National Clothesline

Another Clean Show is in the books and the 2003 edition held last month in Las Vegas was a solid if uneventful one. Attendance of 17,000-plus was about a thousand more than the New Orleans show two years ago. Exhibitor reaction to the floor activity ranged from positive to ecstatic. Traffic was heavy on Monday and Tuesday, tapering off Wednesday before the show closed down on Thursday, but it was steady throughout.

Uneventful, you say? Yes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Unlike recent Clean shows, there were no new cleaning technologies, no one was touting that they had discovered a heretofore secret of unbridled success, and none of the “we’re from the government and we’re here to help” types were on hand urging the industry to change its ways. Even the gossip and rumor mill was uncharacteristically quiet. Much of what was on display was what we have seen before, now tweaked, improved, upgraded and refined. Cleaners seemed serious and focused as they toured the exhibit hall and were not much distracted by the flashing lights and ringing bells of the nearby casinos. That’s what is required of anyone who wants to stick around in this business. Since the last Clean show, the industry has been in a slump, and it’s apparent that survival in a stagnant or declining market will require greater efficiency or more creativity — or both. The cleaners we saw at the show are definitely on that track. We’re sure that there are others who weren’t at the show but who are on that track, too. But a whole lot of others aren’t; they’re on the wrong track, and it may lead them right over the cliff before the next show comes around.

So perhaps we have entered a new era in which the hype, hoopla and sometimes near hysteria surrounding the latest, greatest thing is giving away to a calm, rational, analytical approach to the industry’s problems and possibilities. If that’s the case, and Clean ’03 marks the beginning of that new era, then it won’t have been such an uneventful show after all..

Every now and then, a story comes through our newsroom that we wish we didn’t have to report. For example, in July we wrote about a plant owner in Lake Placid, Florida, who was discovered strangled in the early morning hours at her store. In March, another plant owner was shot and killed in front of his business in Dallas when he arrived to open his plant. At least the killer was quickly apprehended by police because a surveillance video captured the shooting.

Not all the headlines depict violent tragedies. There are also many stories about armed robberies where money is the only real casualty. Being a cash business, cleaners are targeted by criminals as a way to score easy money quickly. Criminals usually avoid taking big risks. However, if you don’t have any form of security at your plant, you are the one taking a big risk. True, cameras mounted on the walls and store alarms don’t deter every criminal out there, but it does reduce the odds of being a victim. When scoping out places to rob, thieves favor the easy score. You don’t want to fall in that category.

If you are concerned for yourself and your employees — and you really should be — contact your local law enforcement and seek advice on what you can do to step up security. It never hurts to be in close contact with the police, by the way, especially if it places your company high on their priority list when they make their rounds around town. At the very least, avoid having only one person in the shop at any time — especially early in the day or late at night — because crimes tend to happen more often to victims who are alone.

The world went crazy a long time ago and it isn’t getting any better. In fact, a 20-year-old Florida counter clerk was recently dragged to the back of a drycleaning store and raped at knifepoint by two high school students. The outrageous crime occurred at about 10 a.m. The criminals proceeded to steal money from the store. Police made quick arrests on the case, but that really isn’t much consolation for the young woman who was traumatized by the incident.

So, it’s time to take a good look around your plant and examine the security measures you have in place. Are they enough? If you lack security measures altogether, then please reconsider. The costs and expenses far are outweighed by the price you’ll pay if criminals target you. After all, we’d hate to see your plant’s name in the next shocking headline.