Youngian wrote: ↑Wed Nov 05, 2025 9:07 am
The rise of hand car wash places is an interesting case study for business students. This has been a mechanised sector for over half a century and along come humans to offer a slightly pricier value add service carrying out a much better job than car wash machines.
A few remain as a bunch of blokes with a hose and cloth but you can see rapid professionalsation of these outfits.
As for deserted barbers, the police follow the money upwards so its not in their interest to shut down replaceable minnows that supply the leads. They close down when Mr Big is nicked.
Don't Reform voters watch cop shows?
Still baffled as to why these barber shops are worthwhile as a money laundering operation. Aren't bank managers potentially breaking the law for not flagging up large cash deposits?
How much is too large for a one man barber every week? I don't think turning a blind eye to £9,999 in cash deposited every Thursday because its technically not illegal, will wash anymore (unintended pun but a good one).
With car washes, that's a great example of added value coming from unexpected places.
Imagine you're using an automated wash at a filling station. You have to park your car (hoping you're not blocking anyone), go into the store, buy a ticket, move your car round to the wash (maybe having to loop round back onto the road to do so), hope your ticket scans, and then sit through the wash unable to stop it if it rips off your wipers or wing mirrors. Any problem is hard to rectify, and may be expensive to fix. And it's pretty impersonal.
On the other hand, a fiver for 15 or 20 minutes of personal attention at the hand car wash. You do the sums - three or four basic washes an hour, even with the kickback to the boss, it's still beating minimum wage. You're sitting in your car as people pore over it and you can see they're doing a good job, trying to impress you. There might be a fit guy/girl in very short shorts if you're lucky. Your car (which is an extension of you) isn't just getting a wash - it's getting
pampered.
You're paying for the experience, the feeling of being waited on, of being the most important person there.
Onto barber shops. Many are cash only, with a pretty opaque pricing structure. Lack of English as a first language and basic barbershop etiquette mean that you can easily upsell a basic haircut to a haircut and wash, or a shave, or whatever else. Couple of quid each time, it adds up. Selling of "product" as well - when did you last see price tags on those things? And again, because you're getting a generally good and competent service, you don't mind a small bit of pisstaking. Besides, a round £15.00 is easier to pay - no need to sort the change.
In both cases, the experience is the draw, rather than the purchase.
- By The Weeping Angel
- By Malcolm Armsteen