This is NOT a Bartender/Barista job. HOWEVER, this ATTENDANT / MANAGER JOB is really SIMILAR TO being a bartender in a restaurant or barista in a coffee shop but in a LAUNDROMAT HOWEVER, this is not like any job you have had before, even if you have BOTH laundromat AND bartending experience. This is almost always a completely NEW experience for everyone because we have unique ways of doing things.
NO! There's NO bar or coffee shop, but the skills and experience needed are exactly the same. And these are the type of people we are looking for this job. Likewise, you might be looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of working in a bar/cafe.
Instead of making drinks, you're folding laundry. Instead of taking food orders at tables, you're helping coin laundry people understand where to put detergent. Instead of your biggest bar tippers sticking around and trying to talk to you, wash and fold customers just come in to pick up their stuff and leave (in fact, they would feel awkward if you tried to talk to them). Similarly, the customers who don't tip you at all in a bar will be the ones who don't tip you in the laundromat but who want to stick around and try to talk to you. Also, folding laundry is way harder than pouring drinks. So, you'll get much higher hourly wage plus tips and commission with us in the laundromat instead of at a bar where you get either guaranteed minimum wage or $2.50 an hour plus tips for a total amount greater than minimum wage.
We have a quirky local laundromat, and we believe a lot in the way it brings communities together. We also believe in many PROGRESSIVE and LIBERAL ideals, and this is a part of our branding.
Uniquely, the MANAGER role is not that different than the ATTENDANT role, except that you're also responsible for more money and inventory and also acting as a role model for others.
As ATTENDANT or MANAGER, you'll be there to help regular customers having problems with the machines. Drop off customers will give you their laundry to do. You will be handling money, transactions, and cash. And you'll be managing AIDES who help you fold laundry when we get really busy. With experience, there will be opportunities to learn more about training, payroll, bookkeeping, accounting, financial analysis, P&L, marketing, social media, email marketing, etc.
As for BASE SALARY, attendants will get paid $12 and managers will get paid $15 per hour. It takes roughly 2-6 weeks to become manager.
As for TIPS, credit card tips are pooled based on the number of hours you work each week and cash tips are pooled based on the number of hours you work each month.
As for COMMISSION, you'll be immediately eligible for 40% and can earn up to 100% commission of special charges that are rare and where we want you to be motivated to take extra care (like stain treatments). Additionally, you start with 0% commission of the total Wash and Fold business that you fold, but you can earn 4% after your first week and 10% after your first month. This amount is not only based on the laundry that you fold BUT ALSO the laundry that AIDES fold FOR YOU (whose quality of work you are responsible for). This is where you can really RAMP UP your commission. Essentially, an AIDE can fold DOUBLE what you can fold in a shift with all your other duties. That means 1 AIDE can facilitate your ability to TRIPLE your commission and 2 AIDES can QUINTUPLE your commission. Most people earn an extra $50-$100 per week in commission (based on 20-30 hours), so AIDES can help you earn up to $300 to $500 commission ON TOP OF your base salary. However, you have to EARN commission. You are not entitled to it. You'll learn more about how easy it is to earn it in the interview. It's also a PRIVILEGE that can be taken away from you temporarily.
In addition to tips and commission, we also have a 401k where we match up to 5% of the income you withhold (100% of the first 3% and 50% of the next 2%). This is essentially FREE MONEY.
For ATTENDANTS, we prefer if you are able to work three to four 4-6 hour shifts per week. These shifts need to be 5-9 WEEKDAYS and 8-12, 12-5, or 5-9 WEEKENDS. Earlier shifts on weekdays are reserved for people who have been here a while and when the other shifts have been filled. DO NOT APPLY IF YOU ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FOR 8-12 weekdays.
As for being on time, we used to be really strict about this, just like many other employers. However, now we place more emphasis on the importance of communication. For example, if you're scheduled to work 8-12, you don't need to come in until 9 if there's no laundry to fold. The doors will open automatically at 830. Likewise, if you're scheduled to work 12-5, you might arrive at 1230 only to discover that we have so much laundry that you might need to stick around an extra hour if Aides aren't available to help that day.
On top of a flexibility with arriving on time, you'll get a maximum of 30 hours a week. THIS IS NOT FOR PEOPLE LOOKING FOR FULL-TIME JOBS OR MULTIPLE PART-TIME JOBS. Again This job is for people who only want ONE PART TIME JOB. If you have multiple jobs, the other jobs need to be really flexible. We need you to be available to cover other people.
For MANAGERS, the manager shifts need to overlap the hour at the beginning and end of ATTENDANT shifts because they're intended for you to address unique training issues with the ATTENDANTS. Eventually, everyone will be working well together, so there will be more flexibility. Occasionally working 8am to 1pm and 4pm to 9pm is possible but not a permanent situation. DO NOT APPLY FOR THE MANAGER ROLE IF YOU'RE ONLY AVAILABLE MORNINGS OR EVENINGS.
For both the MANAGER and ATTENDANT roles, we are looking for a VARIETY of experience.
While administrative experience is incredibly important towards demonstrating a sufficient attention to detail with documents and spreadsheets (which we use), someone only with jobs in the seated position would really struggle in this job.
The ideal candidate from a job competency perspective is someone with a heap of server experience, a dash of administrative experience, and a slice of bartender experience. Mechanical experience is really more like the cherry, but it's not required. But we strongly prefer people with a good mix of ingredients.
Lastly, you need to be comfortable with being on camera. There will be internal training videos as well as public videos on the Internet and social media.
In terms of TRAINING and TRAINING PAY, here is the process
The interview is in-person with any employee, and there are a few fun PUZZLES that take 5-15 minutes followed by a FOLDING TEST that takes 5-45 minutes. After the UNPAID INTERVIEW/TEST is complete, it's very likely that there will be 2-4 hours of work for you to do and get paid for immediately as an AIDE. If that interests you, please plan to set aside a minimum of 4 ADDITIONAL hours to make a minimum of $30.
Did you know that even the executive officers of Disney have to dress up as a Disney character on their first day on the job? Similarly, everyone we hire at the laundromat first has to be an AIDE before they can be an ATTENDANT or MANAGER. Most people only need 2-4 days as an Aide before it's obvious that they're qualified for the ATTENDANT role. However, we need to know that you can not only fold but also make sure others do it well, too. Some people prefer to stay in the Aide role indefinitely because it's EXTREMELY FLEXIBLE and great for filling in the blanks with another job they might have.
AIDES are NOT paid by the hour, they're paid by the pound. Also, aides are not employees of the Laundromat. They are independent contractors of a separate company, so there is neither worker's comp nor unemployment for time worked as an aide. On your very first day as an aide, most people earn the equivalent of $11 per hour (30lbs at $1 per pound is $30 and finishing in 3 hours is $10 per hour). However, those who stick around inevitably get good enough to fold at a rate of $13-$20 per hour.
When you're ready to be an ATTENDANT, training is comprised of 3 separate 4 hour shifts at only $7.50 per hour for only 12 hours total. We make up for this by giving you a $100 BONUS after 30 days. We do this because we want to make sure people are legitimately accepting the job and not just going through training while they wait a week for another job. For those already with another job, you can break up each 4 hour shift into 2 hour shifts as needed. Most people finish training in 2-3 days. During training shifts, you will NOT fold anything. However, AFTER training shifts, you may fold laundry SEPARATELY as an Aide since it will probably be convenient for you to do so.
After training, you'll begin a probationary period as APPRENTICE for 4 separate 4 hour shifts at $12 per hour WITHOUT tips or commission. We make up for this by giving you another $100 bonus after 90 days.
After the probationary period, you'll get a cool T-shirt uniform with a mirror ball on it (or you can design your own!) and you'll get paid tips and commission (as described above).
Most attendants become managers within 2-6 weeks after becoming an attendant.
Another benefit of working here is that you can do your own laundry for free.
The following responsibilities are just a template from bartending and barista roles so that we appear in searches for jobs for bartending and barista jobs.
- Prepare and serve a variety of hot and cold beverages, including coffee, tea, and specialty drinks
- Take customer orders and provide excellent customer service
- Operate espresso machines and other equipment to brew coffee and prepare beverages
- Maintain cleanliness and organization of the coffee bar area
- Handle cash transactions and use basic math skills for cash handling
- Assist with food preparation and presentation as needed
- Collaborate with team members to ensure efficient operations
Qualifications:
- Previous experience in the food industry, retail, or hospitality is preferred
- Strong customer service skills with the ability to engage with customers in a friendly and professional manner
- Basic math skills for cash handling and retail math calculations
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail
- Knowledge of brewing techniques and coffee preparation methods is a plus
- Flexibility to work various shifts, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays
DO NOT CALL TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS JOB. IF YOU CALL, YOU WILL BE REJECTED. MESSAGE US THROUGH CRAIGSLIST ONLY UNTIL WE INTERVIEW YOU. IF YOU DON'T HEAR FROM US, THEN JUST WAIT. THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING YOU CAN SAY TO MAKE US WANT YOU MORE THAN OTHER CANDIDATES. THE PHONE IS RINGING EVERY 10 MINUTES BECAUSE OF PEOPLE CALLING ABOUT THE JOB AND IT'S HIGHLY DISRUPTIVE TO OUR EMPLOYEES AND MAKES IT HARDER FOR ACTUAL CUSTOMERS TO REACH US.