Late summer and fall are busy seasons for all of us at Locksmith Ledger. I especially enjoyed attending the ALOA Security Expo for the first time in many years. It was great to see the latest products and talk to so many locksmiths!
ALOA was the first of many shows on the fall calendar. Next weekend, we send our best wishes to the Greater Philadelphia Locksmiths Association, long-time friends of Locksmith Ledger who are hosting their 75th anniversary convention. Other members of our team will be heading to GSX Sept. 23-25 and then the Yankee Security Convention, Oct. 23-27. And the Texas Locksmiths Association Convention is underway at this writing. Distributors Banner Solutions, IDN and IML Security Supply also have Expos on the calendar with networking and training opportunities. Please check out our Calendar of Events for more networking and training opportunities:
Here are a few more fall highlights from Locksmith Ledger:
Results are in from our 2024 National Average Price Survey. The full survey will be presented in our October magazine issue and online next month. Here’s a sneak preview.
In 2024, the average service call fee was $94, and average labor charges were $104 during regular hours and $151 after hours. By comparison, 2023’s average service call was $90 and the average hourly rates (labor charges) were $95 during regular hours and $148 after hours. So price increases based on hourly rates were very modest during the past year. This doesn’t tell the full story. Trip charges, minimum charges and mileage fees have all increased while hourly rates remained the same.
We got some great feedback from our readers. My favorite comment came from a locksmith who pointed out that his trip fee provided the customer with a trained technician and a fully equipped $50,000 service van at their location. Then hourly rates cover the work done on site.
In November, we’ll take a more in-depth look at our industry as a whole when we present our annual State of the Industry report. There’s still time to take the survey, which closes in about five days.
School security will always be an important topic and we are working on a special supplement, an October series of webinars, and articles on a Michigan school upgrade on a budget and new ANSI school security standard that will be introduced at GSX. Register here for our School & Campus Security Series webinars.
Emily Pike
