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The Clean Clothes Corner Laundry

With the purchase of the Clean Clothes Corner Laundry, owner, Molly Lai initially focused her

efforts and cash reserves to improve the physical appearance of the business. The business was in

an excellent location near high-income neighborhoods, and she expected a generation of good

business with the improvements to the interior and exterior of the laundry. After barely breaking

even at the end of the first year, Molly quickly realized that she underestimated the

competitiveness of the dry-cleaning business. She also learned that the success of the business

depended on price and quality of service more than the appearance.

As Molly formulated a plan to improve her dry-cleaning business, she explored several different

options that would yield the type of return she initially expected for the work she put in her

business. The purchase of new equipment was one the options she was considering. Purchasing

new equipment would be costly and require a temporary increase in her fixed costs but would

also increase the speed of the time it takes to dry clothes and also improve the appearance of the

clothes. Molly knew she could increase the number of items she cleaned per hour without

increasing her variable costs. Molly also considered the option of lowering her price but was

unsure if it would allow her to break-even and how it will affect her volume.

Insert section for (Problem A and B)

1. What is Molly’s current monthly volume?

Molly’s fixed costs = $1,700 per month

Variable costs are $0.25 per item

Cost per item is $1.10

Hence, the current monthly volume = $1,700 ÷ (1.1 – $0.25) = 2000


Molly’s current monthly volume is 2,000 items.

Answer:

Molly made the massive investment in the exteriors of the Clean Clothes Corner Laundry

instead of focusing on equipment that could increase the efficiency of the laundry. In the given

scenario with the given fixed expenses of $1,700 per month and revenue of $1.10 per item with a

variable cost of $0.25 per item, Molly will require cleaning more than 2,000 items in a month. In

other words, Molly should clean more than 2,000 items to break-even the cost. Any item above

2,000 will be her profit. Therefore, Molly should focus on cleaning more than 2,000 clothes

every month to generate profit from her business. Anything below 2,000 items will result in a

loss to Molly.

2. If Molly purchases the new equipment, how many additional items will she have to dry-clean

each month to break even?

Based on question C, the $16,200 in new machinery will be spread up over 36 months. This will

add $450 per month to her fixed costs making it total to $2,150 per month. Hence, she would

need to clean the following additional items per month to break even.

= $2,150 ÷ (1.1 – $0.25) – 2000

= 529.412

Molly would need to clean an additional 529 items a month in order to break even.

Answer:

Molly is not satisfied with the revenue generated from her current laundry business, and

she is keen to boost her profitability from the business. Molly has an opportunity to improve the

efficiency of business by investing $16,200 in new equipment. But the investment will increase
the fixed cost from $1,700 to $2,150. When there is an increase in the cost, there is a requirement

for Molly to clean more items to break-even. If Molly is purchasing the equipment, she should

clean more than 2,529 items that are 529 items more than the existing 2,000 items to break-even.

Purchase of equipment will increase the efficiency of her business which is essential, but at the

same time, she should clean more than 2,529 items to generate profit. Purchasing equipment will

require her to clean more items to generate profit.

Insert section for (Problem C)

Insert section for (Problem D)

Insert section for (Problem E)

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