terminals are worth it?
I don't know where you get that from. We have in-bay credit card acceptors.

On Monday I took a counter read to start, and next Monday I'll read it again. I'm using the surveillance video to count the actual cars getting washed so I can get a true number of how much cash customers are spending.

[blurdgman]

I don't know where you get that from. We have in-bay credit card acceptors.

On Monday I took a counter read to start, and next Monday I'll read it again. I'm using the surveillance video to count the actual cars getting washed so I can get a true number of how much cash customers are spending.
MEP001:
Don't you get the total money spent and the number of washes on your software?
Our in bay CC system is Washgear and the software tallies up everything daily.

[MEP001]

Don't you get the total money spent and the number of washes on your software?
It gives me cycles, but can't account for someone letting the time run out and adding more money. Without taking that into account I can't get an accurate number of what people spend per car. Ben's Car Wash has posted that his credit card customers spend 250% more than cash, which is an inaccurate claim since his system accounts by start-up as well, and I'd like to see a better number. I'd probably get a similar number if I only counted cycles.