Does an unattended Coin Operated Dog Wash Business make sense?
by Bill KellyThere have been many comparisons between a coin operated car wash business and a coin operated car dog wash business. The initial feeling, for those not familiar with it, is once the structure and equipment is in place all they need to do is stop by once in a while and pick up all that money. In reality, of course, this does not work well in either industry. No business runs itself. For example when a car wash is left mostly unattended, almost without exception, it will sustain more damage and theft, have more trash around, be dirtier and fall into disrepair much quicker. Chances are youve seen a business or two like this in your time. Its just human nature. When no one is watching the average person tends to not act in the best possible manner.
It can be worse for an unattended coin operated dog wash. With a dog wash there are the issues of cleaning and sanitizing to be considered. At a car wash the dirt and grime simply falls to the floor and eventually gets to a drain. At a dog wash tub drains must be maintained to keep them free of hair and fur. If a drain clogs the tub will fill with water and no one is going to pay to use a clogged up tub. Dogs being dogs there will be accidents of a biological nature that simply must be cleaned up and sanitized immediately. Can you image a dog accident sitting on the floor of your business, or in a tub, for an entire day? Beyond the obvious safety issues no customer will return to your business after walking in on that. A smelly, dirty, unattended dog wash is not going to attract or keep customers for very long.
Another issue to consider is the possible misuse of your property when someone is not onsite. In the case of a small enclosed dog wash use your imagination to guess what some unscrupulous people might do. Perhaps they may use your dog wash tub and trash cans to clean some fish they have recently caught. Maybe they would bring in a bucket or two of chemicals that are expensive to dispose of legally and simply pour them down your drains. In one case I heard someone simply brought in several bags of trash and a few old car batteries and left them in the business. You can imagine what else might happen.
Finally there is the issue of safety for your customers, both human and canine, and reducing your legal liability. By having a staffed business you will be able to address safety and cleanliness concerns as they happen. When a tub clogs you can clean the drain before there is a mess. If a water pipe breaks you can address it quickly. If a floor mat rolls up and creates a tripping hazard you can quickly fix the situation. How is it going to look if a dangerous situation existed at your business for hours before someone got hurt?
I think you get the point Im trying to make and obviously we could go on and on covering all the different possible negatives to running an unattended business. Theres nothing to say that there is not a way to make it work however there do seem to be an awful lot of possible negatives.
Bill is fascinated by the pet care and dog wash business. Did you know that we spend over $40 Billion a year on our pets? $40 Billion! Follow along as Bill chases some of that money on OpenaCarWash.com.Article submitted Tuesday, March 03, 2009 & read 40 times.
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