Some Simple Tips for Changing Your Laundrys Customer Image

September is a good month to get ready for the coming busy time for most laundries. Kids, for the most part, are back in school and -business is already getting better. The best way to take advantage of the coming upsurge in business is to begin making simple changes so that your laundry''s appearance doesn''t become stale and boring to your regular clientele. One idea is the use of artwork that can be hung on the walls. In every area there are artists who are looking for places to display their works and possibly sell them. Of course having the place attended allows you to do that without art theft on a minor scale. This idea provides free decoration for your laundry and it gives your clientele something to see while they are waiting for washers to wash and dryers to dry. It helps eliminate the natural boredom most customers feel while they are at the laundry. It also can bring in a little extra income from the commission you will be charging the artist for selling their paintings and other art. The source for such paintings and other form of art can be a local college, art clubs and classes. It may take you a few phone calls to find the right sources. Usually when you tell someone that you are willing to handle and display their artwork, you will have willing takers. Doing so lets you have an ever changing image because your walls will become an attraction for those who like to decide on the worth of someone else''s art. It might not quite change each week, but it does change and that will help keep your clientele coming back. Don''t expect to have high priced stuff on the walls, because that won''t sell to the type of demographic that frequent laundries. Have artists offer only those items of theirs they can sell at a low price. The commissions are not going to be too good per item, but it will all add up at the end of the year. Another benefit of this activity in a laundry is the amount of publicity it can bring. Local newspapers and television stations, if they know about it, like to carry items about local artists and the businesses where they hang their art. That can bring publicity for the laundry, its owner and the artist too. Such publicity can help bring in outsiders into the laundry to view the art. It helps bring people who might not normally come there. When they learn of your service a small percentage will end up bringing in business. By the way, the same idea holds true for photo clubs and other hobby groups. Anything people want to display, and sell, will work. Among the other simple ways to improve a laundry''s image is the use of plants, either real and growing, or fake ones. These tend to give a laundry a homey look that almost everyone will like. Potted plants look good on washer bulkheads and small artificial trees make an otherwise ugly corner look interesting. This really works well when you are attended, otherwise the plants tend to be lifted out of the place by customers. There is also some extra work involved for either you or your attendants. Artificial plants require cleaning to stay looking good. There is also some small cash outlay to buy the plants. Of course you know that you must first, thoroughly clean your machines so they look as good as new. Touch up painting, especially on top load front panels, will give the impression of a new place. Front loader fronts and tops should be bright and shiny and stainless steel portions shined as well. Clean the bulkheads and spend time bringing the floors to the best they can be. Other than the newest laundry facilities, most can use a little touch up paint here and there. It helps keep a laundry looking new, and be inviting to customers.