National Clothesline

At first glance the figures from the latest Economic Census are encouraging. From 1997 to 2002, receipts for drycleaning rose by more than 9 percent. Average per plant revenues rose even more — nearly 13 percent — boosted by the fact that there were fewer drycleaners competing for that somewhat larger pie. At the same time, labor costs as a portion of total revenues, fell slightly.

If you don’t feel that much better off, there’s a good reason. Inflation during that period ate up most of those gains. Consider that in 1992, it took $1.10 to match the purchasing power of a dollar in 1997.

Putting it in terms of drycleaning prices, let’s say you were charging $1.25 for a shirt in 1997. If you weren’t charging at least $1.38 in 2002, your price wasn’t even keeping up with inflation. And as of last year, that $1.25 shirt from 1997 had to be at least $1.40, just to stay even. The same can be said for a two-piece suit. If you were at $6 in 1997, you needed to be up to $6.62 in 2002 and $6.73 in 2003, just to stay even.

Of course, the general rate of inflation is not the only factor to consider when determining your prices. But with the relatively modest inflation rates of the past few years, it may be overlooked. Sudden and steep increases in prices for utilities and supplies used in your business will get your immediate attention. But the steady drip-drip-drip of declining dollar value might go unnoticed while it wears a hole in your profits.

Take a look at your price lists, current and past. Have you given yourself a cost of living raise this year? If you’re not worth at least that much, maybe you should fire yourself.

The Internet and e-mail are both incredibly efficient labor-saving tools that greatly expand our capabilities to gather and share information. Yet, neither privilege comes without a high price attached. According to McAfee AVERT Labs, a worldwide anti-virus research organization, approximately 100,000 computer viruses were identified during the first half of 2004. The Internet may be a virtual gold mine of knowledge, but it is also the best place for your computer to catch a deadly cold.

Making matters a little worse, most of us cannot even check our e-mail anymore without being infiltrated by offers from weight loss companies, dating services, mortgage lenders or worse. E-mail Systems, a company which monitors the flow of spam and virus-infected messages, noted that junk mail comprised 85 percent of all e-mail traffic worldwide during August. Whether we like it or not, such nuisances will always be a part of our digital lives. There is no cure. In order to minimize the damage, it’s a good idea to install anti-virus filters and spam blockers. They cost a lot and they can be a pain to install. They also have to be constantly updated, and yet, does anybody really have a choice in the matter? Those not willing to spend that extra time and money risk losing everything.

In a way, viruses and spam are not that much different from those pesky regulations that annoy cleaners. Attendees of the California Cleaner convention in Long Beach recently listened to three industry experts discuss countless environmental and business compliance issues from the past and present. Such headaches will surely continue in the future, as well. The truth is, cleaners will always be required to adhere to policies that affect everything from employer liability to solvent usability. Like an annoying e-mail advertising hair restoration or an insidious worm that has burrowed itself into your computer’s address book, regulations are relentless and seemingly endless. Fortunately, however, there is a way to minimize the damage.

Cleaners can install their own filters and blockers by achieving compliance, something that is easy to say, but not so easy to do. It takes a lot of effort to stay current on all of the law changes and new regulations — just reading the text and comprehending it will eat up large portions of your life. Compliance also costs a lot of money and it isn’t much fun wading through all of the paperwork. However, that’s just part of the price plant owners pay for the luxury of being in charge. If you still need motivation, consider this: when cleaners fail to comply, it gives regulators even more fuel for the legislative fire.