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Vend Price

By Jason Taken, business broker · HedgeStone Business Advisors · Updated 2026-09-04 · 1 min read

Vend price is the amount a customer pays to run one machine cycle, set per machine and usually rising with capacity. Dryer pricing is more often sold as minutes per coin or per unit of currency than as a flat cycle price.

Why Vend Price Matters in a Laundromat Sale

Vend price is the most direct lever an operator controls, and the most sensitive to competition. The CLA's 2024 survey reported mean 2023 washer vend prices of $3.57 for 18-24 lb machines, $5.00 for 30-35 lb, $6.32 for 40-49 lb, $8.16 for 50-60 lb, $10.75 for 75-80 lb, and $12.22 for 90-100 lb (Source: CLA 2024 Laundry Industry Survey). A store priced well below its market may have headroom, or may be defending against a competitor two blocks away.

Example

Raising a 40 lb washer from $5.75 to $6.25 across 12 machines, at 3.0 turns per day, adds roughly $6,570 of annual revenue before any volume loss. If it holds for three quarters with stable volume, it is worth about $23,000 of value at 3.5x.

What to Check

  • Record current vend price for every machine and compare it against the payment system's price history.
  • Walk competing stores and record their pricing before assuming headroom exists.
  • Treat a price rise as value only after two or three quarters of stable volume.

Where This Comes Up

  • Turns Per Day (TPD) — Turns per day
  • Card System — A card system is the payment and management platform that replaces or supplements coin in a laundromat
  • Top Loader — A top loader is a vertical-axis washer loaded from the top
  • Front Loader — A front loader is a horizontal-axis washer loaded through a front door

See the full laundromat glossary for all 78 terms.

The Next Step

Sources

This page is general information about laundromat transactions, not legal, tax, or investment advice, and not a guarantee of sale price, timing, or financing approval. Verify current rules with your own CPA, attorney, lender, and the relevant state or municipal agency before acting.