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Love them or hate them, there’s rarely any middle ground when it comes to Zombiemats.
You’ve heard it all before:
“They’re bad for the industry!”
“Their owners must be lazy.”
“They don’t care about their communities; they’re just sucking money out and giving nothing back!”
If you’ve been to any industry events, you know this message echoes like a shout in the Grand Canyon.
I began thinking really hard about this. Are these owners truly choosing not to care and not to reinvest in their stores? Is there hard data supporting these claims, or is it just industry hype?
Living in NYC, which probably has one of the highest concentrations of Zombiemats in the U.S., I decided to dig deeper and find out for myself.
When I started sharing my laundry industry journey on social media (by the way, are you connected with me yet? 😉), owners began sharing their stories with me. I was stunned by how many were just barely making it or fighting to get into the black. This made me question the famous 95% success rate we always hear about…but that’s a story for another editorial.
Some of these struggling mats were right in my backyard. Their owners invited me in, shared their passion for the business, opened up about their challenges, and asked for my thoughts on their plans.
Thinking about, the thinking of laundry:
When you look at this through a different lens, it makes you wonder why there are so many Zombiemats™️ if laundromats have a 95% success rate.
The more I listened, the more I realized that despite owning what the industry labels a Zombiemat™️, their heart and passion for the business couldn’t be further from the zombie stereotype.
There are many reasons owners end up with Zombiemats™. These are the most common ones I’ve heard:
- They bought existing Zombiemats™ with dreams of turning them around, ran out of money, or encountered some other financial challenge.
- They invested most of their savings into buying the business and are making improvements through sweat equity.
- Their revenue isn’t matching what the seller promised, leaving little to reinvest.
- They were sold a bill of goods.
- Their business was thriving at one point but slowed down for various reasons.
- The high cost of new machines has forced them to delay their upgrade plans.
- They feel overwhelmed managing all aspects of the business.
- They bit off more than they could chew.
Notice that none of the reasons were “I just don’t care.”
It’s time we start looking at things in our industry through a different lens. You might discover there’s more to the story than what you’ve been led to believe.
Next time you spot a Zombiemat, pause before passing judgment. The owner might just be playing the hand they were dealt and doing everything they can to create a better life for themselves and their family.
That's all I got for you today.
Waleed
🏴☠️ ✌️
P.S. Want more laundry industry insights? Join me on LinkedIn or X (Twitter) where I share thoughts on the laundry industry.
Echoing the wisdom of ...
Know the truth, not what others want you to believe.
Thanks for reading this edition of Wash Weekly. I hope you enjoyed the topic this week. If you didn't, I'll try harder next week. 😉
