New York, the vast concrete jungle, the business capital of the world, the city that never sleeps, and most populated in the US, experienced a major loss in its economy caused by the outbreak of COVID-19. The corporate world of the city is forced to make tough decisions such as filing bankruptcy, cutting off employees, changing marketing strategy, and shifting to work from home setup. One huge business example is the laundromat industry.

The local government has declared that laundromats in New York are essential establishments. Although these business establishments are allowed to stay open, commercial laundry businesses are still primarily affected by the seemingly endless pandemic. Several laundry businesses in New York were forced to close and halt their operations due to fear and lack of profit.

But there are also brave and determined entrepreneurs who took the pandemic as a challenge to thrive in the stacked laundry industry. They are forced to change their marketing strategy according to COVID-19 protocols in which they maximize their profit in a depressed market.

In this article, you are going to unfold this intriguing question: “How laundry businesses survive in New York during the pandemic?”. At the end of this comprehensive read, you will look at the specifics of the laundry business in a much more conscious way.

1. Providing Disinfectant Wipes, Mask, and Gloves

Experts predicted that 33% of the small businesses located in New York City wouldn’t survive the pandemic. Many entrepreneurs were shattered and panicked. But for some laundromats, it is a matter of survival, so adjustments are made. A laundry business must be firm and rigid with all the implementations from the outbreak up to the vaccination.

One huge COVID-19 implementation is providing disinfectant wipes, masks, and gloves for workers and customers. Provision of such items is essential to maintain trust and proper use.

2. Maximum Occupancy Reduction

Just like other tips, it is a factor of safety for the employees and customers. The standard reductions range from 50-60% of the typical maximum number of persons allowed.

3. Cutting Working Shifts to the Employees

This might cause remorse to work exploitation, but yeah, what choice do commercial laundry shop owners have? Cutting working shifts will lessen expenses significantly in which helps survive during the pandemic.

In cutting working shifts, it must be a reasonable number of hours. Most commercial laundry shops missed their working shifts by two hours. If the work hour cut is 4 hours, it might not take lightly by the hardworking employees.

4. Scheduled Operating Hours

Scheduling operating hours has also a subject for work exploitation if it is not done correctly. But believe it or not, it has many benefits. Scheduling operating hours will lessen your employees' direct contact with different customers. It is scary because countless people often avail commercial laundry shops at the same time. Also, it reduces the expenses because the number of working days and hours is diminished.

In scheduling operating hours, it is advisable to conduct extensive research on the most number of customers. Also, a more straightforward way is to open a commercial laundry shop every other day. Commercial laundry entrepreneurs must always be honest and clearly explain the current situation because laborers will always interpret it as a financial inconvenience or, worse, work exploitation.

5. Taking Care of the Sick Employees

It is a no-brainer that there will be sick employees in which they experienced COVID-related symptoms. New Yorker commercial laundry business owners make sure to take care of their hardworking employees.

Technically, laundry laborers are frontliners due to the nature of their job. They are exposed to countless customers, and their safety will always be in jeopardy despite the precaution. That is why it is hard to kill the anxiety of laundry employees, and it is in the best interest of commercial laundry shop owners to protect their employees at all times. US healthcare system is admiringly reliable, but it does not hurt to provide other things for a sick employee as a safety factor.

6. Social Distancing

Of course! It is the new normal in a nutshell. In other countries, social distancing is like a joke to them. But in New York, social distancing is taken seriously. Social distancing is crucial because it keeps healthy people from getting physical contact with a virus carrier. COVID is invisible and social distancing minimizes its chance to spread exponentially.

7. Reducing the Availability of Laundry Services

Reducing the availability of some laundry services for a limited time lessens the employees’ to numerous customers and vice versa. A great strategy, right?

But there’s this one laundry service that thrives throughout the duration of the pandemic. It is the laundry pickup and delivery. The laundry service is pretty accessible and convenient to most customers. Why? Because this type of laundry service fits well in the pandemic. Imagine picking up your laundry at your home and deliver it afterward right to your doorstep. Talk about safety! 

The wreckage in corporate America caused by the troublesome COVID-19 makes no exception. All businesses are on uncharted waters, and if someone complacent about their business, it will surely meet the worst-case scenario. Laundromats in the city that never sleeps possess a lot of potential as a frontrunner in a business in the pandemic. The tweaks in its marketing strategy are easy to execute, and there’s no single trace of complexity about it.

In this pandemic, commercial laundry shop entrepreneurs already knew that the revenue of their business has a good potential. Their main goal is not only to survive but also to thrive in this unstable market. Listed above are the simple yet efficient and straightforward ways on how the laundromats in New York City survive. For sure, other states and cities in other countries apply the same concept. But it is nice to have a conceivable knowledge of how the business capital of the world survives and even thrives in the business operation of laundromats.