Suited for success

I found this article in a men’s wear trade mag and thought it was one of the best cost/benifit analysis I have ever read. It is written by Mr. Chris White (not related) of America’s Best Cleaners. A good drycleaner is an essential element in your wardrobe arsenal. They are too often under appreciated and overly criticized. If you have a great one, keep them close! If on the other hand you are having problems…maybe it is time to seek out the best.

Enjoy the read.

Chris White

Q: The price of shirts at my dry cleaners just went up to $2.25. I love my cleaner, but the cost is twice that of the cleaner around the corner. How do I justify paying that much for a laundered shirt?A: I would like to answer this question with another question: What do a laundered shirt and a cup of coffee have in common? Not a whole lot – especially the time and effort it takes to produce each one. The only time these two meet is when you spill coffee on the shirt. A simple café latte at a national coffee chain costs $3.69 (including tax). Being in the dry cleaning business, I considered the amount of effort it takes to produce that cup of coffee versus turning out a laundered shirt – one of the most common items brought to a dry cleaner.
What goes into a latte? Coffee, milk, maybe sugar and a few minutes of time at the counter to produce that caffé latte.
So, what goes into producing a laundered shirt?
In sequential order, these are the steps:
• Invoice the order at the counter.
• Tag the shirt with a unique tag that represents a particular customer.
• Inspect the shirt for unusual stains, broken or missing buttons, tears, etc.
• Pre-spot the shirt if there are unusual stains (lipstick, ink, blood, anything else that doesn’t come out in a typical wash cycle).
• Launder the shirt.
• Press the shirt (either machine press with or without hand finishing or hand iron. Even machine pressing can’t always be done – some shirts don’t always fit on the machines – too large or too small.)
• Inspect the shirt, replacing buttons if necessary.
• Package the shirt.
• Store the shirt until picked up. (Sometimes the shirt isn’t picked up – a total loss of service for the dry cleaner.)
• Cash out the invoice. Typical supplies used in the process:
• Invoices
• Tags
• Soap, starch, softeners, and spotting chemicals
• Hanger • Polyethylene bags
• Shoulder covers Utilities:
• Steam boiler – usually gas or oil
• Electricity
• Water
Also, keep in mind that the dry cleaner is responsible for the shirt until it is retrieved by the customer. This makes the dry cleaner vulnerable to potential liability in the form of damaging or misplacing the shirt, both of which would require covering the cost of the shirt to the customer – a cost anywhere from $25 to $1000, and beyond! The average cost for a laundered shirt ranges from $.99 to $2.50, with the average somewhere around $1.75 for a machine pressed shirt. There are of course extra charges for special handling, hand-finished work and/or hand-ironed work, which are usually necessary on custom-made shirts or shirts made from fine fabrics.
Coffee consists of ground beans and water. How many times do customers complain about the price of gourmet coffee? In summary: the care, resources and responsibility inherent in laundering a fine shirt well eclipse the energy put into a mere beverage, which most people will purchase without a second thought. The knowledge and training that go into maintaining the quality and understanding the value of better made shirts and the more expensive processes incorporate all of the knowledge and use of the best equipment and supplies to ensure the best quality and service on time. Competition among cleaners and launderers do drive the price down, but a Couture Care Specialist will take the proper procedures and exert a level of quality control which far exceed those of your average dry cleaner. The risk of ruining a well-made shirt far outweighs the cost of care. Think about this the next time you spill your favourite beverage on your favourite shirt.

Americas Best Cleaners