Are your retail customers scaling back?

[your_good_sons]

I do a retail store that is carpeted, a beauty supply shop. If you went back 10 years ago, we had a chain in this market and one independent. As best as I can determine, there are 8 of them today if you count a barber supply. You go out of my market and there aren't many, not much market for the product outside the urban areas.
I clean the carpet in one, about 900 sf, four times a year. They are an independent that opened in 2005 in a 400 sf store. When I first got them, in 2011, they were in a 2,000 sf store that was half salon, half store. I actually did the "move out" cleaning in the old store as well as the "move in" cleaning in the new one the same week. The 400 sf store they were once in I cleaned once not long ago. It has been empty about 5 years.

Three times a year I bonnet clean and in the spring I do hot water extraction. This is nothing. The HWE is under $150 and I'm done in like 90 minutes. The bonnet cleaning is just over $100 and it takes maybe an hour.
This week they call me in to bonnet clean. I say you mean HWE? All that snow and salt build up. No, money is tight. They have to save $50 right now. They don't expect to need me again until this time next year for a bonnet cleaning. There is no way I can get away with bonnet cleaning a carpet that has been neglected for a year. I haven't even said that.
I'm just blown away by the need to save such a small amount of money. Retailers in particular seem to be holding back.

 

[Russ T.]

They are COSTING themselves $. Regular and thorough maintenance is key to saving $ in the long run. You have to educate them.


The Clean Machine

 

[steve_64]

ive got quite a few skipping cleaning that is obviously needed. many have already gone out of business.

 

[thecleaningdude]

I see this happening as well. What I also see happening even more often is the outright abandonment of carpet. Many big chains, restaurants and retail, are hard surface of one form or another. Payless Shoe Source, T-Mobile, etc. have scrapped carpet.

Many still have carpet of course, but it seems like less and less of the remodels and new construction.

I do a retail store that is carpeted, a beauty supply shop. If you went back 10 years ago, we had a chain in this market and one independent. As best as I can determine, there are 8 of them today if you count a barber supply. You go out of my market and there aren't many, not much market for the product outside the urban areas.
I clean the carpet in one, about 900 sf, four times a year. They are an independent that opened in 2005 in a 400 sf store. When I first got them, in 2011, they were in a 2,000 sf store that was half salon, half store. I actually did the "move out" cleaning in the old store as well as the "move in" cleaning in the new one the same week. The 400 sf store they were once in I cleaned once not long ago. It has been empty about 5 years.

Three times a year I bonnet clean and in the spring I do hot water extraction. This is nothing. The HWE is under $150 and I'm done in like 90 minutes. The bonnet cleaning is just over $100 and it takes maybe an hour.
This week they call me in to bonnet clean. I say you mean HWE? All that snow and salt build up. No, money is tight. They have to save $50 right now. They don't expect to need me again until this time next year for a bonnet cleaning. There is no way I can get away with bonnet cleaning a carpet that has been neglected for a year. I haven't even said that.
I'm just blown away by the need to save such a small amount of money. Retailers in particular seem to be holding back.

 

[BLewis]

Just received a call last week that one of our clients (3 units) moving from monthly cleaning to every 6 weeks. Same story they are cutting back expenses. Wait till minimum wage kicks in!

i told them price will go up because we will have to spend more time to get same results and more cleaning agents.

 

[your_good_sons]

My local Kohls did a light remodel last fall. They are about 50% brand new carpet and about 50% tile. I wish I could get that one...
Here in NY, we just went to $8 per hour. My nephew is a typical retail worker. Been at the same place going on 5 years, never worked more than 20-25 hours a week (it would cramp his lifestyle). A T shirt store in the mall where he's the creepy old guy now.
He's 29, lives at home, doesn't even have a driver's license. He he worked for me 3-4 days before I fired him. Took him 3 years to go from $7.25 per hour to $8 per hour, given the title "keyholder". This means he has to work at least four 6 hour shifts per week. Believe me, this is "exhausting" for him and cutting into his life too much.
He deeply resents the minimum wage increase. Took him nearly 4 years to make it to $8 per hour. They were giving him 10-15¢ raises the first 3 years. People who are slackers like him, all of the sudden get $8??? He's pissed. With "all his extra responsibilities" he only makes $8.20 per hour this year. He's lucky to have a job. Retail is going online more and more. The only growth in my market for retail the past 2-3 years has been Dollar General. Low end retail. I've been to both DG's in my city several times. I am convinced they don't even dust mop their VCT let alone wax it. I call myself a carpet cleaner, but probably 50% of my revenue comes from VCT, strip and wax, scrub and recoat, burnish, etc. I do a lot of small places, dirt cheap. A good amount are cutting back.

 

[GCCLee]

Im fighting a salon now. 5 stores each take about 45min so we always jus HWE.

Getting fiesty!


Sent from da parking garage of dee detention center

 

[your_good_sons]

I don't know any salon with carpet. I am doing a scrub and recoat at one tonight. They have VCT, but better ones have tile. I have one that is simulated wood, vinyl plank that I just clean with a red pad on my autoscrubber weekly.

 

[Russ T.]

I think Peter was right about retail moving more online. My own buying habits reflects this. Heck, I bought Fels Naptha off eBay last week.


The Clean Machine

 

[Shane Deubell]

Yeah, since the day i started in this racket 1995....

Retail has always been cut throat, the bottom line is consumers will drive an extra 3 miles in order to save $1.

 

[jwfoulk12]

A lot of my government funded customers have cut back this last year as there funding has been cut. I really felt that as they were some of my best accounts and have gone from quarterly to once a year.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Dollar General is ditching VCT and going with polished concrete on most new stores.

 

[WillS]

Definitely educate them on how regular cleaning will keep their carpet healthier, cleaner longer. Best way to sell it.