CHICAGO — Washers and dryers are at the core of vended laundry operations but laundromat customers also rely on a larger family of products to help them get their clothes clean.
Laundry equipment and the consumable or complementary items we call supplies have a symbiotic relationship. For example, washers provide the mechanical action and agitation needed for quality laundering while detergents, bleaches, fabric softeners and other products contribute to the chemistry for cleaning and whitening fabrics.
Beyond the cleaning, carts, laundry bags and hangers make it easier for patrons to move, organize and manage their clothing before and after washing and drying.
By partnering with supply businesses, laundry owners can ensure they have a steady repository of these essential products and the ability to procure them quickly, enabling them to consistently serve their customer base.
In Part 1, we met representatives from businesses who fulfill the supply needs of laundromat owners, and they discussed what goes into supply sourcing and delivery. Let’s conclude:
BIGGEST CHANGES?
So what are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen among vended or wash-dry-fold laundry supplies?
“Over the years, the vending machines have changed to offer the laundry customers larger or different sizes,” says Karen Wray, who, with sister Lauri Frietze, are co-partners in California-based Sudsy Vending Supplies. “[This] allows the laundry owners the use of either coin or card to have multiple vend prices on several individual items within the vender.”
Vince Hansen is president of Chicago-based Vend-Rite Mfg. Co., which makes vending equipment used by self-service laundries to sell detergent and other items in-store to their customers. In his view, big changes have come in the variety of items being offered.
“We have seen products like ammonia, baking soda, pine- and lavender-scented products, and floor cleaners,” he says. “Hispanic products that are not mainstream grocery store items are also popular.”
There are more different types of laundry supplies available today than at any time in the past, according to Hansen.
“Powdered detergents were predominant except for Wisk, which Lever Bros. introduced in the United States in 1956. P&G introduced their first liquid detergent, ERA, in the ’70s, and the first Tide liquid in the ’80s. Since then, we’ve had tablets, pods, sheets, and now tiles.”
High-efficiency detergents were introduced around 2015 when high-efficiency washers came on the market.
Liquid products are the predominant choice today and are available as concentrated, scented, unscented, biodegradable, eco-friendly and, now, those that voluntarily meet Safer Choice guidelines set by the EPA.
“The detergent market continues to evolve to clean a wider variety of fabrics, in less and colder water, while being safer (for) our health and our environment,” Hansen says.
STAYING IN VIEW AND UP TO DATE
Procuring the supplies they sell is just part of the equation. The consumable nature of many supplies they sell means that supply companies work hard in positioning themselves and their product offerings to stay in front of customers.
“We have a 148-page catalog that we’ll send to our customers on a regular basis. In addition to this, we’ll have daily or weekly emails, telling them about specials or maybe new products that we now have,” says Jeff Schapiro, president of New York-based Cleaner’s Supply. “We try to put a fair amount of content up on our website, so if our customers have questions, often we have a little Q&A section and they can get stuff there. We have a whole technical support department that can also assist customers.”
HIs company does a little marketing on social media like Facebook and Instagram, but not much.
“We find a lot of our customers are busy and not always there scrolling through social media,” Schapiro says. “It’s a lot easier for us to get it to them on a consistent basis through these other channels.”
“We at Sudsy pride ourselves in our customer service, with word of mouth being a key source of informing our customers of old and new products,” says Wray, with the company’s website and online store highlighting many needed items.
It’s also vital to stay abreast of laundromat needs and wants and thus be able to find and offer the right supply for the task.
Hansen relies on several sources, including print/TV ads, the internet, distributors and laundry owners.
For Frietze’s company, it’s “through trade shows and communication with manufacturers, and always the input from our customers.”
“Talking to customers is always the best,” Schapiro says. “This is a great way for us to kind of get ahead of different things that are going on.
“Laundromat (owners), they’re not shy. You know, good or bad, you’re going to hear something. … Talking to customers, whether that’s on the phone, in person, at trade shows, is always a great way to get that (information) and try to adjust on those things.”
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
