JJ'S EXPRESS ADDS INTERIOR CLEAN TO NEW LOCATION ON EAST SIDE
Businesses and non-profit organizations regularly open and move in Saskatoon. Today the Starphoenix talks to Jacoba and Jamille Taylor — sisters who opened their second JJS Express Wash & Oil Change in Saskatoon in December.
JJS Express offers car wash and oil change services, focusing on friendly and fast service to get cars in and out in a timely matter, while offering a fun environment. The new location on Lorne Avenue will also feature their first express interior cleaning option. They say they are the first exterior and interior car wash to use a conveyor system in Saskatchewan.
Q Why did you open a second location for JJS Express?
Jacoba Taylor: Our first location is going well on 51st Street. We've had a lot of interest and a lot of good feedback. We had some people reach out and say they want to franchise us or do something like that. We kind of felt if it wasn't going to be us it would have been somebody else coming in, so we did it ourselves.
Q What kind of car wash experience can people expect at JJS Express?
Jacoba: Like our first location, we have a carnival ride kind of vibe in our car wash. People get scented soaps, coloured soaps, bright lights. At the new location we put in custom lighting so we can change it with every season. So for example, at Christmas it will be green and red, and for Valentine's Day we had pink, white and red. For Halloween we can put orange. The lights are on the exterior and interior of the building as well at the new location. And then all our arches light up. It's very similar to the first one but a couple of upgrades at the new location.
We have a pretty decent following on our social media pages. We have kids' parents tag us with their kids' reaction going through our car wash all the time.
Q Why are you adding an express interior clean in your new location?
Jamille Taylor: The reason we got into this is that a lot of people were coming up to us and asking if we do details. We noticed that there's a lot of detail places in the city, but there's nothing like an express interior clean. We're going to do a quick in-and-out clean of vehicles in under 20 minutes.
Q Do you offer more thorough detailing services?
Jamille: We will have two detail bays opening up in the next few months that will do full details. You can book an appointment and do it that way. That will be for getting dog hair out or stains.
Q How does the express interior clean work?
Jamille: For people that just want their cars cleaned in and out at Lorne Avenue you'll select which interior clean you would like. Every express interior clean is the same, but the price varies based on car size. On top of that, you also select the wash you would like.
The reason why we want you through the wash is because we want your car to be clean. We want your outside to be clean, but it also lubricates your door jams, so it makes it really easy for us to clean them. We have a waiting area for you to stand and watch what we do. For the express clean, we will drive your car onto a conveyor. With the conveyors moving, we are going to do your door jams, windows, floor mats, a quick vacuum, a quick clean on the dash and we'll finish with a polish — and that will be finished in under 20 minutes.
It's a quick in and out. It's not full detail — it's not like we're going to get every single nook and cranny. We're not going to get every speck of dust. If you have dog hair, we definitely cannot guarantee we're going to get all the dog hair out.
Q How does your car conveyor system work?
Jacoba: The typical way that most car washes work is they have a chain system that grabs your wheels and pulls. The way our conveyor works is it's a flat surface with little tiny bumps that stop your tires from rolling. It's really simple.
For car washes, we have an employee that will guide you onto the conveyor, and make sure you're lined up properly. It has rollers and clips at the end that grab underneath. It's super easy — and there is no grabbing of the tire, so we can clean the tires really nice. Once you get on the conveyor, it takes roughly about three minutes to get through.
Jamille: We are able to stay open all year round because of that. Some of the other places have to close due to cold weather because of the chain system. We're able to stay open all year — we haven't closed yet due to cold weather. When we hit the minus 40 temperatures, we have been the only one open in Saskatoon.
Q What are your washing and cleaning prices?
Jamille: For an exterior car wash, there's the $15 splash and dash, and show and shine for $18. Or there's a supreme sparkle, which is $24. You get free vacuums and a free mat wash with every car wash.
Our interior express clean prices for a car are $72 plus tax. For a truck or SUV, it's $83 plus tax. For an extra large SUV — that's a seven seater, or a minivan — it's $99 plus taxes.
Q You have car wash membership options?
Jamille: We have two membership options. We have our supreme sparkle, that's $78 plus tax. Then we have our show and shine, which is $70 plus tax. Each membership expires the same day the next month after you sign up. You have a limit of one wash per day for either location included. It's per vehicle, and we go by licence plate recognition — we scan your plate every time you go through.
Q You also offer oil changes?
Jamille: Yes, and we focus specifically on providing oil changes (without add-ons). We don't do any tires or anything like that. We offer semi or full synthetic oil with no appointment needed. We really thrive on not pushing people. Sometimes businesses push you to get a bunch of other things done, and you can leave with a $500 oil change and think “I only came for an oil change.”
Our motto is we're not there to push people. We have staff who will make recommendations but we don't pressure anyone. We're mainly just about giving good oil changes and getting people in and out and making them happy. Usually oil changes will take between 12 to 20 minutes or less, depending if there's a lineup. With every oil change you got a free show and shine car wash.