OK, so everyone’s pinching pennies these days … we get it. And OK, so everything seems to cost too much for what you actually get … understood. We’re all in the same boat: we’re tired of increasing prices accompanied by decreasing service and quality. It stinks. It isn’t right. And yet it’s prevalent.
Only wait, wait, wait! Let’s not completely jump the gun here. There are some places where your money still purchases real value – where it can go a long way, and where you can really get a bang for your buck. It’s not all doom and gloom out there, really. And while you may find this hard to believe, a professional car wash is one of those purchases (at least in Tucson … and OK, at least at Metro Car Wash).
First of all, I’d like to point out the results of a little research I did. I took a look at what prices have done for various products since the year 2000 (around the time Metro Car Wash just got rolling in the Old Pueblo). The information is eye opening, but it can also give you stomach cramps too. In just 10 years …
The average cost of a movie ticket went from $5.39 to $7.89 (an increase of 46%).
The average cost of gas increased by 70% per gallon.
The average price of eggs increased by over $1.50 per dozen (who knew chickens had this type of bargaining power?).
The price of milk increased by 11%, a US stamp by 33%, and coffee and tea by 100%.
What makes matters even worse, is that the Median Household Income only increased by 26% in that same time (making these prices even more expensive on a relative basis).
Not news to jump for joy about, obviously. Actually, rather depressing. The kind of thing that might really be a buzz kill … unless, of course, you spend money at Metro Car Wash (you just knew I’d get back to this).
Since 2000, here’s what we’ve done:
The price of our Express Wash (exterior only) is still $3.99. In 10 years, it hasn’t changed one single bit.
The price of our Uptown Metro Wash (your car cleaned inside and out, tire shine, clear coat protection, etc.) has gone from $17.99 to $12.99, a decrease of 28%.
And the average price of a Metro Detail is now $35, down 22% from where it was 10 years ago!
And to be fair: most of the other car washes in town have kept their prices low too. As a Tucson service, getting a car wash is cheap. It’s cheap compared to other places in the country and it’s cheap compared to prices of 10 years ago (something that is rather amazing when one considers increases in Minimum Wage, power costs and utility costs).
Put simply, a car wash is a great value.
OK, you say, But I still need to pinch pennies, and a car wash isn’t necessary.
In defense of this, I’ve already written a blog about why washing your car is important (you can link to it here), including protecting the resale value of your auto investment. But assuming you understand that keeping your car clean is actually important (like brushing your teeth and washing your clothes), you might be inclined to say you can still do it yourself (and save money).
Here’s what we have to say to that:
The average time that it takes for a person to wash their car in their driveway is between 1 to 1 ½ hours. It should also be noted that this task is most often undertaken when you have 1 to 1 ½ hours of free time, like the weekend (which means this is 1 to 1 ½ hours of your precious weekend not spent playing with the kids, watching the game, or golfing).
At Metro Car Wash, our Uptown Metro Wash takes 15 to 20 minutes and we offer free coffee and free Wi-Fi while you wait (free coffee, even though its price has increased by 100%!). Not only this, but you’ll be getting specially formulated soap and wax that protects your paint, something you aren’t getting in your driveway (unless you spend more time and money).
Additionally, the average driveway washer uses 77 gallons of water to wash a single car (hard to believe, I know. But true). The average professional car wash, on the other hand, uses almost half of that (approximately 45 gallons per car). And at Metro, we actually recycle this water and use it to irrigate landscaping and wash more cars.
So, this is good news, right? At least we like to think it is.
Sometimes its good to step back and think about the value in the products you buy, to slap yourself on the back for not wasting money and being a savvy buyer. And if you’re a user of a professional car wash, then slap yourself on the back again because:
You’re maintaining the resale value of your investment, while looking good at the same time; you’re doing this while spending at levels less than ten years ago; and you’re managing to save time and the environment simultaneously.
How can that not be a valuable purchase?
Feel good about your purchase, folks. And stay clean my friends!
--DJ DripDry
A blog from a Tucson car wash: observations of a community.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Be Aware of Check Fraud
I’m writing something a little different this week, but I think it’s worth discussing.
At the outset of establishing this blog, we said we wanted this to be a place for us to communicate with our customers as well as Tucson in general. We said we wanted to discuss our business honestly (Metro Car Wash), as well as our customers, our community, and the interesting stories that might come from a group of individuals that love to wash cars under the desert sun.
Unfortunately, not all those stories are good ones. This is one of the bad ones.
This past week, Metro Car Wash had the very unpleasant experience of being a victim of Check Fraud (we got robbed of over $4,000). Ugly as it was, I thought it might be good to share our story. Once you understand what these crooks are doing, you might be shocked to find out just how vulnerable all of us (businesses and individuals) actually are to this form of theft.
Our story started off when we got a call from our local bank letting us know that our Petty Cash Account was overdrawn. This was quite a surprise. In addition to being a good car wash, we’re pretty good at keeping our books clean too. You can imagine my shock, then, when I went on-line and saw a negative balance of $3,000 (I’ll let you imagine the words that were spoken/shouted while my heart rate exploded and I pounded my fists on the table).
After my eyes rolled back into focus and my breath became manageable again, I noticed that there were four checks debited from my account that I didn’t remember writing. I clicked “view” and discovered why I didn’t remember writing them: I didn’t.
The checks weren’t Metro’s actual checks. They were generic business checks with the name Metro Car Wash on the top, but the wrong address underneath. The banking information on the bottom of the checks (the routing and account numbers) were also ours, but the names of the individuals the checks were written to were no one we knew. Furthermore, the check was signed by Pete Carroll (yup, the same name as the current coach of the Seattle Seahawks … I doubted it was the actual guy); in other words: not an authorized signer. I looked on the back of the check copies; all of the checks had been cashed at approximately the same time.
Since then, I’ve spent my time closing bank accounts, reconciling accounts, filing police reports, and generally walking around in a lousy mood. Oh, and I’ve learned how easy it is for someone to do this.
Here’s the skinny:
All someone needs to rob you is a copy of your check, a computer, and a printer.
Do you write payroll checks? Do you write checks to vendors? The pizza delivery guy?
Then your account number and routing number are out there.
All someone has to do is write these numbers down and take them home. Then, in front of their computer, they can actually download Check Writing Software for free. They place business checks they purchased at an office supply store into their printer, they input their name and the dollar amount they believe they deserve (typically a reasonable paycheck amount so as to not draw attention), and press: PRINT.
The check is made out to them, so they don’t have a problem cashing it; they show their real ID, collect their money (your money) and take their sweetie out for a nice dinner courtesy of you (they at least hopefully toast you for your generosity).
It’s as simple as that. I wish I was kidding.
And here’s the really disturbing thing: my bank didn’t even bother to press charges. They actually told me not waste my time either (I didn’t listen to their advice). They said this happens all the time. It is what it is in the banking world I guess.
So, OK … what do you do now? How do you protect yourself?
The truth is, depending on your bank, you may not be able to. Larger banks, like Chase, have some interesting on-line Fraud Protection Tools they’ve just rolled out, but smaller banks still rely on the chance of noticing when signatures don’t match (you can see how well that worked for us).
My bank told me: you should review your accounts every day.
The detective I’m working with gave me this advice: Don’t write checks. He was serious.
We’re now looking at switching our payroll to debit cards (rather than cutting checks).
I guess I don’t have a happy ending to this story, but I do hope it helps some of you avoid what happened to us. It’s a scary world out there and I’d like to think we can use tools like this blog to help each other out.
Until next time, stay clean my friends (and keep an eye on your check balance). Oh, and if you see a suspicious looking thug toasting a glass of Champagne and thanking Metro for his bonus, please let us know!
-DJ DripDry
At the outset of establishing this blog, we said we wanted this to be a place for us to communicate with our customers as well as Tucson in general. We said we wanted to discuss our business honestly (Metro Car Wash), as well as our customers, our community, and the interesting stories that might come from a group of individuals that love to wash cars under the desert sun.
Unfortunately, not all those stories are good ones. This is one of the bad ones.
This past week, Metro Car Wash had the very unpleasant experience of being a victim of Check Fraud (we got robbed of over $4,000). Ugly as it was, I thought it might be good to share our story. Once you understand what these crooks are doing, you might be shocked to find out just how vulnerable all of us (businesses and individuals) actually are to this form of theft.
Our story started off when we got a call from our local bank letting us know that our Petty Cash Account was overdrawn. This was quite a surprise. In addition to being a good car wash, we’re pretty good at keeping our books clean too. You can imagine my shock, then, when I went on-line and saw a negative balance of $3,000 (I’ll let you imagine the words that were spoken/shouted while my heart rate exploded and I pounded my fists on the table).
After my eyes rolled back into focus and my breath became manageable again, I noticed that there were four checks debited from my account that I didn’t remember writing. I clicked “view” and discovered why I didn’t remember writing them: I didn’t.
The checks weren’t Metro’s actual checks. They were generic business checks with the name Metro Car Wash on the top, but the wrong address underneath. The banking information on the bottom of the checks (the routing and account numbers) were also ours, but the names of the individuals the checks were written to were no one we knew. Furthermore, the check was signed by Pete Carroll (yup, the same name as the current coach of the Seattle Seahawks … I doubted it was the actual guy); in other words: not an authorized signer. I looked on the back of the check copies; all of the checks had been cashed at approximately the same time.
Since then, I’ve spent my time closing bank accounts, reconciling accounts, filing police reports, and generally walking around in a lousy mood. Oh, and I’ve learned how easy it is for someone to do this.
Here’s the skinny:
All someone needs to rob you is a copy of your check, a computer, and a printer.
Do you write payroll checks? Do you write checks to vendors? The pizza delivery guy?
Then your account number and routing number are out there.
All someone has to do is write these numbers down and take them home. Then, in front of their computer, they can actually download Check Writing Software for free. They place business checks they purchased at an office supply store into their printer, they input their name and the dollar amount they believe they deserve (typically a reasonable paycheck amount so as to not draw attention), and press: PRINT.
The check is made out to them, so they don’t have a problem cashing it; they show their real ID, collect their money (your money) and take their sweetie out for a nice dinner courtesy of you (they at least hopefully toast you for your generosity).
It’s as simple as that. I wish I was kidding.
And here’s the really disturbing thing: my bank didn’t even bother to press charges. They actually told me not waste my time either (I didn’t listen to their advice). They said this happens all the time. It is what it is in the banking world I guess.
So, OK … what do you do now? How do you protect yourself?
The truth is, depending on your bank, you may not be able to. Larger banks, like Chase, have some interesting on-line Fraud Protection Tools they’ve just rolled out, but smaller banks still rely on the chance of noticing when signatures don’t match (you can see how well that worked for us).
My bank told me: you should review your accounts every day.
The detective I’m working with gave me this advice: Don’t write checks. He was serious.
We’re now looking at switching our payroll to debit cards (rather than cutting checks).
I guess I don’t have a happy ending to this story, but I do hope it helps some of you avoid what happened to us. It’s a scary world out there and I’d like to think we can use tools like this blog to help each other out.
Until next time, stay clean my friends (and keep an eye on your check balance). Oh, and if you see a suspicious looking thug toasting a glass of Champagne and thanking Metro for his bonus, please let us know!
-DJ DripDry
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Metro Car Wash's Honor Roll
Sorry about the delay in posting, folks. Yours truly has been a bit busy wrapping up the year.
Now that things have settled down a bit, however, I’m happy to use our Metro Car Wash Blog to announce the recipients of our Annual Metro Honor Roll.
Every year, we ask our Community Partners (the organizations we raise money for), as well as our customers, to nominate individuals who are making selfless efforts to positively impact Tucson. As a local business involved in the community, we really value, not only our city’s charitable establishments, but the people inside of these organizations who donate their time and efforts to assure Tucson is a better place.
All Metro Honor Roll Recipients receive a Metro Honor Roll Card that entitles them to unlimited FREE Uptown washes for the entire 2011 calendar year. It may not be as prestigious as a heavy plaque, a picture in the paper, or keys to the city, but it is our way of saying Thank You to a group of people who deserve a little extra recognition.
This year’s Honor Roll Recipients include the following:
Lisa Antkow. Lisa works with Tu Nidito, a Tucson agency that provides individual and group support to children and their families as they deal with serious illness and death. Lisa’s coworkers nominated her because of her maturity, responsibility, and dedication in interacting positively with children who are going through one of the toughest times of their lives.
Sloan Boatman. Sloan has been a volunteer with The American Diabetes Association in Tucson for years, donating her time in both the back office and fundraising events. She is passionate in regards to educating the public about how to stop diabetes, as well as how to support those living with the disease.
Terri Smith. Terri has been involved with the American Lung Association for a year and half now. A lung cancer survivor herself, Terri single-handedly raised over $3000 in last year’s “Fight for Air” Walk, started a Lung Cancer Support Group to emotionally encourage those going through lung cancer treatment, and began speaking to community groups to increase awareness for lung cancer screening, prevention and research.
Jared Ross. Jared is a faithful TROT volunteer of more than 10 years. T.R.O.T. (Therapeutic Riding of Tucson) helps those with special needs by using therapeutic equine programs to improve physical, mental, and social well-being. Jared volunteers weekly; his commitment is immensely appreciated by both the TROT staff and those receiving the therapy.
Alexandra “Ally” Rae Pesqueira. Ally is a volunteer with Tucson’s Children’s Advocacy Center, an organization that works within the community to prevent child victimization and abuse. Ally began volunteering while she was a student at the University of Arizona and continued to volunteer after she graduated. Her dedication and compassion are second to none, and she is currently focused on a new project involving the supervision of infant/parent visits in conjunction with CPS.
Mary Garrison-Vincent. Mary is a volunteer with The Shyann Kindness Project, an organization whose mission it is to pass on kindness by educating, supporting and encouraging children in stressful economic, social and medical situations. Mary has been an instrumental factor in the charity’s fundraising efforts, donating countless hours of work to assure the success of their events.
Lluvia Creek. Lluvia is a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson, an organization that pairs adult mentors with children to provide underprivileged youth with better guidance and growth opportunities. Lluvia’s co-workers and co-volunteers believe that she embodies what it means to be a Big Sister, staying actively involved in the life of her Little Sister, Maria, dedicating time to fostering the relationship and assuring that the girl has improved life opportunities.
Danny Simone (and Hooch). Danny is a volunteer with Handi-Dogs, a service and therapy dog training organization whose mission is to promote independence, freedom, health and dignity for seniors and people with disabilities through the use of trained dogs. Danny and his dog Hooch are Community Ambassadors and a popular Demonstration Team for Handi-Dog. As well, Danny donates his time to Delta Society Pet Partners, Gabriel’s Angels, Pets for Vets, and does Animal Assisted Therapy at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Diana Cordera. Diana is a Family Support Specialist at Parent Aid, a child abuse prevention center. Diana works personally with families in order to strengthen familial bonds and prevent child abuse. She is always on call and available for the individuals she works with, additionally, she leads the training of all Family Support Specialists.
Lois Weimuth. Lois has been a volunteer with the Southern Arizona Humane Society since 2003. To date, she has logged over 3,500 hours working as an Adoption Lobby Greeter, a customer support representative in both dog and cat rooms, and an assistant in off-site adoptions. She is dedicated to improving the lives of animals and alleviating their suffering by helping to rescue, shelter, heal, and adopt animals in need.
J. Scott McManus. Mr. McManus is a long-time volunteer at SAAF (an organization that provides case management and ancillary support services for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families); he volunteers at the food bank, on telephone help lines and with Care Services and Prevention Programs (within SAAF). His co-workers and co-volunteers claim that his courage and personal strength help to empower those around him and that he has been a tremendous encouragement to others.
Metro Car Wash wants to thank and recognize each of these individuals. We look forward to meeting them and getting to know them better over the upcoming year.
And who knows, maybe you’ll run into one of them on your next visit to Metro. If you do, hopefully this blog will have given you a little extra insight into just how generous some of our fellow citizens are.
Until next time, stay clean my friends.
-DJ DripDry
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Why You Should Fit a Car Wash Into Your Schedule
Let’s face it: washing your car is a chore. And that’s true even if you don’t do it yourself; even if you use a professional car wash like Metro. You still have to pull out of traffic. You still have to get out of your car, worry about collecting valuables, sort through envelopes and receipts that may or may not be garbage, and then lose 20 minutes of your life you’ll never gain back. I get it. Not as fun as a swingin’ costume party. Not as relaxing as watching the big game on your couch.
But I’d like to make a case for penciling us into your life anyway. And I think you might find it easier (and more affordable and more relaxing) than you think.
First off, then, let’s answer this question: Why should you regularly wash your car?
Here’s Metro’s answer to that question:
1. Investment protection. Here in Tucson, our vehicles are exposed to heat, acid rain, bugs, bird droppings, baked on break dust, and more than 30 other contaminants – some invisible to the naked eye. Without regular washing, these elements can cause serious, even irreparable, damage to your car’s paint, clear coat, and wheels. For most of us, our vehicles are one of our biggest investments. And washing your car means helping to keep your resale value up. You know those dull, spotted, rough-looking cars you see on the road that look like they’ve been hit by lightning? All non-washers. Every last one of them.
2. Personal Well-Being. It may sound strange, but it’s true. Just like a clean home or an organized office, a clean, uncluttered, freshly washed car will make you feel amazingly better (and you’ll probably think your car even runs better). Most of us can’t afford maid service (and it’s awfully hard to keep your office neat and organized), but swinging into a car wash on a regular basis is one cheap and easy way to sprinkle a little mojo back into your life. Since you spend so much time in the car, why not improve the quality of your life by at least having this area clean, maintained and smelling fresh. You’ll be surprised by how much better you’ll feel.
3. We’re cool guys. Regularly washing your car at Metro Car Wash means regularly hanging out with us, the Metro Team, even if it’s only for a few minutes. And let’s face it, we’re about as good for your soul as it gets.
Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to consider washing your car regularly, I’d next like to suggest that you actually schedule us into your week (or your month).
Washing your car is like any task you don’t have to do – it’s easy to procrastinate. We all fill up with gas because if we don’t, we’ll be stranded on the side of the road. But tasks like oil changes, car washes, and trips to the dentist are areas we tend to let slide. And the best way to avoid this is to simply put Metro into your regular schedule. Pick a day of the week, for example (perhaps your least hectic), and make it a habit of visiting us on your lunch break or on your way home from work. If it becomes part of what you do, it no longer feels like a chore. Rather, it will become that one little thing you do for yourself that makes you feel good, adds a crisp organization to your life, and also makes you feel very sensible and grown up for being so responsible for taking care of your investment (we’ve studied this extensively and know it to be true).
And finally, I’d like to point how little this will actually cost you.
Let’s say you decided to visit us weekly (we would really like this). And let’s say you don’t need to get the inside of your car cleaned every week, so you decided to rotate between and Express Wash (just the outside) and a Full Service Wash (inside and outside) every other time. Additionally, let’s say you decide to join our VIP Club (a frequent washer program) that gives you $2 of credit every time you purchase a full service car wash, meaning that a full service wash will only cost you $6.99.
Quick math shows the following: Express Wash $3.99. Discounted Full Service Wash $6.99. Average weekly cost of keeping your car clean at Metro Car Wash: $5.49.
Yup. So let’s think about this. For less than $6.00 per week, you can:
• Maintain your investment and make your father proud,
• Have a shiny car in the parking lot at your place of work (which speaks volumes about how “together” you actually are,
• Keep a space in your life (where you spend a lot of time) clean and organized, which accomplishes just as much as visiting a therapist, and
• Look good as you drive down Tucson streets, the sun flashing off your shiny paint job and sparkling teeth.
I hope I’ve convinced you how important (and easy) it is to fit us into your schedule. So as you start contemplating your New Year’s Resolutions, perhaps you’ll keep Metro Car Wash in mind.
Until next time, stay clean my friends!
-DJ DripDry
But I’d like to make a case for penciling us into your life anyway. And I think you might find it easier (and more affordable and more relaxing) than you think.
First off, then, let’s answer this question: Why should you regularly wash your car?
Here’s Metro’s answer to that question:
1. Investment protection. Here in Tucson, our vehicles are exposed to heat, acid rain, bugs, bird droppings, baked on break dust, and more than 30 other contaminants – some invisible to the naked eye. Without regular washing, these elements can cause serious, even irreparable, damage to your car’s paint, clear coat, and wheels. For most of us, our vehicles are one of our biggest investments. And washing your car means helping to keep your resale value up. You know those dull, spotted, rough-looking cars you see on the road that look like they’ve been hit by lightning? All non-washers. Every last one of them.
2. Personal Well-Being. It may sound strange, but it’s true. Just like a clean home or an organized office, a clean, uncluttered, freshly washed car will make you feel amazingly better (and you’ll probably think your car even runs better). Most of us can’t afford maid service (and it’s awfully hard to keep your office neat and organized), but swinging into a car wash on a regular basis is one cheap and easy way to sprinkle a little mojo back into your life. Since you spend so much time in the car, why not improve the quality of your life by at least having this area clean, maintained and smelling fresh. You’ll be surprised by how much better you’ll feel.
3. We’re cool guys. Regularly washing your car at Metro Car Wash means regularly hanging out with us, the Metro Team, even if it’s only for a few minutes. And let’s face it, we’re about as good for your soul as it gets.
Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to consider washing your car regularly, I’d next like to suggest that you actually schedule us into your week (or your month).
Washing your car is like any task you don’t have to do – it’s easy to procrastinate. We all fill up with gas because if we don’t, we’ll be stranded on the side of the road. But tasks like oil changes, car washes, and trips to the dentist are areas we tend to let slide. And the best way to avoid this is to simply put Metro into your regular schedule. Pick a day of the week, for example (perhaps your least hectic), and make it a habit of visiting us on your lunch break or on your way home from work. If it becomes part of what you do, it no longer feels like a chore. Rather, it will become that one little thing you do for yourself that makes you feel good, adds a crisp organization to your life, and also makes you feel very sensible and grown up for being so responsible for taking care of your investment (we’ve studied this extensively and know it to be true).
And finally, I’d like to point how little this will actually cost you.
Let’s say you decided to visit us weekly (we would really like this). And let’s say you don’t need to get the inside of your car cleaned every week, so you decided to rotate between and Express Wash (just the outside) and a Full Service Wash (inside and outside) every other time. Additionally, let’s say you decide to join our VIP Club (a frequent washer program) that gives you $2 of credit every time you purchase a full service car wash, meaning that a full service wash will only cost you $6.99.
Quick math shows the following: Express Wash $3.99. Discounted Full Service Wash $6.99. Average weekly cost of keeping your car clean at Metro Car Wash: $5.49.
Yup. So let’s think about this. For less than $6.00 per week, you can:
• Maintain your investment and make your father proud,
• Have a shiny car in the parking lot at your place of work (which speaks volumes about how “together” you actually are,
• Keep a space in your life (where you spend a lot of time) clean and organized, which accomplishes just as much as visiting a therapist, and
• Look good as you drive down Tucson streets, the sun flashing off your shiny paint job and sparkling teeth.
I hope I’ve convinced you how important (and easy) it is to fit us into your schedule. So as you start contemplating your New Year’s Resolutions, perhaps you’ll keep Metro Car Wash in mind.
Until next time, stay clean my friends!
-DJ DripDry
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Why We Think Our Honor Roll Is Important
For the most part, the media is filled with lousy news stories. I’m not saying that many of these reports aren’t important, but let’s face it: 90% of what’s coming at us is covering rather depressing topics (wars, invasive body scans, skidding economies, arrested starlets in Vegas … the list goes on). So you’d think when a good story came along – something maybe a little uplifting – the news might want to grab it. Publish something nice for a change.
You’d think.
But in the case of Metro Car Wash’s Honor Roll Program, you’d be wrong.
If you don’t know about our Honor Roll Program, here’s a quick rundown.
First, our car wash works with over 20 Charities and Not-For-Profit organizations in Tucson. It’s called our Community Partnership Program and we’re fairly proud of it. I won’t go into details here (you can get to them by following this link: Metro CPP), but suffice to say it’s a great fundraising opportunity and allows us to discover a lot of exceptional causes, efforts and organizations in the Tucson community.
Last year, we decided it would be a good thing to recognize some of the individuals that volunteered within these organizations – a way to thank them for their services, a way to give them a nod for their efforts (that so often times go unnoticed).
To do this, we created The Metro Car Wash Honor Roll. We asked our participating community partners to give us nominations for individuals who donated time and effort to good causes in Tucson, and then our Company voted on who would make the Honor Roll List. In 2010, twenty-seven individuals made our Honor Roll. Granted, it’s not like winning a Nobel Peace Prize, but its nice just the same. Each honoree received an Honor Roll Card that entitled them to unlimited free car washes at Metro Car Wash for the entire year and their names were posted on our website for recognition.
Oh, and an article was written by a journalist who thought the story was … uplifting.
And you know what? It was a good story.
There were some pretty amazing people we discovered, doing some really great things in Tucson. The story covered individuals like Paula McNellis, who has volunteered at T.R.O.T. (a therapeutic horseback riding program for children and adults with special needs) every Wednesday for 20 years. It told about Missy Weidman, who has worked with over 300 child abuse victims in just the last two years by volunteering at The Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. It told about Roger Borduin, who provides free plumbing services to low-income families and Jeff Carver, who donated a kidney to a neighbor he hardly knew. The list went on. All Tucson neighbors of ours. All doing things that deserve recognition.
And not one news agency in Tucson picked up the story.
The journalist repeatedly submitted the article to different publications for months. Apparently, there wasn’t ever enough space. Understandable, I guess, since Tiger Woods was catting around, and Taylor Swift was arguing with Kanye West, and Avatar was winning another award, and …
So now it’s almost 2011. And we’re taking nominations for next year’s Honor Roll. I have a feeling that we’re going to hear some more great stories. I think we’re going to be meeting some new inspiring people. And this year, I’ll be blogging about them.
None of these individuals are seeking this recognition, of course. I think that was what was so amazing about the people we met last year – the length of time so many of these individuals went without any recognition. It’s the kind of thing that makes you feel good about humanity again; it’s the type of thing that can inspire you.
Which is why we’d like to tell their stories.
So stay tuned, folks. You can look for the 2011 Honor Roll List in January, as well as a few stories about the honorees. And if you know of someone you’d like to nominate, you’re welcome to do so. Simply go to www.metrocarwash.com and look under “Metro News” to learn how. We’ll be taking nominations through the end of the year.
It may not be as exciting as the front page of MSN, I agree, but it’s also nice to hear a few stories, once in a while, about the good things happening around us.
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. And until next time, stay clean my friends.
-DJ DripDry
You’d think.
But in the case of Metro Car Wash’s Honor Roll Program, you’d be wrong.
If you don’t know about our Honor Roll Program, here’s a quick rundown.
First, our car wash works with over 20 Charities and Not-For-Profit organizations in Tucson. It’s called our Community Partnership Program and we’re fairly proud of it. I won’t go into details here (you can get to them by following this link: Metro CPP), but suffice to say it’s a great fundraising opportunity and allows us to discover a lot of exceptional causes, efforts and organizations in the Tucson community.
Last year, we decided it would be a good thing to recognize some of the individuals that volunteered within these organizations – a way to thank them for their services, a way to give them a nod for their efforts (that so often times go unnoticed).
To do this, we created The Metro Car Wash Honor Roll. We asked our participating community partners to give us nominations for individuals who donated time and effort to good causes in Tucson, and then our Company voted on who would make the Honor Roll List. In 2010, twenty-seven individuals made our Honor Roll. Granted, it’s not like winning a Nobel Peace Prize, but its nice just the same. Each honoree received an Honor Roll Card that entitled them to unlimited free car washes at Metro Car Wash for the entire year and their names were posted on our website for recognition.
Oh, and an article was written by a journalist who thought the story was … uplifting.
And you know what? It was a good story.
There were some pretty amazing people we discovered, doing some really great things in Tucson. The story covered individuals like Paula McNellis, who has volunteered at T.R.O.T. (a therapeutic horseback riding program for children and adults with special needs) every Wednesday for 20 years. It told about Missy Weidman, who has worked with over 300 child abuse victims in just the last two years by volunteering at The Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. It told about Roger Borduin, who provides free plumbing services to low-income families and Jeff Carver, who donated a kidney to a neighbor he hardly knew. The list went on. All Tucson neighbors of ours. All doing things that deserve recognition.
And not one news agency in Tucson picked up the story.
The journalist repeatedly submitted the article to different publications for months. Apparently, there wasn’t ever enough space. Understandable, I guess, since Tiger Woods was catting around, and Taylor Swift was arguing with Kanye West, and Avatar was winning another award, and …
So now it’s almost 2011. And we’re taking nominations for next year’s Honor Roll. I have a feeling that we’re going to hear some more great stories. I think we’re going to be meeting some new inspiring people. And this year, I’ll be blogging about them.
None of these individuals are seeking this recognition, of course. I think that was what was so amazing about the people we met last year – the length of time so many of these individuals went without any recognition. It’s the kind of thing that makes you feel good about humanity again; it’s the type of thing that can inspire you.
Which is why we’d like to tell their stories.
So stay tuned, folks. You can look for the 2011 Honor Roll List in January, as well as a few stories about the honorees. And if you know of someone you’d like to nominate, you’re welcome to do so. Simply go to www.metrocarwash.com and look under “Metro News” to learn how. We’ll be taking nominations through the end of the year.
It may not be as exciting as the front page of MSN, I agree, but it’s also nice to hear a few stories, once in a while, about the good things happening around us.
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. And until next time, stay clean my friends.
-DJ DripDry
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
How Google Changed Our Car Wash
This week’s blog is a shout-out to Google.
Understandably, Google doesn’t need any help from Metro Car Wash (they seem to be doing just fine on their own), but I thought that by mentioning some of the ways in which Google has helped our organization, it might also provide some good information for other local Tucson small businesses.
First of all, let me say that Google has done much more for our car wash than just guiding new customers to our door (though they’ve done a great job with that too). Here’s a quick list of just a few of the things we do with Google products and how they’ve benefited us:
(1) We use their FREE office suite (word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint) and don’t plan on spending money on software upgrades anytime soon. In this economy, the ability to provide all of our employees with this type of software (that used to cost us lots of money) is a significant savings. They made it easy to switch, too, as you can convert any Microsoft document to a Google document with the click of a button.
(2) We use their FREE Google Sites product to host an internal website for our management team. The simple task of creating this site (I am NO software guru and I created it in an afternoon) changed our business more than we ever imagined. Now all of our policies & procedures, financials, HR documents, compliance documents, checklists, and to-do lists are consolidated and accessible simultaneously, by any authorized employee, from any place there is Internet access. Information is shared between locations and in real-time. Managers stay in touch with their stores even from home (and yes, it’s so fun to play with, they do it on their days off).
(3) We use their FREE Blogger product to host this blog you are reading now, allowing us another way to communicate with our Tucson customer base. (4) We use their FREE Google Analytics product to track how many people visit our website and this blog (a lot more than we thought, btw), as well as what key words were used in their search to find the same (allowing us to refine our marketing efforts).
(5) We use their FREE Gmail product (email and calendar), so that all of our employees can stay in touch with management, schedules, and announcements better.
(6) We use their FREE Google Places product to enhance our Company Listing when people find us in their Google search. We offer coupons, list hours of operation, mention specials, and respond to Customer Reviews (We’ve also petitioned our loyal customers to leave reviews about us on Google, which they have, which has significantly improved our visibility on the web).
(7) We use their Google Checkout product to now sell gift cards on-line (i.e. through Google you can set up e-commerce on your website without breaking sweat).
(8) Finally, we’ve transitioned all of our managers to Android phones so that all of what I’ve just mentioned above is also available on mobile devices.
That’s a fairly impressive list, especially since the word FREE was used in just about every other sentence. Sometimes, its a wonder Google actually makes money at all (don’t worry, their earnings are staggeringly healthy).
But along those lines, there’s one more thing Google helped us with: inspiration.
The more we used free Google products and the more we sang their praises (I’m giving them some pretty good word-of-mouth advertising right now), the more we wanted to model our car wash business after them. Silly, I know, since car washing and the search engine business are a little more than miles apart. But true just the same.
We took our inspiration in three areas: their innovation, the simplicity of their products, and most of all the VALUE in what they were delivering to the consumer. In today’s economy, where everyone wants you to spend more, while delivering less, Google is the freshest of breezes.
And so in 2010, we launched Metro 2.0. It was our effort at improving our business and offering a new version of our services to Tucson. We simplified our menus, cut prices to true value levels, created simple services that customers really wanted, and assured that all could be delivered in the same timely manner. Our motto became “Simple. Fast. Value.” And the truth is, it really worked. Business is up. Customers are happier. And our managers and employees are having more fun washing cars. It may not be a high-tech campus with soaring stock options, but I think you get the point.
So … “Thank You” Google. Thanks for truly being there for small businesses, as well as the big guys. And thanks for being such a great example to this little car wash company. Much appreciated.
As for you readers, if you haven’t checked out Google as a low cost option for your business, you may want to take a look (everything is accessible to you once you sign up for a Free Gmail account at www.google.com). And if you have questions, feel free to ask me. Stop by, get a wash, and I’ll be glad to show you first-hand how we’re utilizing all of these tools.
Until next time, stay clean my friends!
--Dj DripDry
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Zombie Car Wash 2010
Let me start by telling you how it ended:
Metro’s Zombie Walk 2010 ended on Saturday night at 10:00 PM with about 30 volunteers dancing the Cupid (Cuban) Shuffle on the front drive of the Speedway Car Wash. It was a great (and appropriate) way to close out 5 days of an Event that seemed to have surpassed everyone’s expectations.
If you didn’t get a chance to stop by, let me say that the reviews we received were exceptional. I don’t think anyone anticipated the effort we put in, turning our car wash into a haunted-house-zombie-themed-ride. Those that did come said things like: “really amazing,” “so much more than I expected,” “too cool,” and “better than other haunted houses in town.” I’m not bragging here. I just want everyone to know that they missed out on something fun and entertaining so that they’ll be sure to come next year. After all, it’s not everyday that you get to combine the classic past-time of washing your car with a classic horror movie like George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (it was playing on the side of the building like a drive-in theatre, incidentally).
But the customers weren’t the only ones who had their expectations exceeded; yours truly did as well. And more than this, I can honestly say that I’m speechless with gratitude and pride at the Metro Car Wash Employees, Sahuaro High School Students, and participating businesses who sacrificed their time and services to make this Event a success.
Like any new project, we really didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. We have a scholarship; we needed to raise money for it; and a Zombie Car Wash for Halloween seemed like a good idea. But once we began planning and designing and constructing, it became apparent just how large of a task we were faced with. We needed 40 volunteers per night for 5 nights; we needed help in getting the word out about the Event; and we needed supplies and props for the sets. And wherever there was a need, people came through in a big way.
So this week’s blog is more or less a Thank You. It’s a Thank You to all of the Students at Sahauro High School who listened to their teacher, Mr. Harkin, and gave up their plans night upon night to dress up like zombie’s and scare Tucson. It’s a thanks to my employees like Adam Villalobos, Juan Arellano, Melanie Romero, Gwen Valenzuela, Chris Hopper, Steven Hopper, Jacob Bacinski, Gabbi DeJesus, Izzy Lopez, Lorenzo Tambriz, Alex Ortiz-Uribe, and many more who not only worked all day at the car wash, but stayed on into the night to deliver a great show, help clean up, get no sleep, and go back at it again the next day. It’s also a Thanks to the volunteers like Ivan Nieto, Amanda Anyaeji, Josie at the Job Corps, and Les and Sarah Henson who aren’t employees or high school students, but felt that raising money to put a deserving kid through a year of college was a worthy enough cause to give up their personal nights and dress like road kill.
It’s also a big thanks to the businesses that helped us out.
Thanks to Heat Wave Productions and Joey Velasquez for DJ-ing nightly. You kept the party going, spirits high, and got zombies to dance … not an easy task (Metro Car Wash highly recommends Heat Wave’s services for any occasion, btw; you can contact them directly at 520-519-9379).
Thanks to Gary and Judy Tenen at Alphagraphics CPS for donating the 4,000 flyers that were dropped all over Tucson. Thanks to Sue Callahan at SignAge for donating the posters. And thanks to Julie Rustad at 24-7 Creative Solutions for designing such a great marketing piece to begin with.
Thanks to Tucson Weekly, the Arizona Daily Star, and Tucson Night Out for getting the Event coverage and helping to bring in more customers. And thanks to Jo Ann Mesa for volunteering to help contacting the same (your efforts were much appreciated).
I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of people deserving of thanks. I apologize in advance.
Like anything that takes a lot of effort, this was exhausting and I’m glad to say it’s over. But more importantly, I’m glad to know we raised enough money to put our first student through a year at Pima Community College next year. And more than this, I’m glad to know there are so many people in Tucson generous enough with their time and money to make something like this a reality.
I’m all zombied out folks, so until next time … stay clean my friends.
--DJ DripDry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)