A natural profit center for the express car wash

by Becky Kube

Vending is the natural fit for an additional profit center for express car wash operators. Products are always available and no attendant is needed. Whether the operator uses an attractive decal on a stainless steel vending machine or a glass-front model, the products sell themselves. The decisions for the express operator are the purchase of a change machine, which products to vend, the vend price point and the type vending machine.

Low Price

Price point is the first decision to make and goes hand in hand with whether a change machine is available. Express washes utilize an auto cashier at the point of entry and minimal personnel. In the absence of an attendant to make change for customers or a change machine, no product should be sold with a vend price greater than $1 and the vending items should be adjacent to the vacuums. The express operator in this scenario is depending upon the customer to have quarters available to purchase items.

Basic Products

Only three to four items should be considered; window wipes, a cloth or paper towel, a hanging air freshener, and possibly a tire dressing or protectant. This is the starting point for every car wash that vends and in many cases the only items that are really needed. These are “the basics.” All of these items vend for $1 or less and are readily available from distributors of vending items.

Best Vend Method

By limiting vending to a few items under $1, single-column stainless steel vending machines are the best vend method as well as the least expensive route. Mechanical single-column vending machine prices range from $330 to $360 and a single triple-column vending machine costs about $730. For the express operator wanting to move a large number of customers through the vacuum area as quickly as possible, three of these items vending less than or equal to $1 is perfect. These machines mount on any wall or light post with a mounting bracket and are easy to service.

Multiply Products & Profits

If the express operator is interested in offering a greater quantity and variety of vending items or vending items that sell for more than $1, two options are available. The first is the purchase of a change machine and/or a credit card changer combination. Credit card changers and change machines not only allow the sale of items greater than $1, they promote multiple purchases. Change machines need to be installed where rear access to the machine is available for the express operator as well as convenient and visible placement for the customer. Prices range from a low of $2,400 up to $6,000.

The second option for the express operator is a credit card and/or change machine which is a component of the vending machine. These machines accept a variety of bill values or can accept credit cards as well as dollar bills. There are several freestanding electronic vending machines available that accept bills and credit cards. The top-of-the-line vending combination is a vending machine which accepts dollar bills and credit cards, and can dispense from 12 to 60 products.

In this scenario, multiple price points for the same vending item can be found. An example of this is the towel. The original vending towel was cellulose wood pulp or “paper” and sold for 25 or 50 cents. This single item was the bread and butter of vending at self-serve washes for years. Later synthetic towels made of polypropylene became available. These were better, more heavy-duty, and sold for 50 to 75 cents. The energy involved in selling towels at these low prices is such that there is not a lot of profit. Today’s towels are manufactured from 100 percent woven cotton, terry cloth and microfiber and sell between $1 and $2. Microfiber towels are the most recent addition to the towel market. Because of its absorbency it cleans well with just water, without the use of chemicals, and sells for at least $2. It is also very safe; not damaging to cars.

Multiple price points for the same vending item are true for spray pump bottles of glass cleaner and moist towelette glass wipes, as well as shaped hanging cardboard fragrances and spray pump bottles of fragrance.

Vending provides the express car wash operator with a free-standing electronic vending machine the ability to sell multiple products at a variety of price points, versus three to four products in single machines. Both provide the express car wash operator with an excellent additional profit center.

Becky Kube is president and co-owner of Q.B. Enterprises Inc., Culpeper, Va. She joined Q.B. Enterprises in January of 1989 as co-owner, and soon trademarked the “Quick Dry” brand. Q.B. Enterprises is probably known best as the company that introduced the “Quick Dry Cotton Towel” to the vending market in 1983. It also distributes vending machines. For more information visit the company’s Web site at www.quickdrytowels.com or e-mail becky@quickdrytowels.com.