Spring really is here (and the glaciers have receded for another year)

Now is the ideal time to really inspect your Laundromat and see how the store has faired through the winter. Now is the time to be totally objective and now is the time to really take a hard look at your Laundromat and see what needs to be cleaned-up and updated. As store owners, we can become complacent about the appearance of our Laundromats.  As long as all of the machines are operating, we feel pretty good. But Now is the time to take a critical look and make your "wish list for your Laundromat".  The definition of my "Wish List" is if I had an unlimited budget, what would I improve in my store?  What would I do Cosmetically that would help the appearance of the Laundromat?  Would I change anything with my current laundry Equipment?  And would I make any changes or improvements with the Maintenance or Infrastructure of my Laundromat (plumbing, electrical, ceiling, building etc...)

Make the List

Just sit in your Laundromat for an hour and make your list. Jot down everything that comes to mind. Jot down small ideas like cleaning lint from the cart wheels to huge items like re-siding the front of the building. It doesn't not matter how silly or on how large an undertaking; make the list. I find that if I sit down as a customer and just look around, that my critical eye starts to find things that need to be cleaned or updated.  I always have a big equipment project or 2 bouncing around in my head; write them down too. If you have cerebral constipation, call your local distributor and ask them to stop by for a visit (and a cup of coffee).  Ask your local distributor what they would do to spruce up the Laundromat. Distributors are people who visit Laundromats all the time. The distributors get to see the good the bad and the ugly in Laundromats.  Contact them to see what other Laundromat owners are doing with their stores.  Ask them what they would do if this was their store and see if their ideas have merit.

What to do with the List

Once I have created my list I transfer everything to an Excel spreadsheet; but you can do just the same exercise with index cards. I write down each idea and then add a column for the type of work (equipment, cosmetic, or infrastructure). I then add a price factor to the task (with 1 being the lowest cost and 5 being the highest cost). I also add a "customer benefit factor" to the task (again with 1 being the highers customer bennefit and 5 being the lowest).  For instance painting the inside of the Laundromat would cost about $1200 and would have a medium cost factor, (maybe a 3), but it would have a high customer benefit factor.  A store that looks bright, clean and freshly painted would have a high customer benefit factor, (probable a 1). Likewise replacing the bank of washer is very expensive and would disrupt your Laundromat for a week so this would be very expensive, but again there would be a huge customer benefit if you added more big machines.