It's no secret why the self-proclaimed World's Largest Laundromat in the US state of Illinois is popular. It has massive machines that wash eight loads at a time, birds that customers can watch fly around and raise their young and perks like free coffee and donuts.
But the secret to the laundromat's financial success is in solar panels on the roof. The laundromat's owner, Tom Benson, figures the 36 panels save him about US$2,000 (NT$65,400)a month in energy costs by shouldering most of the work of heating the water for his 157 washing machines, which run 24 hours a day.
"It's such a good idea business-wise and conservation-wise that they should make it the law," he said.
The panels have also provided a lot of free advertising, attracting the interest of local television news stations and even The New York Times.
But is it really is the world's largest laundromat? There is a store in the US state of Colorado that has more machines -- about 400, whereas Benson has 301 -- but Benson's laundromat is nearly twice the size at 1,254m2.
And the extra space makes his store so much more than a place to clean clothes. There are pinball machines, flat-screen televisions, a play area for children and a snack spot with vending machines packed with treats. Benson draws customers with free pizza nights on Wednesdays, where about 150 to 175 people make their way through 35 pizzas.
Benson has also hosted immunization drives and sponsored community projects like a read-to-ride program which encourages children to read over the summer by giving them a bicycle.
"It's a focus within the community and I think we play a significant role in the community," Benson said. (AFP)
1. self-proclaimed adj.
自稱的 (zi4 cheng1 de5)
例：Ben is the self-proclaimed English expert.
（ 班自稱是英文專家。）
2. perk n.
額外津貼 (e2 wai4 jin1 tie1)，好處 (hao3 chu4)
例：Having a big office is just one of the perks of being a CEO.
（擁有大辦公室不過是身為企業總裁的好處之一。）
3. figure v.t.
認為 (ren4 wei2)
例：There's lots of clouds today, so I figure it will rain soon.
（今天烏雲密佈，我認為就快要下雨了。）
4. shoulder v.t.
負擔 (fu4 dan1)
例：Jessica left her husband because she was tired of asking him to shoulder a fair amount of the housework.
（潔西卡對於要求她丈夫公平分擔家事感到厭倦，於是離開了他。）
美國伊利諾州自稱是「全球最大自助洗衣店」的商店為何廣受歡迎，一點也不是祕密。它配有一次可洗八倍衣服的大型洗衣機，飛來蹦去、養育幼雛的鳥兒供顧客觀賞，以及免費咖啡與甜甜圈等額外好康。
不過，這家自助洗衣店財務成功的祕訣在於屋頂上的太陽能板。洗衣店的老闆湯姆．班森認為讓三十六個太陽能板承擔燒熱水的工作，供應一百五十七台洗衣機全天運轉，可以讓他一個月省下兩千美元（新台幣六萬五千四百元）的能源支出。
他說：「這個妙點子不但能招攬生意，還能節省能源，應該立法推廣才是。」
太陽能板也提供了許多免費打廣告的機會，吸引當地電視台甚至是紐約時報的注意。
不過，它到底是不是全世界最大的自助洗衣店？美國科羅拉多州有一家自助洗衣店配有更多洗衣機?大約有四百台，而班森只有三百零一台，但班森的洗衣店佔地一千兩百五十四平方公尺，大約是前者的兩倍。
多餘的空間讓這家洗衣店不光是洗衣服的地方而已。這裡還有彈珠台、平面電視、孩童遊戲區，還有設有食物自動販賣機的飲食區。班森每週三晚間以免費的比薩吸引顧客，大約有一百五十到一百七十五位顧客前來享用三十五個比薩。
班森也主辦預防接種活動，並以贈送孩童腳踏車的方式贊助鼓勵孩童暑假閱讀的「閱讀騎車」等社區計畫。
班森說：「我們將焦點放在社區，我想我們可以在社區扮演重要角色。」
（法新社／翻譯：賴美君）
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