March 2005 - Maytag Commercial Laundry

commercial
From the Dependability People
Volume 47 Number 1
Maytag-equipped
coin store does four
times the business
with no increase in
utility costs!
Owners Denise
and Buddy Amoroso

BIG-LOAD
Maytag ® washers
are ‘big hit’ in
Baton Rouge
2

B
uddy Amoroso had been looking
for a prime location to
build a new self-service commercial
laundry in the Baton Rouge,
Louisiana area for a number of years. “I
own apartment buildings that have
coin-operated equipment in them and
the laundry equipment has made me
good money. I often thought a well-run
coin laundry store would be an attractive
business to be in,” he said.
The challenge was to find a good
location that was affordable. He also
was concerned about the relentless rise
in utility costs. “One thing I learned was
that, in this area, new coin laundries are
required to install a two-inch water line
and pay a $58,000 sewer impact fee
even before they can get a building permit,”
he said. “This was discouraging.”
Things began looking up in late
2004 when Amoroso noticed a For Sale
sign on an older coin laundry in a freestanding
building along busy Evangeline
street on the north side of Baton Rouge
near a large industrial area that includes
This is “before” view
of the 3,000 sq. ft.
Evangeline coin
laundry in Baton
Rouge before the new
owners removed all
the old laundry
equipment and
replaced the units
with energy-saving
Maytag commercial
washers and dryers.
“It’s amazing to see
the difference between
the old and the new,”
said Buddy Amoroso.
oil refining operations. Amoroso invited
George Pierce of Pierce Commercial
Laundry Distributors, the Maytag commercial
laundry distributor serving the
area, to tour the old coin store with
him. “I’ve known and done business
3

Relying on the experience of Pierce,
the store owners installed a mix of 12
ENERGY STAR ® -qualified Maytag ®
Commercial high efficiency front-load
washers, priced at $1.50 a load; 8 35-lb.
Maytag washers at $3.25; 4 50-lb.
Maytag washers at $4.50; and 2 80-lb.
washers at $6.25. All of the washers feature
Super Cycle, which gives customers
the option of adding coins to boost
cleaning power for heavily soiled wash
loads. Super Cycle costs an extra 25
Buddy Amoroso put his trust in George Pierce (left), the Maytag commercial
distributor serving the area. “George has the experience to do a quality job, so I relied
on him and it has paid off,” said Amoroso. The two are shown with one of the two
Maytag 80-lb. multi-load washers in the store.
To announce the major
changes, the owners
distributed thousands of
door hangers and
advertised in area
newspapers. Store
volume has quadrupled
since the changes were
made.
with the Pierce family for years. I trusted
George to give me some straight advice
on the matter,” Amoroso recalled.
The upshot is that the two of them
agreed the location had excellent potential.
The store itself had only about half
of its older washers and dryers in operating
condition, and the store’s interior
had been allowed to run down for a
number of years. “It wasn’t very pretty
to look at,” said Amoroso. “But it had
the size (3,000 sq. ft.) to meet my
expected needs, plus, and this is the
good part, since it was already operating
as a coin-laundry I wouldn’t have to pay
the sewer and water fees, which right
away put me $58,000 ahead of the
game.”
Working with Pierce, Amoroso purchased
the coin laundry and the freestanding
building. He closed the store
for three weeks, and completely gutted
the building. In the process, he upgraded
the mechanical systems and installed
all-new Maytag energy-saving Maytag
commercial laundry equipment. “It’s
amazing to see the difference between
the old and the new,” said Amoroso.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve been
able to do here.”
“As best I can determine,
we’re doing about four
times as much business
as the older store, and
we’re doing this increased
volume without any
increase in the cost of
utilities.”
—Buddy Amoroso
cents per load on the 12 front-load
washers, and 50 or 75 cents on the
multi-load washers. There are 12 30-lb.
Maytag multi-load stack dryers at 8 minutes
for 25 cents, and two 75-lb. Maytag
dryers at $2.50 for 35 minutes.
“I struggled with the recommendation
to put so many multi-load washers
in the coin-store, especially the 80-lb size
but they’ve been a big hit with customers,”
said Amoroso. He also had difficulty
with the recommendation on pricing,
since the vend prices George Pierce
suggested were higher than the competition
in the area. “George was persuasive,
however, and I’m glad I went along
with him. I’ve had few complaints from
customers about the vend prices.”
4

The store features low-maintenance ceramic
floor tile. The 30-lb. Maytag stack dryers are
priced at 25 cents for 8 minutes, while the
75-lb. dryers are $2.50 for 35 minutes.
5

Two of the store’s employees, Store Manager
Diane Smith (left), and Attendant Lionel Deplush
are proud to be a part of the renovated store
put together by Denise and Buddy Amoroso.
After several months of operation,
Amoroso said the business has grown
beyond his expectations. “As best I can
determine, we’re doing about four times
as much business as the older store, and
we’re doing this increased volume without
any increase in the cost of utilities.
This means four times the business with
no increase in utility expense. That’s an
incredible story.”
Amoroso cites the efficiency of his
new Maytag washers and dryers for the
savings. “I’m amazed at how many customers
come in and walk directly to the
big-load machines. They bring in lots of
laundry and load up the machines and
get a lot of laundry done in a hurry for a
very affordable price. It’s great for them,
and it’s great for my business because I’m
using a lot less water and energy to wash
and dry the bigger loads.”
Open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily,
the fully attended Evangeline Maytagequipped
coin store offers both dry
cleaning and drop-off laundry service.
The attendants live in the area “and they
do a great job keeping things spotless
and orderly,” said Amoroso. Drop-off
laundry is priced at $1 a pound. He
hopes to build up the drop-off laundry
business by appealing to commercial
accounts in the area. The store already
does laundry for several small businesses
in the neighborhood, including thrift
clothing stores and barber and beauty
shops.
Most of the store’s customers come
from a two-mile radius, which includes
dozens of large apartment complexes. To
attract new customers, Amoroso distributed
thousands of door hangers and
advertised with inserts in area newspapers
at a cost of $175 per thousand. The
store offers customers a coupon to dry
up to 20 pounds of laundry free on a first
6

In selecting equipment for the store, the owners decided to go with a mix that included 15 Maytag multi-load washers. “The bigload
washers are proving to be very popular with our customers, so I’m glad I made the investment,” said Amoroso.
visit to the coin store.
The air-conditioned store features
snack and soda machines and a lounge area
with television. There are no video games
to keep the focus on the laundry operations.
The floor is low-maintenance ceramic
tile, with attractive decorating on the walls,
plus plenty of windows at the front of the
store for security and to bring in natural
lighting.
“I’m very pleased with my remodeled
and re-equipped store,” said Amoroso. “It
took me a while to get into the coin-store
business, but with the help of George
Pierce and his staff, I’m off to a great start.”
12
8
4
2
12
2
The Maytag Mix:
ENERGY STAR ® -qualified Maytag ® Commercial Neptune ®
washers at $1.50 a load ($1.75 with Super Cycle)
35-lb. Maytag washers at $3.25 a load
($3.75 with Super Cycle)
50-lb. Maytag washers at $4.50 a load
($5.00 with Super Cycle)
80-lb. Maytag washers at $6.25 a load
($7.00 with Super Cycle)
30-lb. Maytag multi-load stack dryers
at $0.25 for 8 minutes
75-lb. Maytag dryers at $2.50 for 35 minutes
7

Grab your share of the savings!
Factory Rebates
up to $ 300
on select Maytag ® coin-store
laundry models and sizes
Hurry!
Limited Time
Offers
8

$
150
REBATE
$
200
REBATE
$
150
REBATE
$
100
REBATE
Offer valid May 1
to July 31, 2005
MODEL
REBATE AMOUNT
$
300
REBATE
MFR35MCAVS* $300
MFR50MCAVS* $300
MFR80PDAVS $300
MDG76PCBWW/S $200
MFR50PDAVS $200
MFR50PDATS $200
MDG50PCCWW* $150
Contact your
area Maytag
Commercial
Laundry
distributor
to place your
order today!
$
150
REBATE
MLG32PDBWW/S/Q* $150
MLG31PCBWS* $150
MLG33PDAWW/S** $150
MFR35PDATS $150
MFR35PDAVS $150
MFR25PDATS $100
MFR25PDAVS $100
MDG30PCCWW/Q* $100
*Limited to inventory on hand.
**Available to ship in 3rd Quarter.
In Canada, see you distributor for rebates.
9

EQUIPPED
G
M A Y T A G
Dress your store for success!
Put the power of the Maytag ®
brand to work in your operation
Maytag ® Equipped Laundry Back-Lit Window Sign
Order No. CL226
WESTOWN COIN
DROP-OFF
SERVICE
AVAILABLE
WESTOWN COIN
EQUIPPED
WESTOWN COIN
Ol’ Lonely ® Circle Wall Clock
Order No. CL640
EQUIPPED
WESTOWN COIN
10
Maytag ® Equipped Laundry
Custom Exterior Signs
A variety of custom exterior signage
is available — call for details.
For pricing and ordering information, contact your area
Maytag Commercial Laundry distributor. Find your
distributor at www.MaytagCommercialLaundry.com

You're Covered!
The Industry's Best Warranty
Maytag-equipped coin store owners now have one more
thing to smile about. Maytag’s best-in-the-industry fiveyear
warranty program covers all parts on most new Maytag ®
commercial laundry models including:
■
■
■
■
■
Maytag ® Commercial high-efficiency front-load washers
and high-efficiency front-load stack washer/dryers
Maytag ® Commercial top-load washers
Maytag ® Commercial coin-operated multi-load washers
Maytag ® single-load dryers and Commercial stacked
dryers
Maytag ® Commercial coin-operated multi-load dryers
and Maytag Dependable Care ® Commercial multi-load
stacked dryers
For complete warranty details, visit the Maytag Commercial
website at: www.MaytagCommercialLaundry.com
11

Maytag Commercial Products
403 W. 4th St. N.
Newton, Iowa 50208
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
NEWTON, IA
PERMIT NO. 1
Peace of mind!
The industry’s
strongest
warranty
continues.
Factory Rebates Up to
$300 on Select Maytag ®
Washers and Dryers
See See page details, 2. pages 8-9.
commercial
Published four times a year by Maytag for owners of Maytag
commercial laundry equipment in the United States, Canada and foreign
countries. For further information or address changes, write
Commercial Publications, Maytag, 403 W. 4th St. N., Newton, Iowa
50208. Phone 641-787-8254.
See the details, page 11.
Copyright 2005
Printed in U.S.A.