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A busy motorbike cleaning shop during Tet. Photo: Phuong Lam. |
Many motorbike cleaning service businesses on the roads of Ho Chi Minh City have observed a crowded influx of customers in preparation for Tet Nguyen Dan. The constant flow of customers at the shops marks a rare booming period in this industry following a year of an uneventful economy.
“Overwhelming” since morning
Starting from the morning of January 30 on the downtown district 1 route (Ho Chi Minh City), the number of vehicles at motorbike repair shops has significantly increased. When visiting a facility at the beginning of Tan Dinh Street, the spacious yard and sidewalk were almost packed with dozens of motorbikes from various brands awaiting their turn for repair.
Sharing with a reporter, Mr. Tien Loc (Ho Chi Minh City), an employee of the shop, said that this overload situation had started since the beginning of the week and continued to increase, with no signs of cooling down yet.
“As soon as the shop opens, customers with prior appointments rush in, and as it gets closer to the evening, there are also many walk-in customers, so sometimes there is not enough space to park the motorbikes”, Mr. Loc added.
Shop employees stated that the majority of vehicle owners come for motorbike maintenance before the extended Tet holiday. Therefore, mechanics have to check nearly all aspects of a motorbike, which takes more time than usual. Simultaneously, the number of customers coming for cleaning services has also increased, creating an “overwhelming” scene at the shops.
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| Mechanics and motorbike cleaners working intensively since early morning. Photo: Phuc Hau. |
On average, it takes about 30-45 minutes to clean and wash a motorbike, not including other repair services. At most, in a day, each employee at the shop needs to clean around 8-10 consecutive motorbikes.
Mr. Hoang Minh (Ho Chi Minh City) said that he brought his Honda Airblade to the shop at 10 AM, but it was not his turn for repair until the beginning of the afternoon. Only around 3:30 PM, the scooter was taken inside the garage for inspection.
“I’ve been here since morning and still haven’t gotten it repaired, so the vehicles behind might have to wait until the evening. Partly due to rush hour, and I didn’t make an appointment, so I have to wait for a long time. It’s understandable because it’s the same everywhere,” Mr. Minh added.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dung (Ho Chi Minh City) came to the familiar motorbike maintenance shop to check his Honda Vario before returning to his hometown. However, it was almost impossible for him to make an appointment on that day due to the overload of customers, so he had to change to the next day.
“This is a shop I frequently visit, but whenever Tet approaches, appointment slots are always full. Initially, I made an appointment for maintenance on January 29, but the staff informed me that the schedule was already full until the evening, so I had to reschedule for another day,” Mr. Quoc Dung shared with Tri Thuc – Znews.
Price hike for cleaning
According to the observation of the reporters, some shops have posted prices for cleaning and oil change services during Tet starting from the end of January, with an increase ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 VND. The price hike is applied by shops from the end of January until the end of Tet Nguyen Dan due to high customer demand.
Sharing with the reporters, the owner of a motorbike cleaning shop in District 1 (Ho Chi Minh City) affirmed that the increased portion of money is used to support staff and mechanics who have been working throughout the holidays. In addition, the shop has to recruit more staff and increase salaries to ensure employees can work comfortably; hence, it is impossible to keep the service price constant.
“During Tet, there are many expenses that need to be managed, and the staff has to work from early morning until late at night. Several mechanics even skip lunch to finish washing and oil changing for customers. Therefore, this portion of money aims to encourage the staff, and the shop does not take any extra money. The price of cleaning motorbikes before Tet at the shop ranges from 30,000 to 50,000 VND, and now it only increases by 10,000-15,000 VND/bike,” the owner of the motorbike repair shop added.
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High income but high pressure on the approach of Tet. Photo: Nhat Sinh. |
Besides basic motorbike cleaning services, many shops also provide additional services such as deep cleaning, chain and disc maintenance, bike polishing, and offer discounted packages to meet customer demands.
Only a few shops in neighboring districts have not shown signs of price increases for cleaning services. Many shops have also displayed banners advertising Tet promotions without price hikes to support customers after a difficult economic year.
According to Mr. Tien Hai, the owner of a garage for vehicle maintenance and repair in Tan Binh District (Ho Chi Minh City), the cost of cleaning vehicles during Tet at the shop has not increased yet because the facility can still meet the number of staff, and they haven’t faced high expenses for communication and rent. However, the service price will definitely be adjusted closer to Tet to support extra work hours.
“For now, the shop keeps the same price to help customers save more during the maintenance cleaning before Tet. However, starting from the 27th, 28th of the Lunar calendar, the shop will definitely have new price adjustments because those days are close to the holidays, and there are fewer staff members. We have to pay higher wages and bonuses to support them. However, customers who need vehicle repair can still book maintenance packages for discounts,” Mr. Hai added.
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