Because it is the holiday season and the best time of year to offer gift cards, I thought this would be a good article to share with our WashCard readers. According an article in GlobeNewswire, Millennials and Gen Z consumers are driving the gift card market growth in the US. They have ever-increasing purchasing power, and therefore are creating demand […]

It may be tough to come up with some cash, but now is the time. There aren’t too many opportunities to basically get something for nothing – but this might be one of those times. The Section 179 Tax Credit program is the way to be able to write 100% of the cost of new equipment off of your 2020 […]

When your best customer is your least favorite customer.There are times in retailing when your very best customers become your least favorite customers. Like, when what you wanted to sell the most of becomes what you sell the most of: Unlimited. Don’t get me wrong. Unlimited car wash programs can be awesome; and they can work. They can create excitement and traffic and build lots […]

When I started my car wash 30 years ago, I built my sales 25 cents at a time. And, I controlled my expenses that way also. Every single nickel I could save in power, water, chemicals and equipment meant more profit and success. Every expense pushed into self-service or out of the operation means more profit – and more opportunity […]

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) outlines lots of procedures for keeping people safe by slowing the spread of COVID. There are loads of examples and plenty of good direction on the CDC website; many specific to retail outlets. Obviously, the CDC offers guidance to retailers when exchanging paper and coin money like: do not touch your face afterward, asking customers to […]

I’m not sure but they need to be paid for doing it. I was talking with my buddy who spent decades in the supermarket business about how new consumer payment technologies cost money and affect transaction costs and margins. I know several car wash owners who are hesitant to use an app to promote their business because of the percentage […]

I never thought I would resist touching a payment key pad in a Target store, want to sanitize my hands after paying for my house paint at Home Depot, or thought twice about keying in my zip code when I am purchasing gasoline. The only “don’t leave home without it” item in my life right now is a pump-dispenser of […]

The car wash industry has long fought the battles of payments and how to build loyalty within a business. Years ago it was the battle to take loyalty cards. And even today, credit cards are not standard across car washes in the US. And now, the latest battle is to go mobile.  Two and a half years ago we wrote […]

Last month, we discussed some ways to start building a successful marketing plan including setting your goals, creating a content repository, and what kinds of items to put into a marketing plan. This month, let’s talk about how to reach each of the content goals and create more followers through your social channels.  The first step though, is choosing which […]

We’re back with another two part series around building successful marketing plans for your car wash. Marketing has been a really hot topic in the car wash industry lately and creating a marketing plan helps you build the habit of getting content ready to be able to share with your followers. Even if you don’t currently have social media or […]