Coin Op Laundry or Card Commercial Laundry Machines?

Commercial laundry machines have taken quarters for many years, and most still do. But today there is another popular option – a fresh take on the traditional coin op laundry. Laundry cards are quickly becoming the norm in today’s laundry business. While traditionalists may prefer the old fashioned quarter, when some machines cost $5 to $10 you risk losing customers who may not want to tote around that much change. It is also a lot of coins for you to roll up and take to the bank (which might charge you an extra fee for change). Why should you consider switching over to cards from quarters? Here are some compelling reasons to consider:

Change can be a Pain

Today’s machines average around $5 per load, and dryer times are shorter. This means the average customer may spend more than $8 per load. Most customers have at least three loads to wash and dry during their visit to your coin op laundry. With the above figures this means they will need around $24 per trip to your laundry. That is almost 100 quarters. Consider that for a moment … that’s a lot of quarters to carry around.

Not only does the customer have to contend with all that loose change, at the end of the day (and perhaps more importantly) so do you. You have to unload your machines, put the money into a change counter, and then put the quarters into rolls. After you’ve done all that you still have to schlep the change to the bank. Planning a vacation or considering some time off? Who will you trust to take care of the money your coin op laundry brings in? While you may think that switching over to laundry cards for your commercial laundry machines will be a hassle – consider what you’ll gain by making the switch.

Cards are Convenient

Just from your customer’s point of view a pre-paid laundry card is much more convenient than change. The money is already on their card, and they just swipe the card on your commercial laundry machines and they are done. No collecting change, no begging for quarters at the store, they just put money on their card and they are good to go. One additional advantage (and this has been proven in studies) is that people tend to spend less when they physically feel and see the money leaving their hands. Swiping a card is easy … kissing 100 quarters goodbye may seem like a more serious expense.

The convenience factor for you is built in. You’ve already collected the money so you don’t have to empty your machines. And if you decide to take some time off you don’t have to worry about an unscrupulous employee skimming funds off your profits.

Track Your Business Easier

With cards you can pull up your numbers easily. You know how much you’ve got on the cards you’ve sold, and you can also access the numbers easily if your laundry accepts debit and credit cards since the system is computerized. Accepting debit and credit cards opens up an entire new line of consumer spending. Studies have shown that laundries that use pre-paid cards and accept debit and credit cards bring in more money. Some customers may also “float” a balance on their cards and never use it. This is money in your pocket no matter if they come into your laundry or not since it is already paid for.

Develop an Effective Marketing Plan

You can also build a database of customer contact information for your coin op laundry. This enables you to run specials, send out emails and snail mail for promotions, and provides valuable demographic information about your target audience. For example of your customer base is from the local university you may consider running specials revolving around the campus calendar. A Spring Break special or weekend special may appeal to students. If you have your customer’s demographics on file you can easily formulate an effective, targeted marketing plan.

Transitioning to pre-paid laundry cards and accepting credit and debit cards can help your laundry business to be more profitable and can turn the hard work of operating a coin op laundry into easy money that is as simple as pulling up a spreadsheet on your computer. You may still want to have a few coin operated commercial laundry machines for die hard quarter users, but in the long run you may find laundry cards to be valuable tools in your business which will attract new customers and help your bottom line.