Here we are… officially 56 weeks into Covid-19 and things finally feel as if they are turning a corner. My kids have returned to school and they are genuinely more cheerful because of it. They have started back at swimming and wrestling and are seeing friends that they haven’t had contact with in over a year. My mom has been vaccinated. We are able to dine and work out indoors. And slowly but surely, The Laundry Room is becoming busier. It is a GREAT feeling!
That said, one of the worst feelings is getting a text from my attendant that the coin machine “out of order” light is on. 95% of the time, it means that the machine has run out of quarters; the other 5% usually indicates some kind of jam. It creates a panic and I know that I have to get to the store as soon as possible to move the quarters out of the washer and dryers and into the coin change machine. While I am thrilled that business is picking up, I realize that it is not sustainable to move quarters between the machines every four to five days.
When I set out to purchase a laundromat, I was determined to buy a cash-only store. One year later, I now I realize a few things:
- it is a lot of manual labor to physically move the quarters,
- I am missing out on a large customer base that prefers to use credit/debit cards,
- If I truly want business to grow, I need a better long-term growth strategy.
A few months ago, I decided that enough was enough and that it was time to invest in a credit card option. I strongly recommend not waiting until the “pain” response hits to make a purchasing decision. But, as I have stated several times on this journey, I am learning! The likelihood of the red “out of order” light coming on while I am actually at the store is minimal to none. So it would require a special trip and don’t forget… I live in Long Beach, 28 miles from The Laundry Room.
Let me remind you that this coin change machine was a substantial investment (see 11/23/20 blog post, “Friday, the 13th of March”) and I rely heavily on it to keep the business rolling. If it doesn’t, my phone starts ringing. Customers need to be able to change their $5, $10 and $20 bills into quarters. If they are not able to, what are they to do? Get upset, go elsewhere, never come back, tell their friends, write a negative review… yikes! Do you see how this is just simply not a long-term solution?
With all of the bright and shiny beautiful and new washers and dryers that were now sitting in The Laundry Room,
I wanted something that was easy for people of every age to use, looked cool and would help me track customer information. Customer service is also a big factor for me! I need the reassurance that a terminal can be fixed or replaced if something goes wrong. After speaking with a few other laundromat owners, I knew what systems I didn’t want. The tricky part became figuring out which option I did want!
FasCard was my choice. It will allow my customers to pay by credit/debit card, dollar bills, coins, loyalty card (gift card) and mobile wallet.
I am excited to see how the implementation of credit and debit card payment options helps the business grow. And selfishly, I am most excited about the idea of not having to panic each time the red “out of order” light comes on because now we will have a solid backup option… or I should say primary option!
Happy Friday, thanks for reading. 🙂 Have a great day and weekend!
