Incremental vend pricing proves to be a huge advantage within the laundry industry. This strategy enables owners to increase their pricing by an amount less than the traditional quarter. When utility rates increase, laundromat owners can take advantage of incremental vend pricing by slightly increasing the cost of their washers. This increase not only helps to offset the increase in utility expenses, but also helps owners in other areas of their business strategy.

Here are just a few of the advantages to utilizing incremental pricing in your laundromat:

Little to No Customer Pushback

Because incremental pricing can mean increases in vend price by just a few pennies, customers don’t feel the weight of the rising utility costs. Consumers remain satisfied and therefore loyal to their trusted laundromat. While other laundromats may notice pushback as their customers’ pockets get heavier due increasing costs, LaundryCard members often don’t notice the change. Incremental pricing helps to not only retain loyal customers, but also attracts new consumers in the market.

“By raising prices consistently but in small increments, we get very little pushback from customers and most don’t even notice. This allows us to keep ahead of utility and other cost increases. Our competition has to raise by an entire quarter which provides us with a competitive advantage.”
– Bill Norteman, Chicago Area Laundromat Owner

A Competitive Edge

Incremental pricing allows for a competitive edge in a saturated marketplace. As the cost of water continues to rise, laundromat owners must look for ways to counteract increases in utilities. Typically this looks like an increase in the cost of the laundromat’s services. While traditional laundromats must increase their machines in increments of $.25, LaundryCard owners can increase their cost of service by much less. This slight increase in vend price allows LaundryCard owners to remain competitive in the market as an affordable solution to the customers needs.

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Less Limitations

When asked what trends are quickly evolving, Karl Hinrichs, president of HK Laundry Equipment, Inc., responded saying,

“Laundry card systems are the way of the future. The biggest evolutionary jump is eliminating the quarter. With card operated laundromats, there is no limit to the number of laundromats you can operate and you can spend your time focusing on managing your business rather than processing quarters.”
– Karl Hinrichs, President of HK Laundry Equipment, Inc.

Card systems allow customers the freedom of a quarter-less pocket, and allow owners the ability to focus on their business as a whole rather than counting quarters. Limitations to pricing, loyalty programs, growth, and management are all removed as a card system like LaundryCard is implemented.

See how much a small increase in your prices can affect your bottom line and offset rising utility costs by using our profit calculator.

Karl Hinrichs has been in the commercial laundry business since 1980 and is the president of HK Laundry Equipment, Inc. Since 1967, HK Laundry Equipment, Inc. has been serving New York and Connecticut with laundry equipment, service and repair and training and support. HK Laundry Equipment, Inc. is a distributor of CCI’s FasCard and LaundryCard systems.

How did you get involved in the commercial laundry industry?

In 1967, my father and neighbor formed a partnership equipping stores with washers. When I was 13 years old, I would bring my toolbox up there, and by the time I was 16 years old, I was out fixing the machines. In 1980, I was working as a chemist and my father made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I went to work with him and I have not looked back. I’ve now been in the business for 36 years.

What are the challenges that laundromats are facing today?

The biggest challenge is maintaining profitability with the increase in water and sewer rates. Water and sewer costs have become a very expensive utility expense for laundromats. Many water supply and sewer improvements have caused huge capital costs that local towns and counties have passed along to water consumers. Laundromats are one of the biggest consumers of water and are at the mercy of local water municipalities and their water rates. To maintain profitability, laundromats need to keep an extra eye on their expenses and increase vend prices accordingly. 

What major trends are you noticing in the laundromat industry today?

More and more people are going to a cashless society. This month I saw a study come out that said over 50% of transactions are now electronic. The time spent in coin laundromats emptying quarters out of the machines, counting them, and filling bill changers two to three times per week is very non-productive. Until you go to an alternative payment system, you are going to max out at 12-16 stores, because after that you are running around processing quarters all day long. 

What trends do you see for the future?

Laundry card systems are the way of the future. The biggest evolutionary jump is eliminating the quarter. There is a high initial entry price, however, laundromats save money and time in the long run and the operator doesn’t need to physically run the store. With card operated laundromats, there is no limit to the number of laundromats you can operate and you can spend your time focusing on managing your business rather than processing quarters.

What are your thoughts about laundromats using incremental vend pricing with card systems in order to be able to raise a vend price by a few pennies instead of a quarter? 

I like it. I’ve done it with pennies but I actually prefer nickel incremental pricing. Incremental vend pricing is a huge advantage of implementing LaundryCard over FasCard, because you are able to increase your pricing by an amount less than a quarter. When your water rates go up, you can take advantage of incremental vend pricing by increasing the cost of your washers to help you absorb the increase in utility expenses. 

What’s the best way today for a laundromat to increase the value of their laundromat business?

Investing in a card laundromat system. You know exactly up front what the revenue is for the store and operating that card store is much easier. With coin operated stores, you have to be there at least 2-3x per week. With a card store, all you need is a trusted individual to collect the paper receipts because you know your true business numbers and exactly how much is in there. When you’re buying a business, it’s based on profitability. You can increase the value of a laundromat by increasing the multiple at which the store is valued. If your store has laundry equipment with a card system, then you are increasing the multiple because the store is worth more. The more automated and hands free you can make your laundromat, the higher the multiplier of the profit and the higher the value of the store. A card laundromat is an investor rich system whereas a coin laundromat is an owner operated system. 

What advice would you give a new store owner just getting into the laundry business?

I would suggest doing as much research as possible. A laundromat business is capital intensive and you really want to make sure you have the best distributor, equipment and location. You want to partner with a distributor who has been around at least 10-15 years, knows the area, and knows about running a laundromat.