This debate comes up in every laundromat owner group at least once a month. One camp says per-bag is simpler for the customer. The other says per-pound is the only way to protect your margin. The math settles it.
The per-bag problem
A "bag" of laundry is not a standardized unit. A kitchen trash bag weighs 8–12 lbs. A contractor bag weighs 20–35 lbs. A laundry bag from Amazon weighs 15–25 lbs depending on how aggressively the customer stuffs it.
If you charge $25 per bag and the average bag weighs 20 lbs, you're getting $1.25/lb. If a heavy-loader brings in a 35 lb bag, you're getting $0.71/lb — well below your cost in most markets. You've just lost money on that order and the customer thinks they got a deal.
Per-bag pricing rewards the customers who cost you the most and penalizes the ones who bring manageable loads.
The per-pound advantage
Per-pound pricing means every order is profitable at the same margin, regardless of size. A 12 lb order at $2.25/lb generates $27. A 30 lb order generates $67.50. Your cost per pound is constant. Your margin is constant. There are no surprises.
The minimum charge handles the edge case. A 5 lb order isn't worth processing, so you set a minimum (typically 10 lbs or $20). The customer either brings more or pays the minimum — either way, the order is profitable.
But customers prefer per-bag pricing
Some operators argue customers like the predictability of per-bag. They know exactly what they'll pay before they arrive.
Counter: they know exactly what they'll pay with per-pound too — they just need to know the weight. And you weigh it in front of them at intake. "Looks like 18 pounds, so that'll be $40.50." Done. No ambiguity.
The operators who switched from per-bag to per-pound consistently report no loss in customer volume and 15–25% higher revenue per order.
One action this week
If you're doing per-bag pricing, pull your last 20 orders. Weigh the bags (if you aren't already) and calculate what you actually earned per pound. Compare that to your cost per pound from the WDF Pricing Calculator. The gap will tell you how much money you're leaving on the table.