Suits and Two Piece Outfits
I got asked
more than once why non matching pieces couldn’t be counted as a suit, which is
cheaper to clean. I asked my boss one day and he told me that if one piece of a
suit loses its tag during the cleaning process we can still match it up with
its other half. That saves the person doing the packaging time and effort,
therefore lowering the cost of doing the suit. Two piece outfits that look good
together, but are clearly not a suit can’t be matched up that way.
Care Instructions
Believe it or not, care
instructions for a garment can play a role. I’ve seen garments with conflicting
care instructions. In one case the instructions literally read, “Dry Clean
Only” and then under that was, “Do Not Dry Clean.” I hadn’t taken in the
garment, but I had to call the customer and explain that we couldn’t clean it
due to the conflicting instructions.
Another lady brought in a suit with
dyed seeds as decorations and the garment tags read “dry clean only” but don’t
“clean the decorations.” How were we supposed to do that? I recommended that
she return the suit to the store she’d bought it at, but unfortunately, she’d
purchased it in another state.
I remember seeing an article in an
industry paper with a photo attached. There had been some kind of industry
seminar at which a man pulled in a rack full of clothes that had not survived
their own cleaning instructions.
Drapes and Curtains
We always had customers sign a
release for draperies and curtains for two reasons. One, they hang in windows
and are exposed to a lot of sunlight, which over time damages the fabric. Two, the everyday dirt and dust that the
fabric is exposed to can also damage the fabric. Most drapes and curtains did
just fine, but occasionally they would fall apart. Thankfully most customers
were okay with that, but occasionally we’d have to remind the customer about
the release we had them sign.
No Smoking
The worst customer service incident
that I ever had to deal with involved a man smoking in our shop. The first time I saw him smoking, he was at
our counter talking to the other woman who worked the register and had the
cigarette behind his back. I politely told him that smoking wasn’t allowed and
he chewed me out. I was new at the job, so I backed off, but it scared me.
Every chemical in the shop is flammable and while he wasn’t near them, they do
give off fumes. Looking back, I know now that he knew he was in the wrong.
After all, why have the cigarette behind your back if it’s okay to smoke in
there?
The second time he did it, he was
pacing in front of our gas dryers. Thankfully, none of the pilot lights were
out at the time. When I said, “Excuse me sir, but smoking but isn’t allowed,”
he yelled at me again.
This time I looked him right in the
eye and said, “Fine! If you don’t like it, you can pack up your stuff and leave!”
He left shortly after that and I
never saw him again.
Cost of Dry Cleaning
Last, but not least the complaint I
heard most was “Why is dry cleaning so expensive?” Well, I’ll tell you; it’s
labor intensive. I’ll try to give you a general overview of what’s involved in
dry cleaning. From the time you walk in the door to drop off your clothes, till
they’re ready, there are several steps that must take place.
1)
The counter person takes in your clothes and
makes notes about how many of each item and in the case of dry clean only, what
color
2)
That person must then tag each dry cleaning item and laundered shirt individually
and in some cases staple a matching tag to the invoice
3)
The items are then sorted according to dry
cleaning or laundry and then in the case of dry cleaning according to color:
laundered shirts are sorted according to the amount of starch requested
4)
For the dry cleaning process each item is
checked for spots and spot cleaned before being put into the dry cleaning
machine itself
5)
When the machine is done, each garment is double
checked for spots and if necessary cleaned again
6)
Then each garment is pressed individually. The
presser also checks for spots and sends things back to the cleaning person as
needed
7)
Once a garment is finished, it’s sorted and
packaged for you, the customer to pick up
8)
Once all garments for the day are packaged and
ready to go, they are put on the rotating line under the last name of the customer to wait for pick up
This doesn’t include the cost of
the chemicals used in spot cleaning and the general cleaning solution. The only
thing reusable is the general cleaning solution, and even it has limits. If you
think gas is expensive, those chemicals can be two to four times the cost of
gas and higher. Not to mention the electricity to run the machines and the
water for steaming garments as they’re pressed.
I hope that after reading this, you
will have a better understanding of why Dry Cleaning is so expensive and why I say
“the customer isn’t always right.”
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