What I am *not* saying on my pricing sign

[Sequoia]

I might have accidentally blundered onto something when laying out my new pricing sign. Maybe others are doing it and I am just catching up?

Except for a single stated price, I am no longer going to document how much time/minutes you get for how much is spent. Here's an example:

Standard Wash - $ 5 for 10 minutes
$3 minimum to start

That's it. No mention of the time provided for anything less than $5.

I will start out by giving 6 minutes for $3. That's .50c per minute-- same price as $5 - 10 minutes. In the future, when I choose, I can back off the $3 startup first to 5 minutes instead of 6, then down to 4 minutes instead of 5. The timer, using bonus time, will let me keep the $5-10 minutes in place at any of these choices.

By not stating $3-xx minutes or $4-xx minutes I wound up with more flexibility in the future.

So, my current price increase requires a sign change; the next two won't.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

I don't have a sign for the SS stating time or price, but I like your idea. You should always reward the big spenders. On my touchfree i have a pricing sign and all the wash prices are $3-4 more than i charge. So I took pin stripe material, and put a line thru that price, and have a vinyl letter to the left of it with the real price, so it looks like its on sale like the gas stations do.

 

[chaz]

Not sure where you are located... but here in Hamilton County, Ohio we are required to post charge per amount of time. This is for vac and bays. sign can be posted in a prominent area like near a change machine...or as I do on each coin meter. The county weights and measures folks test these every year or so and apply a sticker.

 

[rzeavy]

Sequoia
As a customer your sing seems confusing to me.
We put the price/time on the face plate ($21/2 - 4 min.) and underneath the face plate, we have a 10" x 6" sign that itemize increases of increments of .50 cents - time (in blue letters) and $5.00 -10 min. with 2 minutes free time (in red letters)
this is all easy to read and understand and customers clearly see the advantage of starting with $5.00 or adding money until they reach $5.00

 

[Waxman]

My sign says $2 to start.

They don't read the signs!!!!!!!! They do not. Sorry, but it is widely factual.

 

[Sequoia]

Signs

What I really wanted to do was follow Randy's approach and just do $5-10 mins with no options.

But I get some customers who come in just to briefly spray off the grime and slush after a snowmelt. I didn't want to chance losing them.

So I'm instead publicizing only the $5-10mins, but still keeping a $3 start.

 

[Tom Thumb]

My sign says $2.00 to start , accepts quarters,$1.00 and $5.00 bills.
Customers don't read the other signs I have now, if they would I would have less problems .