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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Have you ever heard of a term called "the lipstick effect"? I've heard it mentioned in passing but wasn't familiar with the concept. This is what I discovered: During times of economic hardship, most people cut out luxury spending. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, historians say that women were willing to sacrifice items such as new clothes and jewelry, but a small splurge on red lipstick helped lift their moods, so sales skyrocketed.
The same is true today. In our country's tough economic climate, more people are choosing to go without large luxury items in favor of small splurges. This has helped business owners like Karl Mason, owner of Magic Clean Car Wash in West Jordan. Karl says people can't afford new cars like they could in the past so they're working hard to take care of the car they already have.
Magic Clean Car Wash offers several full-service wash options as well as detailing and window tinting. Next door to the carwash is the Tunex Automotive Center that Karl also owns. There he can provide clients with general maintenance, inspection and emissions testing.
In the nine years he has been running Magic Clean, Karl has become well acquainted with his regular customers and can greet them by name. The majority of his employees have also been with the company for years. This could be because Karl tries his best to treat employees well, doing things such as buying them all turkeys for Thanksgiving or providing lunch on special occasions.
Karl started in the automotive business in 1988, working as a mechanic at a Tunex Automotive Center in West Jordan. Eventually he purchased that store and then bought two other franchise locations in the valley. He later sold two shops to focus solely on his West Jordan mechanic shop and turned the empty lot next to Tunex into Magic Clean Car Wash. Karl has seen so much satisfaction with Magic Clean Car Wash that he hopes to open an additional location in the next few years.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
Magic Clean Car Wash 7872 Old Bingham Hwy West Jordan, UT 84088 801-280-9274
