I recently had a customer call me up all concerned that he may have someone getting into his washer money boxes.  Kevin (not his real name) called me up asking all sorts of questions regarding the washer audit capability and can the washers be connected to the Internet for remote viewing and monitoring?

When I started to ask questions about why he needed this information; he mentioned an incident where there was no money in a washer's money box and Kevin thought that someone may have broken into his washer. He could not find any sign of tampering or jimmying of the money box and wanted to know if these locks can be picked. The honest answer is that everything can be broken into, given enough time, energy and motivation (even Fort Knox). The biggest fear I have with my coin operated Laundromats is that someone will get a copy of a key and remove just some of the money on a regular basis. This would be very hard to catch and I would truly have a silent partner.

After listening to his problem, I asked him about his video surveillance system. Was it working? Did he see anything suspicious? Kevin said that the video was inconclusive (meaning that the video was either not covering the washers in question or it was not working.) I suggested that the some DVR surveillance system can not only record video, but also be used to look at specific "events". An event or alarm is anything that can be activated by a switch. For instance if you wanted to monitor your cleaning person you can place a magnetic switch on the door to the janitor's closet and every time the door is opened the DVR registers that as an "event". An un-attended multi-store Laundromat owner who manages 16 Laundromats by checking his DVR every morning to see if his cleaning people worked that night. He can check all 16 stores in less than 10 minutes on the computer. It takes a little time to set-up but this is another way to "automate" your Laundromat and leverage your time.

My suggestion to Kevin was to wire up a couple of his large washers money boxes with little magnetic switches and run them back to the DVR and re-adjust a camera to get a nice shot of the washers. The next time someone opens the money box an "event" will be triggered on the DVR and you can quickly look for events and see who (if anyone) is getting into your money boxes. Some of the newer systems can even email you in real time when an "event" or alarm happens. Pretty cool.

Does anyone have employees or Wash, Dry & Fold attendants? Do you have a cash register or a POS (point of sale) system? Video cameras can also be mounted above your cash register to look down on every sale and transaction. This in its self is a huge deterrent in preventing employee theft. Just knowing that a camera is watching your every transaction usually is enough to keep most employees honest. The video feed can also be used in conjunction with a cash register "text inserter" where the cash register is connected to the DVR and each transaction and item scanned is recorded on the video feed. You should monitor these feeds on a regular basis and especially if the register comes up with the wrong amount. This can be a great training tool and also an eye opener to your employees that you can see every transaction they do on the screen. Half the battle with employee theft is just letting them know you are watching. This is usually enough to keep the honest ones honest.