SUN CITY WEST, Ariz. — This marks my last column for American Coin-Op, as I’m retiring from writing columns for this industry. But it’s all good. Let me explain.
As many of you know, I operated multiple New York City stores for decades before retiring and have been writing columns for this publication since August 2018. Including this one, I contributed 72 columns about all kinds of laundromat topics to the point where I felt my writing was getting a bit redundant.
And even though the basics are always there, the industry is quickly evolving past my experience. There are new topics I’m not familiar with, such as dealing with the new payment systems that have entered the marketplace in recent years.
It’s time for me to move on.
Over the years, I enjoyed sharing many “out of the box” solutions for laundromat issues. As an operator, it can be easy to get stuck in a bubble of narrow viewpoints.
One of the hardest things for a laundry owner to do is to step outside his or her viewpoint and look at things from the customer’s perspective and their employee’s POV. Sometimes, you can’t see the forest from the trees.
I hope I delivered some useful insights to you over the years. Just the simple concept of studying other similar, yet wildly successful public industries can bring you answer to problems.
Case in point: You want to make your mat look awesome, yet still able to withstand the abuse that comes with dealing with the public. Well, try observing the large, successful burger chains and learn from their approach, for instance.
I had great, loyal customers in and out of my stores for many years. In fact, I saw some of the same kids I used to give lollipops grow up and break into my place. Funny, but true.
Seriously though, many customers of mine were so loyal that they would look out for my mat’s interests while I wasn’t there. Some would walk up to me when I came in and quietly whisper about something that happened in my absence. Some customers wouldn’t like how others treated “their” laundromat badly and would report it.
I even gave my cell number to some. They would anonymously report things to me that I was unaware of, like a customer’s bad behavior or an employee’s. I returned the favor with a wash credit, free laundry bag, etc.
How do you get these kinds of customers? By simply talking to them with kindness and thankfulness. It takes a while to build friendships like that, but they are mutually beneficial.
I enjoyed having customers sing songs over my PA system. I got a kick out of randomly walking around my mats with a basket of printed nylon bags and telling my best customers, “You’ve been a great customer, so pick out a nylon bag — on the house.” This unexpected little gift put a smile on their face. I learned to try to give my customers and my crews more than they expected.
I remember one case in particular when a soldier, dressed in his camo fatigues, came in to do his laundry. I happened to have some nylon bags patterned just like his fatigues, so I walked up to him, held the bag up against his uniform to show the perfect match, and said, “Thank you, sir, for your service” while handing him the bag.
Some of the other customers started clapping. That was a moment that went beyond making money.
I enjoyed recognizing employees when they reached the 10-year mark, throwing them a party and giving them gifts. I even had a couple of them reach past 20 years! (They got bigger parties with bigger gifts.)
As I “leave” today, I’d like to give a shout out to some other great mat buddies, among the most successful operators in the country. There’s Paul Pettefer, Brian Grell, Ken Barrett, Luke and Lee Williford, King Lee, Michael Bert, Dave Hoffman, Todd Fener and Brian Henderson, to name just a few!
My final piece of advice: Make it fun.
Why not? If you create a happy environment for your customers and employees, guess what happens? Customers keep coming back, employees settle in, and your day goes better. Recognize that you can make a difference by lifting people up.
To maximize your success, always strive to keep your mats beautiful, “hospital clean,” and devoid of those out-of-order signs!
Thank you for reading my thoughts, and a special thanks to Editor Bruce Beggs for allowing me the privilege of sharing my ideas and advice with the industry I care about so deeply. (By the way, you’ll still be able to find me on the laundromat Facebook groups.)
Here’s wishing you great success and health!
Sincerely, Paul aka “Paulie B”
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
