inluminent

I took my Jetta to the car wash today. It’s pretty dirty after 5 trips to Austin and back (3 hours drive each way) over the past 2 weeks and it’s cold as hell outside, so I’d rather pay someone to clean it than do it myself. I also figured I could get some work done while I waited, so, I brought my laptop with me.

I pulled up to the guy that takes your order, told him I wanted a full cleaning… shampooing the seats and the carpets, armor all throughout, hand wax, etc… After he took my $150, he told me it’d take an hour and a half, so I walked over to the Starbucks (two long blocks away) and ordered a Venti Americano. I paid $2.50 for a cup of coffee and spent 2 hours at the Starbucks surfing the web with my T-Mobile account.

I walked back to the car wash to find out that it was probably going to be another hour or so. I’m a little frustrated by that, but also not totally put out… I can still get some work done, but just think, if they had a wireless connection here at the car wash. I’d probably get the more expensive $150 complete detail more often. The wireless service would get more people to pop for longer services (read more expensive services) as they could be productive during that time.

So, I’d propose to all full-service car wash companies that they start adding wireless services to their lobbies. I’m sure they could get the same sort of contract that Starbucks from T-Mobile, and if there’s a large enough chain, they can make more money off of their customers… convenience is worth it in today’s day and age. Think about it: $2.50 for a cup o’ Joe vs. $150 for a car wash. I spent the same amount of time at both places…