Last year, a friend from London who splits his time in a NE village asked what I thought of his prospects setting up a small laundry biz in his wife's village. My initial reply was "farang bah!"

So, he bought a single coin op washing machine anyways as a test. He bought it at Big C Ubon for 9000 baht plus Big C 'added on' the coin box for 3000 baht.

Turns out people do use it (and even tho it's not a viable 'biz' in his village, offsets his purchase cost at least- and they use it as well of course).

Then last week, I see 3 of these coin op machines being installed outside an apt building in Bkk, on a concrete platform, under a simple awning. 20 baht for a standard 'western size' load and there's a huge one which costs 40 baht per go.

I walk by the place everyday and night and the things are going absolutely non-stop (!) and even a queue at times.

Could it be, the east is ready for western style self serve launderettes? (at least in the city). No, I'm not at all interested in this as a biz, just an observation

Edited August 10, 200520 yr by baht&sold

Can you tell what type of people are using them? Are they Thai, farang, or both?

Looks to be 100% Thai. The interesting thing is, on this soi there's a dozen traditional laundry shops in the vicinity and the apt building it's placed outside of has just been built, not open to tenants yet. Go figure, why the apparent popularity of self serve?

I first thought on money laundry.......

But it seems it is also with the traditional laundry possible to make money.

I'll keep it in mind.....

Last year, a friend from London who splits his time in a NE village asked what I thought of his prospects setting up a small laundry biz in his wife's village. My initial reply was "farang bah!" 

So, he bought a single coin op washing machine anyways as a test. He bought it at Big C Ubon for 9000 baht plus Big C 'added on' the coin box for 3000 baht.

Turns out people do use it (and even tho it's not a viable 'biz' in his village, offsets his purchase cost at least- and they use it as well of course).

Then last week, I see 3 of these coin op machines being installed outside an apt building in Bkk, on a concrete platform, under a simple awning. 20 baht for a standard 'western size' load and there's a huge one which costs 40 baht per go.

I walk by the place everyday and night and the things are going absolutely non-stop (!) and even a queue at times.

Could it be, the east is ready for western style self serve launderettes? (at least in the city). No, I'm not at all interested in this as a biz,  just an observation

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For the cost of having my laundry washed, dryed and folded or ironed I wouldn't use a machine...I like droping off my load and having it ready the next day all cleaned and pressed! besides the fact that the laundry facility better have a good air conditioner.

I think that Thais may prefer to do it themselves because it means that they can throw their socks and undies in at the same time. This saves the embarassment of giving them to someone else to wash.

Just a thought...

In these parts a months laundry for five persons is a thousand Baht.

In these parts a months laundry for five persons is a thousand Baht.

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I think you could do this in Bangkok. 20B a load is much cheaper than what is paid to have it done for you. I looked at putting one in my wife's village, but the water quality is so bad, it just can't be done. Some days the water looks OK, others it is dark brown. Plus, they all do it by hand there...much cheaper that way! And they sure have the time to do it....

Can you tell what type of people are using them? Are they Thai, farang, or both?

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Asked k wife about this as she still has a laundry in biggest condo block in the Theparak...guess name..and tells me that her customers are pretty split.

A couple of years ago there was a lot of japanese and Koreans who lived there but mostly moved on ...and they were very good customers.

Now its a mixture of Westerners,Chinese and quite a lot of Thais.

The big advantages are of course that you can drop of you "bag" in the morning and pick up at night or have it delivered to you room.....contracts welcome ...sounds like I am touting You know the feeling when you open the wardrobe and you have a dozen shirts (or wot-ever) all freshly washed and ironed with a knife sharp crease down the sleeves and smelling "nice"..ready for anything.

All their steam irons come from Makro ...over here....hand luggage

Re.Thais underwear ...They always wash their own.

No way would they allow anybody else to touch their smelly socks...wot sox..you ask?..and even more so their skid marked knickers (male/femail)...quell horreur..

You also might notice that when they hang them up to dry its on a strick "classic order"...with headcoverings at the top hanger,then shirts etc lower down followed by sarongs/trousers with the thongs and sox at the bottom.

Westerners dont bother

I've seen plenty of these washing machine operations, problem is that one person starts it and has a nice little operation going and making a few quid, next thing every monkey and his dog is doing it and the local area is saturated and no-one makes anything. I always feels sorry for the guy with the original idea.

There are a couple of coin-op laundry shops in the apt block in Din Daeng where my wife used to live. They are always busy, and since its almost pure Thai up there, there aren't any farangs using the machines. Also, the pure water machines for bottle refills are pretty busy. There might be some business there. If not, sell Fritos and Doritos from a vending machine. Just kidding on the last one.

Just spoke to the missus - she wants to put a laundrette into both sides of the apartments where she has a room.

Gonna let her sister live in the room and hire two more rooms put three washing machines in each and see how it goes -

Will keep you updated on what happens. Or how many times she changes her mind.

Current cost looks to be at 9k for a machine which can handle 5 kilo

16k for a machine that can do 8kilo

3.5k per box

She is thinking about two small and one big in each block

SO four small and two big in total - Is that my bank book I can feel groaning?

My ex-gf and her family did pretty well selling coin operated machines. All they did was install the coin boxes and toughen up the machines a bit as their value added part. Just like in the old west, it's often a lot easier to sell the picks and shovels than it is to actually mine here.

I've had my laundry done in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Each time the cost was cheap, the work done was exceptional and effecient. If it does catch on, I don't think it will be a Wal-Mart putting the mom and pop laundries out of business.

Current cost looks to be at 9k for a machine which can handle 5 kilo

16k for a machine that can do 8kilo

3.5k per box

She is thinking about two small and one big in each block

SO four small and two big in total - Is that my bank book I can feel groaning?

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Has the Maytag man retired in LOS......because who is going to repair all these machines once they start breaking down from use and abuse

Oh and don't forget the insurance. I can see a little kid locking himself inside one of these outside washers.

I've seen plenty of these washing machine operations, problem is that one person starts it and has a nice little operation going and making a few quid, next thing every monkey and his dog is doing it and the local area is saturated and no-one makes anything.  I always feels sorry for the guy with the original idea.

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substitue 'bar' for 'washing machine' .......usually the same results. Or 'restaurant' or ...................

Tough to make it in LOS.

Oh and don't forget the insurance.  I can see a little kid locking himself inside one of these outside washers.

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Since this is Thailand, if a kid locks himself inside, a payment of 100,000 baht will probably be paid. Then the owners will have to hire someone else to attend to the machines because the kid's uncle will probably try to hunt the owners down to revenge the family's loss.

THat is why she is planning on having one of her lazy leech like family members sit there and make sure no small animals children soi dogs get into her machines.