I did a few storefronts and I find cleaning them very unprofitable for my business. Take for instance an ARCO/AMPM in my area. The store had 36 panes with 3 electronic billboard ms 36” x 42” that has to be removed and reinstalled to facilitate the cleaning. The middleman Mr. Window National says the store budgeting $36 to clean their windows inside and out. Is this a fair price? I purchase ice and water in a extra-large cup at the store on a regular basis and I pay $0.75 each time. I am seriously considering eliminating storefront windows from my business services. Please opine? Thanks guys and gals.
What? I would not charge $1.00 per window and throw in the electronic billboards for free. Depending on size you should hit at least $2 to $3 per pane. If you want to offer people charity then that is your business, but if you want to get paid for your job and cut a profit so as not to be a hobby, then charge what the job is worth.
How long does it take you to clean the storefront windows?
Figure that it should land you at least $1.25 per minute; $36/$1.25=28.8 minutes or half hour roughly.
Aim for $1.50-$1.65 per minute. That should bring you about $45.00 to $49.50 for 30 minutes. Or $90 to $99 for a full hour.
You can drop storefronts and focus on paying jobs elsewhere if that is all they are willing to pay, or be truly detrimental to your business and just do a quick wet, squeegee real quick, get paid and leave.
If they want a professional job then they need to pay for a professional job.
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Who cares what they budget .! If I walk in and say I budgeted a 25 cents for a redbull , they’re going to kick Me to the curb . Do the same With theses bums
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No it’s a ridiculous price. Tell Mr . Window to do it themselves.
Secondly your not responsible for taken down an electrical sign.
I subbed a job form this company for a little bit. They are cheap , so I gave them the cheap service. It was suppose to go twice a month i did once a month for the time I had it form then.
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Guys, thanks for the feedback. I think over the years out predecessors have broken these store owners bad and now they want to dictate our pricing. This is the quickest way to go out of business. There must be a shift in the the way storefront Windows are priced. I for one will be removing storefront form the services I offer. I will still do commercial buildings but no more storefronts.
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I will do storefronts but on my terms. I highly doubt that they dictate the terms to the Plumber or Electrician or even the Power Company for their electricity needs. Why on Earth would you allow them to dictate how your business runs and makes a profit? This is a problem for “Bucket Bob’s”; these cheap ones get what they pay for.
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Give them your price, sell them your quality, walk away with a clear conscious if they decline. Storefronts can have real value. A $25/mo storefront not only = a $300 once a year residential but also gives you visibility in your community, and often leads to more jobs of differing kinds. They just need to be reasonably priced so they’re still worth the time it takes to clean them during the busy seasons for residential.
Also, the idea of ‘accessibility’ is important to spend time thinking about. Meaning you determine to clean ‘accessible‘ windows only so the customer removes furniture/picture frames/signs etc because you won’t be liable for any accidental damages or you decide you are willing to move a ‘reasonable’ amount to obstructions for an additional cost. It should not be assumed you will move everything to access every window, as you’ll discover. Can be a grey area but you’ll have to figure out what your willing to do and communicate effectively.
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At the end of the day, you decide who is your customers, you don’t want everyone who needs their windows cleaned, that why I stay away from gas stations and dollar stores. It’s not about the number of windows it’s about the quality of the service. I have a $20 minimum price for storefronts. Which is $20 for outside only for just four panes of glass. My customers are happy to pay it. Stop dealing with those Cheapo and start seeking out customers who appreciate your service
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