Since food stains are the reason for many trips to the drycleaner, putting a drycleaning plant under the same roof as a food store has a sort of logic to it. But that's not the logic of the Safeway chain in putting full drycleaning plants into dozens of its food stores in the United Kingdom.
Safeway sees it as a way to combine two consumer chores -- one a definite necessity and one maybe not -- into a single trip, hoping that the convenience to customers will prove beneficial to both the drycleaning and grocery selling businesses. Ultimately Safeway wants consumers to see it all as one business, to identify a trip to the grocery store and a trip to the drycleaner as one in the same.
Indeed, Safeway makes every effort to see that the customer's convenience is served. Clothes can be dropped off at the in-store counter, paid for in advance and picked up 60 to 90 minutes later, after the shopping is done. If the clothes aren't ready to go when the customer is, Safeway delivers them -- and the cleaning is free. Customers willing to settle for one-day turnaround pay a little less for their cleaning.
Furthering the customer's convenience, the stores are open seven days a week, 12 hours a day, plus there's always easy parking, unusual for the UK where most cleaning plants are located in congested "High Street" areas.
Safeway promotes various discount pricing schemes, too. Most of the discounts -- such as any five garments for 12.95 (UK pounds) -- still provide a profit, but even those that are loss leaders serve the entire store, not just the drycleaning operation.
To drycleaners in the United States, under pressure from forces that would like to exclude them from shopping centers and apartment buildings, Safeway's marketing strategy might seem secondary to the question of how the chain manages to have a fully operating drycleaning plant inside a grocery store.
So far at least, it's been without trouble or controversy. A tour group from the International Drycleaners Congress that visited one of the Safeway operations in June saw a plant that operates under extremely tight controls. The complete lack of any kind of odor, even steam, led some to ask if there was any work going on. There was, but the tell-tale smells were non-existent.
The store staff has no access to the rear workings of the cleaning machine, located behind a locked door, and they are never exposed to solvent handling. They are there primarily, almost exclusively, to serve customers. Any technical adjustments and maintenance needed for the equipment is handled by a separate workforce that makes regular visits to each of the 68 cleaning locations.
Safeway monitors the store area, and particularly the dairy products, to assure that the strict controls on solvent emissions are effective.
In the event of a spill or leak, emergency equipment is close at hand to contain whatever perc may escape from the machinery.
The plant, which opened in March, features two AMA/Duval 28-lb. Mito perc cleaning machines with integrated carbon recovery, three cold finishing tables, one cold spotting table, a finishing cabinet, a washer, and a dryer and a sink. The production area encompasses 591 square feet with another 130 square feet for the counter and storage areas.
The store processes 12,000 to 15,000 garments a week with weekends being the busiest. Overall, the chain processes 100,000 garments a week, aiming to achieve maximum efficiency by keeping its 150 cleaning machines in its 68 stores running up to 14 hours a day.
Employees are best recruited from the ranks of the inexperienced, as far as Safeway is concerned. That way they can be trained according to the company's philosophies without needing to be divested of any "incorrect" approaches gained from working in other drycleaning plants. The company professes zero tolerance for failure to service customers appropriately. Technical foul-ups are better tolerated, believing that it's easier to make-good a mistake in cleaning than to retrieve a disgruntled customer.
And make-good they do. Any garment not cleaned to the customer's satisfaction is done over at no charge. This is in line with Safeway's overall policy of customer satisfaction.
The counter of the drycleaning operation melds into the overall store design, facing across the aisle the grocery check-out counters. Drycleaning staff wear the same uniforms as the rest of the store staff, further giving the operation the look and feel of being part of the store as a whole. At least two staff are on duty in the drycleaning section at all times.
Safeway hopes that the combination of quick turn-around, convenient access and low prices will bring a change in customers' attitudes toward drycleaning, making it more a part of the usual routine of shopping and less a special chore that might well be put off to another day.
The formula seems to be working. Stores report a profit of 45 to 53 percent after labor and processing costs. That doesn't take start-up costs into account, but those costs are minimized because start-up is considered part of the construction and installation of the entire supermarket.
NEW YORK, NY -- Hearings for proposed New York State drycleaning rules attracted a large audience that openly cheered and booed presenters as they saw fit.
Little common ground could be found between drycleaners and their adversaries, which included environmentalists, labor unions and residential tenants, at the opening round of hearings in New York City July 15.
The rules controlling emissions from perc-using drycleaning plants were developed after months of discussions and negotiations between representatives of labor unions, drycleaners, manufacturers, consumer interest groups, environmental organizations and the state of New York.
New York City council member Kathryn E. Freed, who has introduced legislation to ban perc-using drycleaning plants in residential neighborhoods, set the tone for the perc opponents when she said "I do not believe any regulation can control the effects that this dangerous chemical has on human beings." Freed asked the Department of Environmental Conservation "to state that there are alternative methods of drycleaning that could be used to phase out perc."
Eric Frumin of the labor union UNITE charged that people who dedicated their lives to textile care earned a terminal reward -- "that's what they got for it -- death at a higher rate."
Frumin based his assertion on a NIOSH study on dry cleaning workers. His discussion of the data cited cancer deaths among workers exposed to perc at rates of 1.23 to 2.54 greater than the general population. He also charged that "NIOSH found four cancer deaths (due to esophagus cancer) -- over seven times higher than the number expected in the general population."
Barbara Warren of Consumers Union acknowledged that her group "agreed to the proposal" at the conclusion of the committee work, but has since reneged. CU is now "opposed to (perc) drycleaning in residential buildings," she said.
Several tenants of residential units and an attorney for a couple affected by perc cleaning rules also spoke. One man related the anxiety he and his wife felt when she was pregnant and bedridden. Resident Cathy Sears Robbins offered a story on her fears for her children and family, lamenting the finding of perc traces in their bodies.
She complained of the smell of perc and wondered if years from now people will look back with amazement at the tolerance for perc vapor exposure.
New York City public advocate Mark Green pushed for strong controls on perc.
"DEC should set clear standards for emergency response and reporting requirementsŠ DEC should take stronger action to ensure that private inspectors have no conflict of interest and are not subject to undue influence from the regulated industryŠ and cleaners must also comply with any state health guideline or indoor air standard for percŠ"
Limited ban of perc
Green also asked for more units other than "third or fourth-generation perc-based machines as acceptable replacements for older machines." In addition, he urged the state DEC to "support the request that the City Building Code be amended to ban new perc-based cleaners in residential buildings."
UNITE vice president Clayola Brown's statement urged a perc use ban for residential buildings, asked for independent inspections and free measurements of air quality in buildings and looked for the establishment of a health department perc guideline as "a legal maximum for all 'co-located' facilities."
Brown would mandate cleaners "to adopt professional wetcleaning, to the maximum extent feasible, through the establishment of a publicly-administered training program that fully trains both cleaner owners and their workers in the techniques of professional wet cleaning."
NEFA, NCAI respond
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association International and the North East Fabricare Association sat in on the rule making committee. Three speakers reflected these groups' viewpoints.
Jerry Levine was booed vigorously by a UNITE contingent when outlined the NCAI stand on the regulations.
"While we stand by our agreement, we also believe that this additional input, which we did not have the opportunity to receive from our members prior to our sign off, will prove useful to the department," Levine said. That included concerns about permitting fees. "It is imperative that fees be confined to reasonable levels and not be duplicated by local agencies," he said.
Also of concern is a requirement for posting notices.
"One of the subjects that must be included in the notice is the potential health effects of perc. How that section is worded is essential to the survival of the drycleaning industry in New York StateŠ If the environmentalists get their unscientific concept of the wording included on the notice, customers could become fearful of drycleaning and possibly even of entering the store," Levine said.
Levine also questioned a section that requires facilities in mixed-use buildings to be inspected twice a year.
"When drycleaners in mixed-use buildings learned that they would have to be inspected twice a year and pay for it, they were outraged," Levine said. One inspection should be sufficient, he said.
Levine noted that the rules require "that inspectors must not be engaged in the sales or marketing of drycleaning equipment. Also, they must not be engaged in providing services to the drycleaning industry or be an employee of a trade association."
He claimed "this effectively eliminates all of the people best suited to find where any problem exists and suggest how to remedy itŠ"
Vapor barriers needed?
Vapor barriers and special ventilation requirements in commercial mixed-use settings are another issue. Levine said "many members have informed us that we made a mistake. They say that if a drycleaner has a fourth-generation machine, a vapor barrier is irresponsible and excessive, adding another $6,000 to $10,000 to the $45,000 to $75,000 they have already spent or will spend."
NCAI said if the machinery to be installed or already in place in a commercial mixed-used building is fourth-generation, and can reduce the concentration of solvent vapor in the basket at the end of the cycle to less than 300 ppm, neither a vapor barrier nor special ventilation should be required.
NEFA executive vice president Peter Blake stressed five themes in his comments.
"Vapor barriers in mixed use buildings should not be required," Blake said. He claimed their cost, construction and operation were of dubious value.
Certification focus
In addition, Blake said mandatory certification was agreed upon in principle, but the specifics were not defined. "It is crucial to make sure the program focuses on the intent," he said. "The focus should be solely on the safe handling of perc and safe operation and maintenance."
NEFA also wants the door fan units requirements eased to 50 feet per minute (fpm) flow, down from the proposed 100 fpm. Blake called the proposed number an "arbitrary figure -- not tested or proved."
The requirement for posting a health notice also drew criticism. "The final content was never approved and the consensus was conditional on the final language," Blake noted.
Regarding inspections, Blake said that "to prohibit or ban the associations from trying to ease this burden by using the power of mass purchasing is wrong. The qualifications required of inspectors should be enough of a guarantee for accurate reporting."
"We have all seen the sensationalistic news reports on the industry," Blake stated. "And we all feel compassion for these people" who feel their lives have been adversely effected.
Drycleaners will accept positive change, he offered. They work to safely handle perc and will work to protect the environment. "These regulations, incorporating these changes, do just that," Blake said.
NCAI executive director Bill Seitz gave a longer statement, taking time to rebuke both UNITE and Consumers Union. UNITE was chastised for its quitting the negotiating committee in the last two hours of deliberations. CU was faulted for its methodology in measuring air samples in mixed use buildings.
Seitz stated his feelings on the opinions expressed by those seeking tighter regulations for perc drycleaners.
"What you have heard is conjecture, speculation and hearsay," he charged "Their opinions are certainly not supported by science but do create media hype and, otherwise, generate attention. Their assertions are based on a long standing bias that has given them a cause based on tunnel vision."
50 years experience
Seitz outlined his statement in 10 parts. He said perc, when handled properly, is safe and effective as a textile care solvent. Its safety record is backed by NCAI's 50 years of experience with a rated workers' compensation group.
"Our record of low claims payment has resulted in an unbroken record of dividend payment back to the cleaner that has reached an incredible 55 percent plus a 20 percent advance discount," Seitz said. "This could not be possible if employees were affected by the chemicals used."
He also cited improved technology in drycleaning machinery and equipment, perc consumption declining because of that technology, training and maintenance, the fact that the drycleaning industry is not wedded to the use of perc and inconclusive and conflicting scientific data on the possible hazards of perc.
Cleaners are located under apartments or in shopping centers out of necessity, but Seitz said that other businesses in the same building or shopping center have similar "risks" to the public.
Seitz scoffed at those who say wetcleaning is a solution to perc but who act "without any real knowledge or proof of the facts."
"For the last four years Germany has been on the cutting edge of wetcleaning technology. As recently as last month, they reported that the cleaning industry is doing approximately 40 percent wetcleaning. We believe that wetcleaning will be an important adjunct but in no way is it a replacement for drycleaning," Seitz added.
"The cleaning industry has accepted the challenge and responsibility for change. What we ask for is reasonable and attainable regulations," Seitz concluded.
"We have earned the right to survive. We should not and will not permit any person or group to over-regulate us out of business," he said.
The final version of the drycleaning rules is due 60 days after the Aug. 2 comment deadline.
The Olympic torch had help from cleaners along winding its 12-week journey across the United States.
At 24 stops along the route, cleaners pitched in to clean the pants, polo shirts and 150 mesh bags for personal containing personal items of the 150-member support crew that kept the torch relay on the road.
Altogether, the cleaners processed more than 30,000 pounds of laundry for "Operation Running Clean," which was organized by the International Fabricare Institute.
As the torch neared the end of its journey in time for the opening of the Olympics, one cleaner had a larger role in its progress. Jim Patrie of Fashion Care in Atlanta, GA, carried the torch itself for a leg of the relay on July 12. Fashion Care followed up by handling the torch crews' garments, the last of 65 cleaners to be involved in the project.
Jim Foasberg's Foasberg Laundry in Long Beach, CA, was the first cleaner to volunteer for duty, back in April just after the 15,000 mile trip began. At the next stop, in Phoenix, AZ, a group of cleaners led by David Link of Comet One-Hour Cleaners took control of the project. Plants helping out included Acme Cleaners, Regency Cleaners, Swan Cleaners, Johnson's Cleaners, Uptown Cleaners, Carriage Cleaners, Marone's Cleaners and Paris Laundry and Drycleaners.
Haciendea Cleaners in Pleasanton, CA, took care of the laundry on the next stop. Then it was another team effort in Seattle with Corry's Fine Drycleaning, LeatherCare/Fabricare, Madison Carnolia Cleaners, Spic N Span Cleaners, Clampitt's Cleaner and Midway Cleaners.
In Salt Lake City, UT, four IFI and Rocky Mountain Fabricare Association members donated their time and work. They were Henrie's Drycleaning, Red Hanger Cleaners, Canyon View Cleaners and A Clean Impression.
Armstrong Cleaners provided the service in Omaha.
"Our whole plant was alive with laughter and for five and a half hours it was teamwork at its best," said Sue Armstrong.
In Wichita, KS, garments were dropped off at Best Cleaners, part of the Dryclean USA group.
Several Houston, TX, cleaners joined forces to handle the work there. They included Baldwin Cleaners, Craig's Cleaners, Airline Cleaners, Comet Cleaners, Dapper Dan Cleaners and Sims City Cleaners.
All Star Cleaners and Asher Cleaners & Laundry divided the job in New Orleans. It was another group effort in St. Louis with Yorkshire Cleaners, Frontenac Drycleaners and Colonial Drycleaners.
At the Austin, MN, stop, Clothing Care, a division of Fabric Services Inc., and Dison Cleaners handled the work load.
It was a solo act in Hammond, IN, where Porter's Cleaners processed the entire order. But in Columbus, OH, a team of 10 from the Drycleaners Guild of Central Ohio split the job. The group, led by Randy Ross of Lee Ross Cleaners, included Callander Cleaners, Dublin Cleaners, Drycleaning Station, Imperial Cleaners, Magic Touch Cleaners, Ross Cleaners Olde Town Cleaners Westerville Cleaners and Worthington Hills Cleaners.
At the next stop in Erie June 10, Thrifty Clean, 60-Minute Drycleaner & Shirt Laundry, and Dell's Coin Laundry participated in the project.
Roxy United Cleaners took care of the load in Albany, NY, while Pembroke Laundry & Cleaners and White Way Laundry handled the job for the New York city stop.
The task was met by a single company at each of the next five stops: Fabricare by Fran in Washington, DC; Jones Dry Cleaners in Charlotte, NC; White Way Cleaners in Nashville, TN; Cranes One Hour Cleaners in Gainesville, FL; and Towne Cleaners in West Palm Beach FL.
Trios of cleaners handled the job in Savannah, and Perry, GA. Southside Cleaners, Campbell's Cleaners and Best Cleaners teamed up in Savannah while Foxy's Cleaners, Master Cleaners and Strato Cleaners did the work in Perryville.
IFI planned to continue its Olympic role during the games in Atlanta by helping area drycleaners sort out the international fibers, fabrics, and care labels coming their way.
SILVER SPRING, MD -- The deadline to register for the Certified Environmental Drycleaner (CED) and Certified Professional Drycleaner (CPD) exams has been extended to Sept. 15. Both exams will be given at various sites around the country Oct. 5.
The CED exam consists of 150 questions on environmental regulations, proper waste handling and safe operating procedures for drycleaning equipment.
The 250-question CPD exam covers business management, customer service, fibers and fabrics and the drycleaning process.
The fee for the CED exam is $175 for IFI members and $275 for non-members. The fee for the CPD exam is $295 for members and $395 for non members.
For information on the exams, contact the Professional Testing Corp., 1211 Avenue of the Americas, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036 or call (212) 852-0400.
LOWELL, MA -- A wetcleaning plant in Arlington, MA, is one of five sites participating in a demonstration by the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute of "cleaner technologies" for industry.
Utopia Cleaners' participation is based on its change of emphasis from drycleaning with perc to wetcleaning. Before the switch-over, Utopia used wetcleaning as a supplement to cleaning with perc, which it purchased at the rate of 150 to 175 gallons a year. Now it uses no perc; 80 percent of the garments coming in are wetcleaned on site and the remainder are sent off-site to a conventional perc drycleaning plant under the same ownership.
Instead of replacing its aging perc drycleaning machine with a newer model, the company purchased four wetcleaning machines made by Daewoo Electronics, a Korean company.
Although the machines have about one-fourth the capacity of its the perc cleaning machine it formerly used, they cost only about $1,000 each. They are also considerably less expensive than some professional wetcleaning systems, the difference being reflected in less programming flexibility and, again, smaller load capacity.
Originally marketed in the Far East, the Daewoo machine has been shown at several US drycleaning trade shows in 1996.
In the washer mode, air bubbles pumped through the base of the drum provide vertical water flow while the pulsator provides reverse flow.
In the drycleaning mode, the product "Dry Ten" is added to the wash which is supposed to make it possible to clean silks and angora without shrinkage.
The washers are available in 12- and 20-pound capacity models; the larger machines are being used in the Utopia plant.
At the time of the transition, Utopia posted information about wetcleaning for its customers, many of whom now request that their garments be wetcleaned.
TURI noted in a report on the project that Utopia has benefited from cost savings in perc purchases hazardous waste disposal but there has also been increased time allotted to finishing the wetcleaned garments compared to drycleaning.
"The low capital cost of the system installed by Utopia makes wetcleaning an attractive alternative or supplement to drycleaning when examining the increasing regulation and associated costs of perc drycleaning," TURI commented in a press release.
The five TURI demonstration projects will run through October 1996. The sites will host visits that include technology briefings, tours and distribution of educational publications.
In addition to Utopia Cleaners, demonstration sites include Cranston Print Works, which provides preparation, printing and finishing of textile fabrics; Lockheed Martin Defense Systems, which is using aqueous-based cleaning systems; Daher Tool Group, an electroplater using in-process recycling of nitric acid; and Metallized Products Inc., which specializes in electron beam curing of reactive coatings and inks.
TURI is a multi-disciplinary center that promotes reduction in the use of toxic chemicals or the generation of toxic by-products in industry and commerce through research, education and training programs and technical support.
For more information on the program or to register for site visits, call Jodie Siegel or Ruth Polk 508-934-3275.
Try to recall the Professional Wetcleaning Partnership created last November with great fanfare in Washington, DC. It presented a coalition of unlike interests claiming to aspire toward the same goal. Nine months later some of the partners and their friends continue to make noise, this time on other issues.
One of these coming to the fore in New York is plant inspection. All sides consistently state their support of the need. The New York League of Conservation Voters, the New York City public advocate, Neighborhood Cleaners Association International, North East Fabricare Association and International Fabricare Institute all agree.
But they agree on what? Inspections, yes. By whom? No. We want independent inspections, says UNITE. There is a conflict of interest when trade associations solicit bids for private dry cleaning inspectors, says the League. The state DEC should take stronger action to ensure that private inspectors have no conflict of interest and are not subject to undue influence from the regulated industry, says the public advocate.
NCAI says that to leave out members of the industry as inspection facilitators effectively eliminates all of the people best suited to find where any problem exists and suggest how to remedy it. NEFA says to ban the associations from trying to ease this burden by using the power of mass purchasing is wrong. The qualifications required of and the regulations governing inspectors should be enough of a guarantee for honest reporting.
A definition of what an inspection is and how it can be performed is the easy part. But there is a nagging suspicion that public advocacy groups (not to mention consumers) will not support or trust an industry-dominated inspection program. When measured by the same standards, a certification program of the same parentage will be equally suspect. Worse yet, should the development of a methodology for inspection certification fail, it guarantees state-defined and state-operated programs. Isn't this the sort of "undue government regulation" something small business has fought for years?
Inspection and certification belong to no one group. Learning from the experience of the wetcleaning coalition, the industry needs to establish a new partnership -- on inspections, certification and education. By talking about common themes, we can create new opportunities.
From France comes a survey that brings into question some of the conventional industry wisdom about discount drycleaning. The survey, taken by the French textile care journal "Pressing," examined the attitudes of discount cleaners' customers.
Among the findings was that customers generally acknowledge that full-price cleaners do a better job, although not by the overwhelming margin that we might hope for. That doesn't stop them from patronizing the lower-priced cleaners. They simply sort out their cleaning, taking most of it to the discounter while saving the "tough jobs" for the full-price cleaner. So if the discounter ends up with the easy work, maybe it's not so hard to make a profit at "those prices" after all.
Another finding was that, while some customers said they simply want to save money on having their clothes cleaned, most of them declared that what they really want is to be able to afford to have more of their clothes professionally cleaned and more often. In other words, the demand for cleaning is there; what cleaners are facing is price resistance. If the price barrier can be broken, the amount of clothes cleaned may rise. Indeed, that seems to be the case with the two discount cleaners in the survey. The average monthly customer expenditure was higher than expected because customers were bringing in more garments.
One piece of conventional wisdom still holds true: the customer is always right. Do you know what your customers think about discount drycleaning?
My family has been in the drycleaning businessŠ let's see, my dad started his work in Chicago and moved out here. When I was about seven my mother and dad opened Don Carlos Cleaners. We'd been living on LA about four years. I guess I'm a third generation drycleaner."
Barry Gershenson is recalling his career in the textile care industry.
He started working in his parent's business in Los Angeles a few years after they opened it.
"I was probably 11 or 12 years old. It was a Saturday job," he recalled, something that continued working all through his teens when he worked afternoons and Saturdays.
There was a break for a while when he went into the service for six months (reserves) and attended college for about a year.
"Then I went to the International Fabricare Institute and took the general course, which at that time was 12 weeks," Gershenson said. "It was pretty comprehensive, a little more in depth. We had a chemistry class comparable to high school chemistry. We really spent a lot of time in every area.
He returned home to LA. He started as a spotter/drycleaner but within a year there was an opportunity for him and his brother to buy into a business of which his father was part owner.
"We purchased the other two thirds of the business (dad had one third). Harvey and I took the business when it was over a year old," he recalled. "It was Harvey (his brother), myself and two other employees. This was Sterling of Westwood Cleaners."
His father kept 51 percent interest in the company for the longest time. He wanted to make sure there was stability in the family -- "no divorces or interruptions."
"I remember calling my dad an awful lot the first year. I was only 19 at the time and we were working from about 7:30 to about 6:30, six days a week. I remember at the time I'd go on a date on Saturday night and fall asleep."
For the first five years he did all the cleaning and spotting and his brother Harvey did the marking.
"Somewhere about seven or eight years into the business the neighborhood demographics changed," Gershenson said. Single dwelling homes gave way to 20 and 30 unit buildings. Business really started growing.
"We became more savvy about marketing although there was a lot of fumbling for a number of years. There wasn't the marketing madness there is today."
In the early days they purchased bowling shirts with the company names on the back.
"When the car rode over our 'gas station' bell, we'd run out to the customer. This was in the sixties." They were becoming known as "the boys" in their community.
The next big transition was expansion. They originally had 2,200 square feet of space but expanded to 3,300.
"We closed the laundromat and moved our finishing section into the laundromat area. Then we expanded our storage and conveyers into the old finishing area."
"The next step was -- nothing really changed for a while," Gershenson said.
With communications technology expanding, the next step was obvious.
"We became a beta site for a local computer company in LA about 7 years ago. That really changed the way we did business," Gershenson observed. "Customers got a laminated bar-coded card."
They got rid of their card file -- "filing was such a big part of work. The most dramatic thing was the location of everything. The cards were on a wall four feet long, with 10 pages of these files."
The software makers made modifications as Gershenson went along.
In the end, this company was purchased by Pittsburgh Tag.
The next big thing was competition moving into the area. The new kids on the block kept hours until 9 p.m. and were open Sundays.
"We stayed open until 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and changed our hours to start at 6 a.m. We had a lot of interest by customers in staying open later."
In 1990 they extended their hours.
"We noticed the market up the street was open 24 hours, a major video store was open late," Gershenson said. We saw a 20 percent increase in our business.
The work demands increased.
"We put on a second shift; the logistics were unreal. There's a big learning curve." And they still took garments in up to 7 p.m. and had them ready that night.
They also added Sunday service from 10-3, since changed to 10 to 5.
The changes did a number of things. They had to go to second shift because they didn't have enough work stations.
"I think it takes a lot of planning and a lot of team building" in adding a second crew, Gershenson recalled. An owner needs "a real job description of what happens at the end of the first shift and second shift."
"We're kind of seat of the pants type guys. There was planning but never in the total sense of what's involved" in expansion.
In 1991 they added a dramatic flourish to the look of their building -- an extension outside over the parking lot.
"We were running out of conveyor space and one of our customers who is an architect suggested the idea," Gershenson said. The unit was fabricated at a steel yard.
The foundation was put in and the unit trucked in, set in place and finished at the job site.
"That unit is not really perpendicular to building. It's off-set to give it more design," he noted. "It was painted bright blue in contrast to the gray building and extends 17 to 18 feet from building." The conveyor has 1,600 slots for garments, all protected by double laminate glass.
At the same time they remodeled the customer area with help from an interior design company.
"We got around traditional counters and brought in a higher tech. Obviously they're counters but the choice of materials and all was tasteful," Gershenson said. "We went in with a refreshment center... coffee, donut holes, tea. There are plenty of doughnuts from Stan's Donuts, a local purveyor. This guy's been here for 35 years."
They also added a greeter at the door. That employee also answers the phone and helps direct counter personnel at one of the six counters.
"One of the things that happens at most cleaners is customers aren't acknowledged soon enough," Gershenson said. "This way every customer is greeted as they walk through the door."
In 1992 the company opened a second location about three miles away.
"We put in a shirt laundry at that location, no drycleaning. All we process is shirts," Gershenson said. "Max Rechnitz laid out that plant. We created a shuttle service that takes the products between stores. On the shuttle, I instituted rolling racks rather than hand carrying work into vans."
In 1992 his nephew Allen came into business. He started with the opening of a new location.
It also was a time of upgrading the business's organization.
"We had been involved with Deborah Rechnitz for a couple of years and we restructured the company, having a meeting with her," Gershenson said. "We put in an organizational chart, put in rules. It shocked my brother and myself. Obviously it was very necessary as the company was growing and adding middle management."
The structure shows Barry as president. Harvey is vice president/finance and Allen is vice president/sales.
They wanted to grow the business, "to take it to the next level," so last September they started their first home delivery route.
"We went to Widmer's and got all pumped up with route business," Gershenson said. "We put on a second route about two months ago."
Now they want to double the size of the company in the next four years with additional dry stores as well as routes. They're bringing in somebody from a major manufacturing company. A good company needs a professional manager who has a lot of manufacturing and team skills. The hardest part is teaching people how to manage people.
Gershenson is expected to be elected president of the California Fabricare Institute at its convention this month, an event which coincides with CFI's move to solidify its position as an independent trade association.
"I worked my way up through the local association, GLADCA, then went through CFI working my way up through the chairs," Gershenson said.
"We've gone through a lot of transitions -- from a social club to a more formidable association," he said of CFI. "We brought in a professional association management company, The Messersmith Group, and we're heading up a membership drive right now."
Gershenson said the association business is face-to-face with people activity. "It's a business and you have to service your customers, in this case your association members" if you are to succeed.
In reaching people he said they have regional captains around the state with people under them. The main thrust in the first year will be membership.
"That's the whole key. Membership services and getting services to members, a lot of continuity in programs. We need to develop a better lesson plan," Gershenson said. "I'm looking forward to it. We have a wonderful group in the state association."
As part of its effort to organize the drycleaning industry nationwide at the grass-roots level, the Fabricare Legislative and Regulatory Education council (FLARE) has a volunteer director in each state.
Additionally, FLARE seeks to have at least once volunteer representative in each congressional district.
Contact the State Director for your state for more information on local activities or to volunteer your services.
FLARE is still looking for State Directors for Alabama, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin.
If you would like more information on volunteering for FLARE, contact the FLARE administrative office by phone, (708) 416-6221; fax (708) 416-4150; or e-mail: infoFLARE@aol.com
Alaska: Tim Crawford, Alaska Cleaners, Inc., 715 W. Fireweed Lane, Anchorage, AK, 99503-1929, (907) 265-4800; fax (907) 265-4822; e-mail, cleaners@alaska.net.
Arizona: Donn Frye, Prestige Cleaners, Inc., 7126 Sahuaro Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85254, (602) 948-2781; fax (602) 948-2867.
Arkansas: Lou Schickel, Schickel's Cleaners, 2732 Foxcroft Rd., Suite 201, Little Rock, AR 72207, (501) 225-7807: fax (501) 225-8406.
California: Paul Warner, Royal Cleaners, 2600 W. Beverly Boulevard, Montabello, CA 90640, (213) 721-5306: fax (213) 721-2802; e-mail, warner@pacificnet.net.
Colorado: Jim Nixon, Nu-Way Cleaners , 3512 10th Street, Greeley, CO 80634: fax (970) 356-5446; fax (970) 352-1422; e-mail, jbnixon@aol.com.
Connecticut: Jeff Battiston, Battiston of West Hartford, 565 New Park Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110-1318, (203) 233-0051, (203) 232-6930: fax (203) 231-9245; e-mail, batcol@aol.com.
Delaware: Stuart Outten, Capitol Cleaners & Launderers, 217 S. New York St., Dover, DE 19901-1414, (302) 674-1511: fax (302) 674-1558.
Florida: Richard Miller, Barton & Miller, Inc., 2600 Dixie Highway, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334-3725, (305) 566-4314: fax (305) 566-4316.
Georgia: Bobby Landers, 8281 Carlton Road, Riverdale, GA 30296, (770) 471-8596.
Hawaii: John Brewer, Al Phillips The Cleaners, Inc., 515 Lagoon Drive, Honolulu, HI 96819, (808) 833-5806; fax (808) 836-8166.
Idaho: Gary McCracken, Clothesline Cleaners, 244 S. Orchard St., Boise, ID 83705, (208) 342-0538; fax (208) 344-1445.
Illinois: Cecil Treadway, Treadway Enterprises, 7545 S. Madison St., Suite 22, Hinsdale, IL 60521, (708) 325-1785; fax (708) 325-1774.
Indiana: Andrew Clayton, Clayton's Fine Drycleaning, 1404 Washington Avenue, Evansville, IN 47714-2057, phone (812) 476-1359; fax (812) 474-6603; e-mail, aclaytn@comsource.net.
Iowa: David Noah, Noah's Drycleaners, 6115 SW 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50315, (515) 285-3131; fax (515) 285-3211.
Kansas: John Neal, Ineeda Cleaners, PO Box 486, Hutchinson, KS 67504, (620 E. 30th St., Suite 130/67502, for express mail only), (316) 663-5688; fax (316) 663-5825; e-mail, ineeda@southwind.net.
Louisiana: David Pesses, All Star Cleaners Inc., 1525 Eysian Fields Ave., New Orleans, LA 70117-8207; fax (504) 945-2323.
Maine: Tom Bailey, New Franklin Cleaners, P.O. Box 796, Bangor, ME 04401, (207) 945-6489; fax (207) 942-9852.
Massachusetts: Don Fawcett, Dependable Cleaners, 320 Quincy Avenue, Quincy, MA 02169, (617) 471-1900; fax (617) 770-9256; e-mail, 104075.1531@compuserve.com.
Michigan: Merry Bering, Michigan Institute of Launderers & Drycleaners, P.O. Box 14044, Lansing, MI 48901, (200 Woodland Path, Ste. E1; E. Lansing, MI 48823, for express mail only), (517) 337-2909.
Minnesota: Dart Poach, Don's Leather Cleaners, 3713 E. Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 54406, (612) 721-4881; fax (612) 721-4833.
Mississippi: Linda Ferguson, Safeway Cleaners, Inc., 511 Pearson, Pearl, MS 39208, (601) 939-0710.
Missouri: Bruce Gershon, Arrow Fabricare, 3838 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64109; fax (816) 931-2452.
Montana: Joe Topel, Missoula Textile Services, 111 E. Spruce Street, Missoula, MT 59801, (406) 543-5171; fax (406) 543-5173.
Nebraska: Barney Deden, One Hour Martinizing, 3305 S. 66th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68106, (402) 391-7373; fax (402) 391-0886 fax, ddeden@s-cwis.unomaha.edu.
Nevada: Mel Shapiro, Al Phillips The Cleaner, 3250 W. Ali Baba Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89118, (702) 798-7333; fax (702) 798-1731.
New Mexico: Bruce Squires, One Hour Martinizing #2, 1091 St. Francis, Santa Fe, NM 87505, (505) 982-8603, (505) 983-5299 x10; fax (505) 989-3965.
New Jersey: Robert Santo, Westwood Cleaners, 1004 South Avenue, Westfield, NJ 07090, (908) 232-2772; fax (908) 232-7355.
New Jersey: Anne Marie Brennan, Assistant State Director, Mrs. B's Cleaners, 1225 Rt. 206, Princeton, NJ 08540, (609) 924-1617; e-mail, 103265. 2217@compuserve.com.
New Hampshire: Jay Rosenfeld, Concord Dry Cleaners, Inc., 80 S. Main Street, Concord, NH 03301, (603) 225-3393; fax (603) 225-3659.
North Carolina: Jim Hilker, Jr., Hilker's Cleaners, 6325 Falls of the Neuse Road, Raleigh, NC 27615, (919) 872-0034; fax (919) 876-2962.
North Dakota: Rod Reis, (ND State Director), Camelot Cleaners, 2410 S. 8th Avenue, Moorhead, MN 56560, (218) 233-5246; fax (218) 233-7932.
Ohio: Dan Reehorst, Reehorst Cleaners, 27303 Center Ridge Rd., Westlake, OH 44145, (216) 871-6444.
Oklahoma: Bill Rothrock, Yale Cleaners, Inc., 5953 East 15th Street, Tulsa, OK 74112-6403, (918) 836-0304, (918) 836-6500; fax (918) 836-0305.
Oregon: Ben Bleich, BEE Cleaners, Inc., 939 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205, (503) 227-1144; fax (503) 243-3676; e-mail, beeclean@aol.com.
Pennsylvania: Dale Kaplan, Kaplan's Cleaners, 3607 Market Street, Camp Hill, PA 17011-4324, (717) 737-0572; fax (717) 737-3388; e-mail, dalek4113@aol.com.
Rhode Island: Charlie Lombardi, Luxury Cleaners, Inc., 610 Smithfield Avenue, Lincoln, RI 02875, (401) 725-0636.
South Carolina: Ron Garrett, Lexington Dry Cleaning, 510 Columbia Avenue, Columbia, SC 29072, (803) 359-4695; e-mail, dcleaner@aol.com.
South Dakota: Bob Howell, Modern Cleaners, 215 East Prospect, Pierre, SD 57501, (605) 224-2800, (605) 224-1659.
Tennessee: Eddie Mannis, Prestige Cleaners, 7536 Taggert Lane, Knoxville, TN 37938, (423) 938-7701; fax (423) 938-7707.
Texas: John Faulkner, Faulkner's Fine, Drycleaning & Laundry, 4111 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75204, (214) 526-2554; fax (214) 526-2831.
Utah: Boyd Henrie, Henrie's Union Taylor & Drycleaners, 1781 E. Murray Holladay Rd., Salt Lake City, UT 84117-5059, (801) 359-2222; fax (801) 363-2652.
Vermont: Alec Stevens, Jason's Cleaners, 4 Dorset Lane Park, Williston, VT 05495, (802) 878-2240; fax (802) 878-6543.
Virginia: Mary Schlegel, Dominion Drycleaners, 133A W. Shirley Ave., P.O. Box 3548, Warrenton, VA 22186, (540) 347-0888; fax (540) 349-9057.
Washington: Craig Clampitt, Clampitt's Cleaners, 14469 Woodenville -, Redmond Road, Woodenville, WA 98072, (206) 820-7220 or (206) 232-3236.
West Virginia: Telly Svingos, Victor Hat Shop & Cleaners, 729 6th Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701, (304) 525-5050.
Wyoming: Brad Holland, Holland Cleaners, 502 Grand Avenue, Laramie, WY 82070, (307) 742-9509.
NEW YORK, NY -- Consumers are getting bad advice about clothing care from the people who sell the clothes, according to the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International.
Telephone calls to a random sample of some two dozen clothing stores, including nearly all the "household name" establishments in and around New York City, were made on behalf of the association. NCAI was not identified in the calls.
When asked how often a man's suit should be professionally cleaned, the overwhelming majority of stores told their customers that drycleaning a suit more than a few times a year is not advisable and that it is best simply to press a suit when it became wrinkled.
Only 13 percent of the stores, including one famous for more expensive custom clothing, correctly told the caller that regular drycleaning is recommended for their clothing.
NCAI released the results of the informational survey to the press with Bill Seitz, executive director of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International commenting that, "At this time of year, when people are able to get a lot of great clothing at terrific prices, I'm disappointed that they are overwhelmingly being subjected to misinformation about how to care for their garments."
Regular professional care not only keeps a suit or dress clean and looking right, Seitz said, it also helps clothing last longer since accumulations of perspiration, grit and dust particles can shorten the life of a garment.
"Pressing a dirty garment grinds the grease and soil which come from normal wear, right into the garment and that really damages the fibers."
Seitz also said that regular cleaning is also appropriate for business casual attire.
"With dressing down becoming increasingly popular in corporate America, it's perhaps even more important to look well-groomed on the job. Professional wetcleaning or drycleaning, and careful pressing, help produce a crisp , together look. We can't provide that it will benefit your career, but there is no doubt that looking unkempt can sure hurt."
NCAI advised that consumers seeking to get the most satisfaction from their professional cleaning dollars:
SILVER SPRING, MD -- The International Fabricare Institute has formally advised US Representative Joe Barton of its support for legislation the Texas congressman introduced that is intended to alleviate the industry's environmental cleanup problems.
Barton's legislation, introduced in Congress last year, would have EPA set cleanup standards for perchloroethylene in soil and groundwater at one-tenth of the maximum eight-hour average workplace exposure level set by OSHA. The current OSHA exposure level is 100 parts per million. At that level, the cleanup standard for perc would be 10 parts per million compared to the current 5 parts per billion. If OSHA lowers its workplace exposure standard, and it has indicated that is a possibility, the cleanup standard would be lowered accordingly.
In a videotape message sent to the Southeastern Fabricare Association convention in Atlanta in April, Barton called on industry trade associations to send letters of support for the legislation.
The text of the IFI letter is as follows.
Dear Congressman Barton:
The International Fabricare Institute is a national and international trade association representing over 6,000 retail drycleaners in the United States alone. IFI has always been a strong supporter of reasonable risk assessment and clean-up standards based on that assessment.
Earlier this year, the IFI Board of Directors voted unanimously to endorse your bill, H.R. 2522, along with an amendment which would provide for the development of State Fabric Care Response programs. H.R. 2522 serves to provide a form of protection to the drycleaning industry that we do not now have. We are proud to be supporters of H.R. 2522, or better known in the drycleaning industry as the "Barton Bill."
We intend to actively inform our members and the entire drycleaning industry about the significant merits of your proposed legislation. Congressman Barton, on behalf of IFI members, thank you for your commitment and continuing support of our industry.
Cordially,
Jack Alquist, CED, CPD
President IFI
Two drycleaners from England and one from the United States received awards from the International Drycleaners Congress at the organizations annual convention in Edinburgh, Scotland, in June.
Ray Edwards, president of A Cleaner World in High Point, NC, was honored as the International Drycleaner of the Year. Edwards has served as president of the varsity International Group and has been chairman of the IDC Fellowship program for the past four years. He was installed as president of IDC at the Edinburgh convention.
Bill Crane, a founding partner of Duvals of Romsey after World War II, received the George Shepherd Award. His 40 years of industry leadership includes serving as the IDC regional vice president for the U.K. He was president-elect of the organization in 1986 but had to give up the position because of his wife's health problems. His son, Peter Crane, served as IDC president for the past year.
Peter Crane received the membership award at the convention which was attended by 170 delegates from nine countries. The convention program included sessions on marketing, profitability, new technology, world-wide environmental regulations, U.K. success stories, and reports from the 1996 Fellowship recipients -- Allen Gershenson of the United States, Josephine Moufarrige of Australia and Colin Murray of England.
The next IDC convention will be at Disney World in Florida Oct. 19-23, 1997 at the Grand Floridian Hotel.
The following was posted on the Fabricare Forum e-mail list service in June by Jim Phares of Quality Cleaners in Canton, OH, who apologized: "It's hot and I'm ready for a vacation!"
David Spotterman's Top Ten reasons to become a drycleaner, aka "fabricare specialist."
10. There is no training required... just drop the machine in a storefront plug it in and watch the money come rolling in!
9. Tap into a vast pool of skilled, reliable and eager workers who will help you to your goal of financial independence!
8. Receive national media attention for your efforts on shows like Dateline NBC and in publications like Consumers Reports... and in syndicated newspaper columns like "Heloise"!
7. Whatever you did 20 years ago that was perfectly legal will never come back to haunt you!
6. Be admired by environmental groups for your outstanding contributions to their cause!
5. Garment manufacturers will make your job easy due to the little labels that they put in every garment that they sell... giving you factual, reliable, and accurate instructions how to clean their garments!
4. Never work another day in your life! You own the business, so you can come and go as you please!
3. You get a free sauna with every boiler that you buy!
2. Your customers will accept everything that you honestly explain to them because you are a "Fabricare Specialist"!
And the Number One reason to become a drycleaner...
It's fun going through the pockets of other peoples' clothing!
Drycleaners have the option of attending three textile care trade shows this August and September.
The California Fabricare Institute, the Illinois State Fabricare Association and the Upper Midwest Fabricare Convention shows are on the summer calendar this year.
CFI celebrates its 75th anniversary this summer at the Long Beach Convention Center on Aug. 8-11 in Long Beach.
ISFA also marks an anniversary as it gathers for its 80th birthday on Aug. 16-18 in Rosemont.
The Upper Midwest Fabricare Convention will be held Sept. 27-29 at the Taylor Arena in the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN.
The CFI program features an "Outlook Roundtable" with Dr. Manfred Wentz, Steve Risotto, and Dr. Charles Riggs on Friday. Saturday offers seminars led by Kenney Slatten, Sam Kahng and Doris Easley. In addition, the boards of CFI and the Western States Fabricare Association will be meeting on Sunday. Call (916) 443-0986 for details.
The Illinois State Fabricare Association convention program is as follows: Aug.17: 9 A.M. to 11 a.m., Rosemont Suites Hotel. Alternative Methods of Garment Care. Panel Discussion with Sylvia Ewing of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Jim Schreiner of Exxon Corporation, Bill Hayday and Jim Colletti of Rynex Corporation, David Porter of Garment Care in North Kansas City, Kevin Daly of Aquaclean and Chris Dolan of Aquatex.Aug. 18: 10 to 11 a.m., Rosemont Suites Hotel. Myths and Truths About NESHAPs. Guest speakers include Mary Scalco of the International Fabricare Institute and Hank Naour of the Bureau of Air of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
3 P.M: Korean Language Program, Rosemont Convention Center. Environmental Rules and Regulations. Speaker to be announced.
Exhibit Hours at the Rosemont Convention Center are 6 to 9 p.m on Aug.16, 11 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Aug. 17 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 18.
Information is available at (815) 729-0137.
The UMF schedule includes a program with Everett Childers, Constance Vecellio, Jon Meijer, Jim Pacitti, Paul Meisch, Jack Alquist and Bill Fisher.
This show is coordinated by Doug Ohlsen of the Minnesota.. It is supported by trade groups in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin.
For information, call (612) 290-6286.
Should you give a receipt for clothes received at your counter?
The answer is yes!
I shall begin this article with a column written by Heloise that appeared in the Baltimore Sun:
Dear Heloise:
In reading your column regarding drycleaners who do not give receipts, we were reminded of this experience.
Some years ago, we took in a woman's black faille suit and one silk man's sport coat, both new. This particular drycleaner never gave receipts. When my husband went to pick up our cleaning, they told him that a lady had picked it up that morning.
Upon checking with me and finding that I had not picked up the suit and coat, my husband went back and asked them what they were going to do. Their reply was "Nothing."
We had our attorney write them a letter stating the value of the garments and requesting a check in the amount to replace the garments. Shortly after receipt of this letter the drycleaner sent us a check to replace the suit and sport coat.
We now go only to drycleaners who give receipts for garments. A lesson well learned.
/s/Eddie Jeanne White
Houston
Dear Eddie:
Our friends at the International Fabricare Institute suggested that you always ask for a receipt and talk with the counterperson about the items that you are bringing in to be cleaned. Be sure each item is listed on the receipt.
Also, many drycleaners are now going to computerized log-ins, so receipt-giving will be more accurate and easy for the drycleaner.
/s/Heloise
King Features Syndicate
Certain areas of the country give receipts for garments left for cleaning and other areas do not, especially the South and West. In Baltimore, most cleaners give receipts and some also price it.
Of course, there are exceptions everywhere, but I am speaking of the majority.
Also, there is very little communication between the customer and the counterperson regarding spots, tears, fading, etc. Practically no salesmanship is practiced as to selling alterations, repairs, water repellent, sizing, etc.
There are many advantages to giving a receipt for cleaning.
Protection for customers
First of all, the customer is protected by the written record of what was deposited with the cleaner. There can be no dispute as to the quantity of items, and if a price list is posted in the call office, the customer can easily figure out the total cost.
My system of counter operations calls for an itemized, priced receipt in addition to a posted price list. I learned this from my military plant since it is a requirement of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service.
Protection for the plant
The plant is also protected since the customer cannot claim more garments than were deposited.
Sometimes, the counterperson makes an error in listing (although it is rare). This error is always picked up when the garments are marked (tagged).
My system calls for a pre-marked strip tag (5 or 6 piece strip). The strip is stapled to the invoice, the number of tags needed are determined from the count on the invoice, not the physical count.
The number of tags needed are then torn off from the master, in one sweep, after counting from the bottom of the strip. If a tag is left over, or a tag is needed, then the marker (usually the counterperson) knows there is a mistake.
If you use another marking tag which is printed with the same number as the invoice, and it is computer generated, then you should count the garments physically and compare the count to the number listed on the invoice.
If you use a manually-prepared invoice with the last part being a set of marking tags with the same number as the invoice, then you should count from the end and tear off only the amount of tags called for in the invoice and in one sweep if possible.
The master tag plus any unused tags will remain as the last part of the invoice and the precaution procedure in attaching them to the garment is the same as with the pre-marked strip tags.
No misdelivered orders
Another advantage of giving receipts is the avoidance of delivering an order to the wrong person, either with or without a receipt.
When the customer has his or her receipt, very little conversation is needed during the transaction except a cheerful greeting reciting the total amount and a sincere "thank you" upon payment. That's all.
If the customer does not have his or her receipt, he or she must identify himself or herself by reciting the name, phone, and address as it appears in the invoice.
Even regular, steady customers must be correlated to the information on the invoice -- no exceptions!
Upon delivery, the customer has to sign a "sign-out log" to record the delivery without receipt. A mere record on the computer is not sufficient since it does not show who received the order.
The sign-out log is a loose-leaf notebook with A to Z dividers. Each sheet behind each letter has four columns: Date Delivered; Invoice Number; Customer's Signature And Remarks.
If the customer presents a receipt some time after delivery of the order and it cannot be located in inventory, the first place you go is to the sign-out, then check for misfiling. The last place to look is in the short line in the assembly area.
If you still can't locate the order, check the computer to see if it was delivered (and rung up on the register). If it was delivered, you must go through the actual pile of that day's delivered invoices to see if the wrong customer's receipt is with the invoice in question.
Note: My system calls for removing the plant copy of the invoice from the bagged order then placing the customer's receipt on top if it and then punching both copies onto a spindle. If the order was delivered with no receipt, then the customer's signature (or delivery notation) is put on the face of the original invoice.
Who is liable?
The beauty of this system is that you are not liable for the order if the customer has no receipt to present you.
According to the Uniform Commercial Code (adopted by almost all states), your liability depends upon your customary manner of doing business.
In other words, if it is customary for you to give receipts, then the burden of proof is upon the customer to prove deposit of the order.
Conversely, if is not customary for you to give receipts, the burden of proof falls on you to prove non-deposit of the order.
Finally, you must give the order to the receipt-holder no matter who holds it, but you must give the order only to the person named on the invoice and get a signature.
Do not give the order to any other family member or friend unless you have a note verifying that the person has permission to pick it up.
Pin or staple the note in the Remarks column of the sign-out log. If the family member or friend calls the customer and you get verbal permission, then make a notation in the Remarks column along with a signature.
If customers complain
If the customer complains about your procedure, your defense is very simple: "This procedure is for both your protection and ours. Would you want us to give your clothes to anyone who says you sent him? The laws holds us liable, as a bailee, to exercise reasonable care to protect your clothes while they are in our custody."
One of my first consulting assignments was at a cleaners in Statesville, North Carolina. The owner called me and said that he had an unusually large number of claims, I asked him if the claims were for damage or loss, and his reply was mainly for loss, although he did have a few for damage in cleaning.
He then made arrangements for me to go to his plant to solve those problems. The last question I asked him was, "Do you give your customers a receipt for their clothes when they bring them in?"
His reply was a definite "No."
"Down here in the South, in a small town like Statesville, we all know each other personally and we're all 'good ole boys.' No one down here would pull any fast ones."
I said: "OK, I hope you're right."
When I arrived at his plant, I told him that he would have to begin giving receipts for clothes deposited for cleaning and maintain a sign-out log. He immediately said that his customers would not tolerate that procedure. I then replied "Well, maybe you're right, but I would like to see for myself"
His reply was "Go ahead and work the counter. You'll see for yourself."
Meanwhile, a customer came into the store inquiring about the shirt that was "lost." The counterpersons told him that they were still checking for it and for him to come back next week to speak to Mr. _____ for a settlement.
I asked her how often this occurred and she said, "Quite often." I also asked her if she was authorized to give a customer's order to anyone asking for it. Her reply was "Yes, as long as the person was a relative or friend."
Well, I began to work at the counter while the counterperson went into the back to assemble and bag.
The first person to walk in was a woman carrying a skirt. I smiled and warmly, greeted her and then prepared the invoice which was a small, unprinted book containing a serially numbered three-part ticket (white, yellow and pink copies). I asked her name, address and phone number and wrote them on the ticket. I then wrote: 1 skirt (color) (price).
I then snapped out the middle (yellow) copy and handed it to her folded in half.
Her response was: "I'm sure glad that you are now giving a receipt. I always wondered how secure I was without one."
I smiled and said, "Yes, I know what you mean.
She put the receipt into her pocketbook and left.
The next customer came in about five minutes later and left a two-piece suit. I gave him a receipt, smiled and said, "New system, sir. Please try not to lose this receipt,"
His reply was, "OK. See you in a few days,."
He put the receipt into his wallet and left.
I think I convinced Mr. _____ that all customers are trainable and you must protect yourself as a business person with rules of procedure just like any other business. This holds true whether your location is in a small town or a large city. Also, your customers will respect you more for it.
As far as the damage claims were concerned, his Auto-flex powder filter was malfunctioning and some powder/Darco (carbon) and soil would sometimes get by and enter the cleaning drum. Changing to cartridge filtration corrected the problem permanently (after we changed the procedure for pre-coating and operation the filter at that time.)
Mr. _____ was one of the nicest hosts that I have ever worked for. He was extremely pleasant and cooperative. He performed every task that I recommended. Also, he fed me good old Southern barbecue until it came out my ears, and I loved it.
The last time I heard from the plant was when I bumped into his son many years later at a convention. He told me that everything was fine at the plant and complimented me on a job well done. This made my day.
What was the owner's name? I'll tell you, proudly: Erskine Johnson.
Final word of caution
What do you do if you have listed the number of garments with a wrong count?
If the error is in your favor, in other words, you have an extra garment more than was listed, just add the garment to the invoice and change the total price. Assign a new marking tag number only if you have consumed all the tags on the strip or last page of the invoice (marking tag copy).
Most important of all is to make a clear notation on the invoice that the error was found and corrected so the counter person can easily explain the correction to the customer upon delivery.
But what about an error that is in the customer's favor, in other words, you have listed more garments than the order actually has?
The answer is to not process the order until you have contacted the customer and advised him or her of the error in listing.
Make sure that you advise the customer that you have not processed the order and you cannot until the error is acknowledged.
A verbal acknowledgment is all right if you want to save the customer the inconveniences of coming back for the corrected receipt, but you must record the verbal acknowledgment on all copies of the invoice (in your possession at that time) in addition to the deletion of the extra garment and its price.
Remember, when you pay a claim you are never forgiven, but you sure are forgotten.
Have you been able to make those New Years' resolutions stick so far this year? Does it make you wonder why you even make resolutions in the first place?
One of the main reasons you made them is that everything is not perfect and changes and improvements need to be made. And even if everything is going great, you still need further resolve to keep this good fortune going.
I love old and wise sayings like: "The harder I work, the luckier I become."
If we have learned anything over the past 20 years or so in our industry it is that history repeats itself.
I have the mixed fortune of having lived through a few crises, such as coin-op drycleaning in the early '60s, then "wash and wear" in the early '70s. The latest trend, "discount drycleaning," never seems to last long wherever it sprouts up.
Do you know what defeated each and every one of those systems and trends? It was the control and maintenance of "consistent quality" on the part of cleaners who cared.
Yes, women in the workforce, the Yuppie and the return of wool had a lot to do with it, but it was the conscientious operator who didn't take short cuts and insisted on a standard of excellence, managing to get a price and a fair profit with sound business management, who simply weathered the fierce competition and fought the good fight.
There's no secret to management. It's the ability to orchestrate an orderly plan and the art of communicating those ideas and plans to your subordinates.
I said "Plan."
That seems to be something we like do at the New Year, but without any follow-up during the year we are doomed to repeat some of the costly mistakes that we were trying to correct. And when New Years' 1997 dawns, we'll be making the same resolutions again -- or perhaps just giving up.
You must remember that you are the boss. That gives you a certain distinct kind of power of position. You can hire and fire, for example.
But you can also achieve objectives with another kind of power. That is personal power, which goes back to the ability to persuade and communicate. Many times we have to use both, but never forget, these are the tools of management.
It's that "Plan" that I'm concerned about. I was shocked to learn that many of those whom I considered good operators had no concept of what the next 12 months could entail or what upgrading, advertising or general changes they envisioned.
Yet they were negotiating for major equipment without the security of a new lease or showing any concern for what effect new, more restrictive laws might have on their livelihoods or futures.
No one is suggesting you use a crystal ball, but you do need a plan and an alternative should business take a sudden change. The only sure thing in the life of a business is that there will be change. To understand what is happening in the marketplace, be prepared to "roll with the punches."
That might mean back to school, or at least some on-the-job training. This takes some looking inward.
For example, what can computers offer your business that you are not fully taking advantage of? Do you contact a customer after three or four months of inactivity? Do you even know what your costs are? Do you base your prices on those costs, or do you just charge according to what the "other guy" charges?
Are you up to date on wetcleaning and have you trained your staff accordingly? Can you successfully train and motivate key people -- counter personal, pressers, maintenance or clean-up staff?
Do you have control over final inspection?
Should you consider a route or a drop store?
Never in my memory, are times more critical, yet we have a warehouse of information to turn to for guidance, sources like the International Fabricare Institute and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International. Trade associations offer knowledgeable speakers at meetings and conventions. Shame on you if you miss them because you are "too busy!"
Another source of valid information are the "Princes of our Industry," the supply distributors. Then there is the whole array of trade publications, machinery companies and technicians and a wide range of consultants with vast knowledge.
I suggest that you carefully review the changes that would give you the edge and most benefit, then "zero in" on that advantage or problem and its solution. Devise a practical and attainable plan with a cut-off date and a disciplined check-off list. Don't wait until the end of the year to do it. Do it now!
Always remember: A business without a plan is a plan for no business.
Spectralight is currently being successfully used by drycleaners.
Recently I was speaking to my friend Stan Golomb and explained to him about the light box. He said that he would like to investigate the possibility of describing it to his group members. He said that he would like to ask his nephew, Barry Golomb, who is critical and candid about most things.
He wrote me back the following letter which he said I can use in this article.
To: Golomb Group members
From: Stan Golomb
Subject: The Black BoxMy nephew, Barry Golomb, a third-generation drycleaner, loves his Black Box. This is an invention of Dan Eisen of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International. Dan has been doing the laboratory analysis at the NCAI for 25 years.
Now, in addition to being in charge of that department, Dan is teaching wetcleaning and spotting at the NCAI school. I have known Dan during his entire career and always found him to be a true professional and totally honest in all his dealings.
In trying to do an even better job of analyzing fabrics and stains, Dan developed an item he calls Spectralight.
My nephew was one of the first to use this when he learned about the unit while attending the NCAI general course.
I asked Barry to tell me how he uses this box to improve his skills and, even more important, to impress his customers.
He pointed out the following highlights:
1. Using this item, you can determine if buttons could melt or lose their finish in drycleaning.
2. If the customer can't identify a stain, the box will show the origin of the stain and its category, i.e., tannin, albumin, oil.
3. It works great on whites to find invisible stains before they are set in cleaning. Also, it can determine fluorescent dye break down.
4. It shows chlorine stains on silks and wear and deterioration.
5. It can show the nature of unidentifiable stains and if they have oxidized.
6. A customer brought in a drape that her cat urinated on. She had it cleaned at another cleaner but the drape still smelled.
With "The Black Box," he was able to determine that in cleaning, the original stain had spread across the entire cotton lining. They separated the lining from the drape and carefully cleaned both pieces and removed the stain and odor from both.
The customers appreciated their expertise and complimented them on their professionalism.
How does it work?
Here is how Spectralight helps in garment inspection and in determining the properties of stains and their removal.
Chloride salts
Source: Can be any wetside stain.
Examples: Perspiration, urine, soy sauce, deodorants, etc.
Identification: Chloride salts can be easily identified using Spectralight. The black light reveals a glow indicating chloride salts present in the staining observed.
Stain removal: Chloride salts stain removal should be attempted by the following method:
Customer alert: Chloride salts can affect the dye and weaken fabric. Silk fabrics are adversely affected by chloride salts.
Stains, soil and fading
Fabrics: This includes any fabric that may be weakened in the course of use.
Example: Silk, rayon, chiffon and satin. Draperies and household fabrics are also weakened during use and exposure.
Identification: Use the incandescent light of the Spectralight box on the back of fabric. Weakened or shifted areas can be readily noticed on front of fabric.
Customer alert: Inform customers of weakened areas.
Invisible stains
Source: Many stains do not reveal themselves until after drycleaning. The heat of drycleaning reveals the staining.
Example: Cut an apple in half and observe that it will then become brown when exposed to air and heat.
Identification: Use the black light of Spectralight held 6 inches from fabric. Note any staining or irregularity in the fabric.
Stain removal: If stain identification is not possible use the following procedure:
1. Dryside and dryclean
2. Tannin -- leave out general formula
3. Protein procedure
Customer alert: Stains that appear or oxidize after drycleaning are not the result of drycleaning. Drycleaning may reveal these stains but does not cause them.
Trimmed garments
Example: These include beads, buttons, sequins, etc.
Problems: Many beads and buttons are made of a plastic composition that dissolves when drycleaned.
Identification: Apply Spectralight to trimming using the black light. Note fluorescence of trimming which usually denotes solvent-soluble plastic.
Apply amyl acetate to finger tips. Apply to trimming and observe if it becomes sticky or tacky, which denotes that drycleaning would be hazardous.
Customer alert: All trimming should be able to withstand routine drycleaning. Any trimming that is hazardous should only be cleaned at customers' risk.
Fluorescent dyes
Front view of fabric
Source: Any stain originating from a living body.
Example: Perspiration, egg, milk, urine, blood.
Identification: Not completely absorbed in the fabric. Has feel and will often turn white when scratched. Spectralight reveals chloride salts that may be found in staining; oxidation of staining; white or yellow irregularities of the staining.
Problem: Oxidized protein and albuminous stains are difficult to remove on silk, wool, rayon and cotton. Chloride salts can affect fabric and stains (see chloride salts.)
Stain removal: Protein procedure using lubricants, alkali, digester and bleach.
Chemical damage
Source: Fabrics are often weakened and damaged by many chemicals including bleach, acids and alkali.
Example: Strong bleach may be found in household bleach (sodium hypochlorite).
Strong acids are hydrochloric, sulfuric and battery acid. Strong alkali are found in lye, bleach, potassium hydroxide.
Identification: Chemical damage can be readily observed using the black light of Spectralight. Dark areas indicate a chemical breakdown of fabric.
Customer alert: Chemicals left in fabric can destroy dye and deteriorate fabrics.
Bleach that deteriorates fabric is known as oxycellulose. The mechanical action and the heat of drycleaning may reveal the damage.
Mildew
Source: Mildew is a condition which occurs in fabrics that have been stored away in a warm location while they are damp or moist.
It is a fungus growth of vegetable like structure which develops from spores and interlaces the yarns.
Identification: Small gray, yellow, black or red spots. They are generally in patches, giving the affected area the appearance of being badly soiled.
When steam is applied, a musty odor can be detected.
Spectralight reveals many types of mildew. The black light reveals a characteristic glow.
Problem: Mildew can not usually be removed without bleaching.
Therefore removal procedures are limited on wool and silk.
Stain Removal: Wetside lubricants, alkali and strong bleach.
Oil stains
Source: Dryside stains that can originate from a petroleum or vegetable base.
Examples: Non-oxidized oil stains that originate from a petroleum base are mineral oil, baby oil, motor oil, grease, etc. Oxidizing vegetable or cooking oil are linseed, corn, peanut, coconut, corn, etc.
Identification: Usually absorbed in the fabric. Usually forms a T or cross since it slowly absorbs into the yarns.
Spectralight reveals the presence of non-oxidizing oil and oxidizing oil. Non-oxidizing oil will glow when the black light is used while vegetable oil is dark. Spectralight will reveal the translucent effect that is characteristic of oil.
Problem: Oxidizing vegetable and cooking oils are difficult to remove on most fabrics including silk, wool, cotton, linen, acetate and polyester.
Stain removal: Use oily type paint remover and amyl acetate with adequate mechanical action. Reclean.
Tannin Stains
Source: Any wetside stain originating from plant or vegetable matter.
Example: Fruit juice, mustard ketchup, coffee, tea, liquor and many medicines.
Identification: Usually absorbed in the fabric. Usually tan to brown with a dark outer ring.
Spectralight reveals
Problems: Oxidized tannin stains are difficult to remove on silk, wool, cotton and rayon.
The presence of chloride salts can affect fabrics and makes stain removal difficult (see chloride salts.)
Stain removal: Tannin procedure using wetside lubricants, tannin formulas and acids. Bleach.
Let's revisit my good friend, Walter Szeezil. Walt was one of the most successful drycleaners I have had the pleasure to know. He worked for Johns Manville as an allied tradesman selling Hy-Flo all over the country for many years. He claims he called on just about every plant on the east coast and half the midwest and eventually got tired of the constant traveling.
Walt settled down in Chicago and opened a package plant doing a variation of low price cleaning. He picked a very densely populated area and started out with one store and gradually took over the whole block. His formula worked for him, both in volume and profits.
I knew of Walt's Vogue Cleaners for years, as did anybody connected with the drycleaning business in the Chicago area. He was one of the first in this area to top $30,000 a week in over-the-counter sales. And he did this with low prices, much lower than today's market.
But, nothing is forever and Walt's market started to change from big cleaning customers to an influx of residents who did not spend much money on clothing maintenance.
Also, Walt had started coasting (taking it a little easier for those of you who don't know that coasting is a downhill venture) and sales started to go down and dipped below his weekly average of $30,000.
I got a phone call from him one day, totally out of the blue. I didn't know his name but I knew his plant. He told me his problems and said he decided to get back into building sales and asked me for help.
In a very short time, we built the sales back up to the old volume of $30,000 a week and held it there for several years. Finally, Walt told me he sold the entire business with an option for the buyer to purchase the property as well.
Walt had taken over one store after another and broke out all the walls. He had a 150-foot front with a counter 100 feet in length. His plant eventually took over all the tenants and he ended up with 10,000 square feet. The new buyer exercised his option and bought the city block real-estate package.
With this accomplished, Walt had nothing to do so I arranged for him to write articles for the National Clothesline. He wrote for a few years and also started working on a new career.
Most retired drycleaners do as General Douglas MacArthur said, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away."
Walt was not one to fade away. He took a liking to juggling and went to juggling school in Vermont, got his juggling card and started to offer his services as a professional juggler.
He did a speech for the Chicago Cleaner's Guild and explained how he trained his counter help with a 20-minute training session.
This was a great speech and we all learned a great deal about some new ideas for training help to produce at top efficiency. His method was simple. He carried a clipboard with him whenever he went shopping and wrote down the good and bad things he saw at MacDonald's, Wal-Mart, supermarkets and any retail business he visited.
Then he would stand back and see how his counter people handled customers and write down the good and bad. Every week, Walt would call one of his counter staff to discuss their performance and how they could improve. He was quick to point out the nice things they did and then made suggestions, using illustrations from his notes, of how other businesses handled certain situations.
The audience, a group of veteran drycleaners, was very impressed with Walt's presentation and then, for a change of pace, he announced he would teach all of us to juggle. He passed out three colored silk scarves and had all the cleaners in the audience stand up and learn to do it.
I was in the audience at Walter's presentation and have to say that this was one of the most fun, interesting and informative meetings I ever attended.
In the course of events, I put Walter together with another active drycleaner, who is also an entertainer, Dennis McCrory. You should know Dennis, who is a fellow columnist for the National Clothesline. You may not know this, but Dennis is a stand-up comedian and performs at one of the Riverboat Casinos in Mississippi.
I showed Walter a promotional video tape Dennis had made of his routine and they talked. Walt did the same thing and also got some good advice from Dennis about booking jobs.
Along with the picture of Walter and his puppets, I got a letter from him and would like to share this excerpt with you.
"When we got together for lunch, you ran the Dennis McCrory video tape for me. The bad news is I have just finished an audition tape, also. I thought you should have a copy of it. You may decide to become a booking agent when you retire in a few years. You can credit Dennis and I with having provided you with a second career. In any event, I hope you enjoy the tape.
"I have been promoting the ventriloquist act for about a month now and I have booked a few jobs. Whenever you start a new enterprise there is a lot to learn. I spend more time promoting than I do practicing material for the performance. I have sent out a few copies of the tape to prospective customers. I will get my next lesson in self promotion as the results come in."
So we have proven that all old drycleaners do not fade away. Some start new careers and others, like Sid Tuchman, start cost bureaus and others, like Stan Caplan, go into plant consulting, writing and teaching.
These people, who have all had successful careers as operating drycleaners, are now having a lot of fun teaching and entertaining others.
I can't think of a more rewarding career, after a successful career as a drycleaner, than those which these people have created for themselves. One way or another, they are passing along information of value to everyone they come in contact with and to me, this is a very noble retirement program. Getting paid to do it makes it doubly rewarding.
One of the more common conditions of use that affect suede and leather is oxidation fading.
Oxidation occurs on suede and leather in normal wear and even in storage because the dyes used in the tanning of animal skin are sensitive to both natural and artificial light. This type of fading causes the garment to develop a yellowish-taupe color.
On a suede or leather, this fading will develop most noticeably in the areas of the garment that are exposed to light.
These areas will generally be the collar, the shoulders, yoke and outside of the sleeves. The more they are exposed to direct light, the more marked will be the development of the yellowish-taupe oxidation.
On suede, the oxidation will occur on the surface of the suede nap and will work its way down into the nap as the garment is further exposed to light. In many instances the nap can be parted and the original color seen down toward the base of the nap. It is similar to women frosting the tips of their hair.
On a leather garment, if it is a dyed leather, there is no nap and the oxidation is then on the surface of the skin.
Oxidation fading occurs on all colors including white. Most colors can be restored satisfactorily when slightly faded.
However, some colors prove to be more difficult to restore. Pastel colors like lime, powder blue, light pink, pale turquoise, or pearl gray are almost impossible to restore to their original color by redyeing techniques designed for dye faded oxidized areas.
Can you fix it?
In some instances, a measure of success in the restoration on an oxidized garment may be accomplished by dyeing the garment a darker shade, a technique intended to even the color.
In dealing with oxidation fading, it is important to know two very significant characteristics of dyes.
First, all dyes are transparent and therefore can never cover anything including oxidation fading.
Second, dyes will mix with the color that is already in the skin. Therefore, whatever color dye is being applied to the yellow-taupe color, it will mix and form a color that is a blend of the two.
For example, suppose an oxidized garment was originally blue but after normal wear and exposure to light it has extensive areas of yellowish-taupe oxidation. Now we attempt to restore the blue color by applying a blue dye. You would expect to end up with a blue garment. Right?
Wrong!
Anybody who knows anything about colors will immediately realize that when you apply blue dye to the yellowish oxidation, the two are going to mix on the surface of the skin and you are going to end up with a garment with various shades of green -- and an irate, crimson-faced customer!
The customer who brings in a garment that has developed oxidation fading might assume that the yellowish-taupe color on the garment is some form of soil that you will remove in the cleaning.
This impression of course, must be immediately corrected at the counter before the customer leaves the premises. Oxidation fading and all of its manifestations must be explained to the customer and the garment accepted only at customer risk, with the understanding you will do your best to restore the garment which includes possibly dyeing it a shade darker to try to correct the customer's problem.
Detect at the counter
Oxidation fading can be readily detected when the garment is accepted by examining areas that have not been exposed to light in contrast to those that have.
For instance, if you raise the collar on most jackets, you will see the original color of that garment and you can readily show the customer the difference between that area and the areas immediately adjacent that have been exposed to light and have oxidized.
Other areas that are not normally found to be oxidized are inside pockets, underarms and inside seams.
White suede or naked leather have traditionally been made white by bleaching in the tannery. The reason for bleaching is that there is no such thing as a white dye in the realm of science, so to achieve a white suede or naked leather, bleaching has been used.
These skins are also susceptible to oxidation fading due to exposure to light. In this case, dyeing is not even a possibility for correcting the oxidation problem.
One technique that has been developed in recent times has been the use of white powder on the surface of the suede. This technique has been used in lieu of bleaching on new skins and also as a technique to whiten bleached white suedes that have been oxidized.
In both instances, the white powder tends to rub off of the garment and this cannot be considered a desirable technique of coloring white suede.
Another method of coping with oxidation fading is to use the technique of abrasion, abrading off the portion of the nap that is oxidized, using emery cloth, sand paper and lava rock.
The technique is highly labor intensive and may cost more than the customer is willing to pay. And it may not be entirely successful if the oxidation is deep enough in the nap.
Finally, on naked leathers, the oxidation may be covered by recoloring with a pigmented leather finish or paint.
This technique can be successful in covering the oxidation but the down side is it will change the look and the feel of the naked leather to one of a dressed or painted leather.
That decision would have to be made by the owner of the garment before it is painted and after they have had the opportunity to see and feel what a painted leather is like.
In any event, a signed customer release should be required before any of the above mentioned techniques of removing or covering oxidation fading are employed.
The next training session at the Royaltone Suedemate Leather Cleaner Center in Tulsa, OK, will be Sept. 12-13.
A number of books have been written lately on "relationship marketing."
As most people know, this doesn't mean selling your wife, your children or any other relatives. (Although I might accept an offer for my mother-in-law!)
Relationship marketing is a business technique used to strengthen the connection between a company and its customers.
As many cleaners and other service marketers know, this connection is strongest between a customer and one or more employees who, in the eyes of the customer, really is the company. This connection can, indeed, be a fragile one -- what happens when the employee leaves? Does customer loyalty go with the employee or stay with the company?
This always has been a concern of cleaners and launderers when considering the development of routes. As far as the customer is concerned, the driver is the sole representative of the company and, from that perspective, is the company. If the driver changes cleaners, the customer is just as likely to follow him as to continue with the same company. Maybe more likely.
While non-compete clauses and contracts may be enforced in court, the fact is you'll never get a judge to force the customer to continue using your cleaning services.
I've seen this happen often with beauticians who, for various reasons, either go to work for someone else or open their own shop. In most cases they can count on 50 percent or more of their clients following them, provided they don't move too great a distance.
Loyal to whom?
How many of us have had mechanics, both auto and shop machinery, who have left the company that introduced us to them and, because we developed a relationship with that mechanic, we continued using that person instead of the original company?
I recently experienced a situation, as a customer, which gave me some important insights as a service marketer.
I was at the bank where both my personal and company accounts have been maintained for a number of years -- 15 to be exact. I was at an administrative assistant's desk, attempting to open a new account for a fully legitimate, unincorporated business venture I was pursuing.
The assistant insisted that there was no way that I could open a business account without proof of incorporation.
I asked to speak with the manager, whom I had known through my years of doing business with this bank.
An unfamiliar face presented herself as the new manager. As fate would have it, the manager I knew had moved to another bank.
Without reviewing any of my previous account information, the new manager began to defend the administrative assistant's position, saying; "We don't know who you are." This issue was resolved by using my personal social security number to verify the account.
Not long after, the former manager contacted me, and I changed banks.
In analyzing my experience in this situation, from a marketing perspective, a critical issue comes to light. How can we leverage our company's relationships with customers beyond the one-on-one connections they have with our employees?
It's an interesting issue with lots of different points, but no easy answers. This situation was triggered by employee turnover, which is a fact of life in any service business. However, if turnover is high, employee retention can have a critical impact on customer retention.
Tell-tale turnover
High turnover sends a negative message to customers -- why would anyone want to do business with a company that is unable to hang on to its employees?
Also, consider the importance of stability in a relationship. Customers dislike having to continually educate new employees and re-establish relationships with a company.
I felt slighted by not being recognized by the new manager, not because I expected her to know all the bank's customers by sight, but because my ongoing relationship with the company could have been verified by the computer at her fingertips.
Minimize vulnerability
What I am suggesting here is that cleaners find a way to expand the depth of customer relationships. Involve more than one key employee with a customer to minimize your vulnerability if that employee leaves.
Some relationship marketing tools which have been successful are: customer appreciation and recognition programs, frequent buyer programs, customer newsletters, and other ongoing customer communication efforts.
While pleasant, knowledgeable employees are in the forefront, don't neglect to remind customers that it is ultimately the company, your cleaners, with which they do business. And that you appreciate it.
The weather is hot and humid and business is slowŠ what better time to curl up in your nice air-conditioned office and dig out that Personnel Manual (Policy Manual, Employee Handbook) you put together back in 19??
You remember it, you put a great deal of time and effort into creating it, had it typed up, maybe you had it printed, you passed it out to all your employees (who could not wait to read it!) and made them sign a statement saying they read it. Then, somewhere along the way you stopped using it and now you can't even find a copy! Sound familiar?
Everyone has read about how important personnel manuals are and almost everyone has, at the very least, thought about putting one together. About half of the drycleaners I have worked with have actually taken the time to complete a manual and have introduced it to existing and new employees. The majority of these drycleaners stopped using this very valuable management tool within 18 months of its introduction. Why? Because the person(s) who created the manual did not see it as their "daily operating bible."
A living, growing document
A company personnel manual must be created as a living, growing document that needs to be constantly interpreted and modified. As business conditions change, the manual must change. If you have a personnel manual that's hiding in the bottom drawer of your desk, or one that you are using that has not been revised in a while, or you are just getting started -- here are some tips on how to breathe some life into a few pages of printed paper.
Every good personnel manual begins with a Table of Contents which is followed by a Welcome Letter. The welcome letter is your opportunity to set the tone for the entire manual.
A good way to start this letter is: We are pleased to have you with us. We hope you find the work here interesting and rewarding, as do those of us who have been with the company for many years."
Next give a brief history of the company; the number of years in business, the geographical area that you serve, and mention that the company exists to serve the drycleaning needs of the community.
Close this letter with a paragraph that says, for instance: This booklet tells about our work, our working conditions and the benefits you receive as an employee of ABC Company. Please read it carefully and often. Remember, every job and the performance of every employee at ABC Company is very important to all the customers we serve.
The welcome letter needs to be followed by an "important note" that states that this personnel manual is not an employment contract.
Here is a good way to state it: The contents of this personnel manual are presented as a matter of information only. While ABC Company believes wholeheartedly in the plans, policies and procedures described herein, they are not conditions of employment. The right is reserved to modify, suspend, terminate, or change any or all procedures, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without notice. The language contained in this handbook is not intended to create, nor is it to be construed to constitute, a contract between the company and any or all its employees.
The next item in your personnel manual will be a paragraph entitled "Employee Benefits."
This paragraph should read, for example: Employee benefits are privileges provided by ABC Company to its employees. With the exception of Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Compensation, they are not rights granted under the law. Benefits are subject to change at the discretion of ABC Company.
The two main sections of the personnel manual are Benefits and Personnel Policy.
About benefits
In the Benefits section, the first thing you must do is decide what requirements employees must meet before they are eligible for benefits. The benefits in question are holiday pay, vacation pay, insurance benefits, other paid time off (personal days, sick days, death in the family), leave of absence eligibility and reimbursement for educational courses.
The first requirement that you must decide on is the length of continuous service or the probationary period for new hires. This can be 30, 60 or 90 days. Pick the one that fits your needs best.
The next requirement for benefits eligibility is based on the number of hours an employee is normally scheduled to work. Some companies state that you must be a full-time employee to be eligible for benefits and that to be considered a full-time employee, your regular work schedule must be thirty hours per week.
Either way, benefits are tied to the number of hours a person normally works. The average number of hours required for benefit eligibility is thirty hours per week. Consider the following definition;
For the purpose of calculating employee benefits in this manual, full-time employees are defined as any person regularly scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week. Short-time or temporary changes in work schedules will have no effect on this definition.
For example; a person who normally works less than 30 hours per week remains a part-time employee even though be or she occasionally, or temporarily, exceeds this figure.
Conversely, an employee who is scheduled to normally work in excess of 30 hours per week remains a full-time employee even though he or she occasionally or temporarily works fewer hours per week. Only a permanent change in scheduled hours will affect the status of full and part-time workers.
Next you should list the holidays that you offer to full-time employees who have completed the probationary period. At this time you will also state any other holiday pay eligibility stipulations such as requiring employees to work their regularly scheduled shifts before and after the holiday to qualify for the holiday pay.
Now you will want to define how full-time employees earn vacation time; i.e., after 12 months of consecutive service all full-time employees will have earned five vacation days; after three years of continuous service ten vacation days, etc.
You may also want to state that vacation dates will be allocated by seniority; that vacation benefits can not be accumulated; and that employees will not receive extra pay in lieu of taking a vacation.
Sick leave and personal paid time off vary from none to as many as an additional ten paid days off per year. Somewhere in between the two extremes usually works well.
Your company policy on maternity leave must be stated in your personnel manual. The details of this policy are dictated by your state, so obtain a copy from your state Labor Department and condense it for this document.
Health insurance is a benefit that every company should be able to offer its employees on a co-pay basis. If your company is not in a position to offer health insurance benefits at this time, you are not alone. Being able to offer your employees health insurance benefits should be a part of your short-term company goals.
Personnel policies
The next section of your personnel manual will cover personnel policies. This section outlines company procedures and policies for hours of work, coffee and lunch breaks, overtime pay, time cards, pay periods, a discrimination statement, a statement about annual performance reviews and a set of company rules and regulations.
Very Important: Your statement about annual performance reviews must state the following: Performance reviews will be conducted by the employee's immediate supervisor at least once a year. Performance reviews will not automatically result in pay adjustments. Such adjustments relate both to performance and current budget restraints.
We all know that working in a drycleaning plant is hot and demanding and that the rewards are few. That, however, does not give us, as managers, the luxury of not doing our jobs in terms of requiring good attendance, good quality work, meeting production standards and providing excellent customer service.
All employees must be consistently held to the same standards at all times.
To manage consistently and fairly requires a great deal of self control and self discipline. By documenting a set of company rules and regulations with which to manage by -- you have created an excellent management tool. Use itŠ use it wisely and consistently!
The company rules and regulations should be at the end of the personnel manual and they need to spell out the disciplinary procedures that are associated with each rule. Most everyone neglects this part of the manual because it is the hardest and most unpleasant part of managing people.
Sample Company Rules and Regulations
Group I
Rule #1-- Excessive absenteeism and/or lateness.
Rule #2:-- Failure to follow the instructions of a supervisor.
Group II
Rule #1 -- Horseplay or disruptive behavior.
Rule #2 -- Leaving company premises without permission during work hours.
Group III
Rule #1 -- Stealing from a customer, a co-worker, or the company.
Rule #2 -- Insubordination.
Remember, in the game of business, the more you know the better you can play the game.
In today's time, public relations, good or bad can have a huge influence on your business. In many cases it seems that publicity is like the weather, everyone talks about it but nobody seems to want to do anything about it. That is, in our industry, but our enemies know how to use it very well.
I hope to show you that using public relations can be as easy as everything else you do on a daily basis. All that you have to do is make a commitment to do it, and learn some basic rules. I know it will be easy for many of you, since you already master a great diversity of disciplines in your daily work. I do not know most of you, but I know from experience that drycleaners are a hard-working dedicated group.
For the sake of our survival, I hope you take some of my suggestions very seriously, and if you wish contact me, or my friends at the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International, or any other trade association, who are also taking this subject as a critical issue. It is becoming almost a daily event that I hear from friends about some story related to our industry. Most of the time it is bad news, but every now and then we win some points in this game.
I was very disheartened by a recent visit to my friend Rick Miller of Barton & Miller Cleaners in Florida. Rick is an excellent cleaner, and I hope this will act as an open letter to tell him so. I watched Rick diligently working on the spotting board, and interacting with employees in a caring manner that made me envious.
I know Rick worked very hard to solve Florida's ground contamination issues. Despite this, a news story was run about how drycleaners contaminate, and his plant was victim of a publicity seeking journalist. It just does not seem fair, but I know Rick has the talent to come through it as we all must.
Pursue your agendaAs you see, none of us are immune from the effects of people with their own agenda. But we have an agenda and I think it is an important one. We are in a vital industry that serves its customers well. Many of us are active participants in our community through business and community activities. I am a strong believer in supporting local activities and participating in the Chamber of Commerce and other services where you gain as much as you give.
As for publicity, you have to know the rules of the game to win. The first priority is to develop a media list. This simply means calling the local newspaper and getting the names of the business and community news editors; they all have them.
These people are hungry for community interest stories and will give you serious consideration if your subject is newsworthy. This means it must not solely be self serving, it must have public appeal. They have customers to serve, their readers, and they must serve them well.
Later on when you read about how to develop a press release, and have one prepared to send, you must develop a relationship with the key people. In a short time you will be on a first-name basis with these people, and they will begin to depend on you to help them do their jobs. I have even been called on by them for expert information on occasion in exchange for being featured in a story.
You make the news
Next is to realize that great stories about local business do not just happen, they are created. And that is the easy part. You are doing great things on a daily basis.
You must develop an eye for the things that you do, and do more of them. Most of us take our daily tasks for granted, but to an outsider they can be fascinating.
At the end of this column I will suggest some ideas that will help develop public interest stories and projects you can do. Many cleaners I know have been very fortunate to receive wonderful press coverage. But it is not luck. It is something they work at, and so can you.
The next step is to understand the rules of the road. The news business has certain criteria to follow that include use of a format that makes their job easier. Use this concept and follow it properly and your news stories will begin to flow. Your press release must be on a form that will be a template, if you are computerized you can make this simple form to use over and over.
Now that you have the format, you must use the following rules for your copy. You already know that it must be interesting, timely and of public interest. It can highlight something your business has done and should also reflect the industry as a whole in a positive light.
It is all right to brag just a little, but keep it under control. This can not be strictly a bragging session to tell how great you are. It is very tempting to get carried away, but stay focused on the issue, telling something that their readers will be interested in. Envision yourself as a reader and always ask yourself, would I find this interesting? Include photographs with the names of people pictured.
If you want to be a hit, you have a short time to get your point across. Pay attention to things that you read and think about how it got and kept your interest. The first paragraph must tell the who, what, when and why of your story. The details will be filled in during the body of the story.
If you are wondering at this point, if all this work is worthwhile, let me give you two examples. When you think we are under attack, remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the Tylenol poisoning. Exxon was slow to respond, and accept the blame, and paid dearly for years. Conversely Tylenol knew they were in trouble, but reacted quickly and in a short time were back on top. And you thought we had problems.
Meet the press
Now let's get to the next step, which is having the right story and getting it published. I suggest that a week before your first press release you call the people on your media list. If you do not already know them, introduce yourself, and tell them you will have some important information you will be sending them soon. Ask if there is a better day of the week for them to receive it. Be respectful of their time; they are busy people.
Now that you have a story, call again and let them know you will be sending something to them and would appreciate their consideration. Be aware that everything will not be published; it is at their discretion. Do not attempt to be forceful; their decision is final.
Ask when you can get back to them after they have seen your information. If they do not have an interest ask if any other department might be. There will be times when one reporter likes what you have and another does not.
Occasionally for space reasons and competition for their time, your story will not be printed, or it may be edited. Likewise, one paper may pick up your story and another will not. Do not get discouraged. Keep the ideas flowing.
Sooner or later something will be a big winner. Always thank them for their time regardless if they like the story or not. They will remember your kindness.
Some ideas for starters
I have put together this list of ideas that have worked in the past:
Many of these drawings or events can be done with a local politician. The mayor of most small towns loves to be in the news. They can chose a winner of be a recipient of an award mentioned.
The ideas are almost endless, all you have to do is keep your eyes and ears opened. And the best part is that they cost little or nothing to do, and far surpass the expense and return of many advertising dollars.
I know that many of you are reading this and thinking, that is easy for you to say, you are a writer.
What you may not know is that I have no formal training in this field. I am a drycleaner, just like you, who is proud of what I do and love telling people and you can do it, too. And does it work?
Well, I am publicizing myself right here and if you think what I am doing is interesting, it is the very same thing that you are doing.
I will close by giving you the most basic premise of publicity,
Do something great and tell people about it!
PHILADELPHIA. PA -- "Running Your Business Today and Tomorrow" is the theme of the programs planned for Drycleaning & Laundry Expo '96, the exhibit convention sponsored by the Pennsylvania Drycleaners Launderers Association in the Atlantic City Convention Center Oct. 12-13.
Saturday morning's program will focus on the "today" while the Sunday morning speakers will look ahead to "tomorrow." Complementing the program will be a 250-booth exhibit both days with hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Jane Zellers, a consultant and one of the industry's leading speakers, will be the featured speaker on Saturday morning, leading off the program with a discussion of "How to Avoid Garment Headaches."
The maintenance clinic that follows her talk will help cleaners avoid equipment headaches. The finer points of keeping boilers, drycleaning machines and presses operating at maximum efficiency and with as little downtime as possible will be discussed by Dick Beyer of Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance Co., Al Lage of Columbia/Ilsa Drycleaning Machines and Tom Bolan of Hoffman/New Yorker Inc.
To start off the Sunday morning program, IFI executive vice president Bill Fisher will speak briefly on the state of the industry and IFI. Then the program will take on the future, starting with a mix of business and entertainment by Tom Antion in his talk "Chasing Change: Positive Strategies to Become Change Leaders."
In the following session, a panel of industry experts will give on-the-scene reports about the newer cleaning technologies.
Ann Hargrove, plant manager of the Greener Cleaner in Chicago, will tell what she learned during the year-long project in which 100 percent of the garments brought to the plant were wetcleaned.
Then James Schreiner of Exxon will discuss petroleum solvent cleaning, particularly with his company's DF2000.
Tom Medlin, national sales manager for Multimatic Corp., will talk about the latest machinery for perc drycleaning and will also discuss developments with Rynex solvent.
Jack Belluscio will then discuss the possibilities of CO2 cleaning which his company, Global Technologies, has been developing with Hughes Aircraft.
Admission to all of the seminars plus receptions on Friday and Saturday are included in the full registration price of $45. Individual tickets are available, too. Admission to the exhibit hall is free for all drycleaners.
PDLA has reserved blocks of rooms at two Atlantic City hotels. The Trump Plaza will serve as the main hotel. Special convention room rates are $105 a night for a double or a single; reservations can be made by calling (800) 677-7378.
Special rates are also available at Tropicana at $115 a night; call (800) 843-8767 for reservations.
When making reservations, ask for the Drycleaners & Launderers Expo '96 rates.
For more information on the show and convention, call PDLA, (215) 830-8495.
CENTREVILLE, VA -- The Mid-Atlantic Cleaners And Launderers Association is taking applications for its annual scholarship award which covers tuition for attending any course at the International Fabricare Institute.
Applicants must be from an IFI/MACLA member plant, have at least six months of in-plant experience and be at least 18 years old.
September 30 is the deadline for applications in which the applicant must submit a brief personal history, an outline of jobs and responsibilities in the plant, goals for the future and a statement of why the applicant should be selected for the honor. Applications should be mailed to Mid-Atlantic Scholarship, MACLA, 15435 Eagle Tavern Lane, Centreville, VA 22020-3712.
The MACLA board will review the applications and select the recipient at it Oct. 20 meeting.
For more information, all MACLA, (703) 222-9828.
COLUMBUS, OH -- A Columbus drycleaner will represent cleaning industry business owners on a new committee formed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Stan Ross of Ross Cleaners has agreed to represent the Ohio Cleaners Association on the Small Business Advisory Board, a group created by the Small Business Assistance Office.
SBAO was formed in June "to help small businesses understand and comply with the environmental regulations that apply to them," program manager Laurie Stevenson said. This office then created an advisory committee made up of small business owners.
The Ohio Cleaners Association was asked for recommendations and it suggested Ross.
Laurie Stevenson is the program manager. Helen Sedoris is the other person on the SBAO staff.
Stevenson contacted OCA to let Ohio cleaners know what the state was doing with the program.
A key player in getting this project off the ground was Beth Wymer of the National Federation of Independent business. She identified OCA as a potential player in the advisory work. Other group members come from the automotive, printing and manufacturer association sectors.
The services offered by SBAO focus on helping business owners.
"Small business operators an call the office and receive free technical guidance on environmental issues," Stevenson said. "Our environmental specialists are n-staff to help small businesses determine what regulations apply to them and provide guidance on measures needed to stay in compliance."
Stevenson asked OCA to make information on the project available to all cleaners in the state.
Wymer, who works for the NFIB Columbus office, has high hopes for the program. "This is a pilot program we hope to see go statewide," she said. "We are hoping they will expand it to several other regions or statewide."
She also said the makeup of the board happens to include industries with strong environmental interests.
Wymer hailed OEPA Director Don Schregardus as a strong director who understands "that businesses really do want to be in compliance. He's really trying to change."
The effort is not intended to be an enforcement program. "It's an assistance program. NFIB would not be on board if it was" an enforcement program, Wymer stressed.
"The key is getting small business owners comfortable in talking to agencies with which they have had an adversarial relationship," Wymer concluded. "Confidentiality is included in this program."
The SBAO introduced itself to the Ohio business community at meetings in Newark and Lancaster. these were free seminars for small business owners so they could get information on the office and the services it provides.
"They've received 15 to 20 phone calls a week," Wymer added. The questions range from 'From how do I go through permit process' to 'what do I do with disposal issues'. She indicated the staffers would be happy to speak with trade associations and business groups.
The Ohio Cleaners Association can be reached at (614) 221-1900. Wymer at NFIB can be reached at (614)221-4107.
The SBAO program Columbus office can be reached at (614) 728-8573.
Their toll-free number is (800) 329-7518.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Professional Indiana Cleaners president Mike Roller sees steady growth in the future for the drycleaners trade group.
"We're going great," he said in mid-July. "About every week another person or two or another company joins. We now have about 30 members."
This is consistent with what organizers expected three months ago when PIC was created. PIC's partner, the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International, has been on the scene to help the group develop long-term plans.
"We just had one meeting with Bill Seitz from NCAI where we had probably 22 people there," Roller said. "We were real, real happy. Everyone there joined."
PIC development plans include the establishment of a training school in the state.
"Right now we're looking at a place to start a spotting school, and we're working with NCAI to have a regular teacher," Roller said. PIC is looking for "someone who's up to date." Also being called on are "a couple equipment manufacturers."
He said the group is working with two or three organizations on the proposed school.
"We have equipment. What we need is a new drycleaning machine," he said.
The school will be in Indianapolis with an eye on it becoming a full-time professional project.
The ultimate objective is to "train people for work when they're out of there, a professional system for professional cleaners," Roller said.
"We want to train people to work, to have pride and respect for what they're doing."
PIC membership efforts have been relaxed for the summer, but in the fall efforts will pick up.
"We have a membership drive in September coupled with another meeting," Roller said. "We haven't set a date yet. In the meantime, I do some cold calls and a few of the new members are helping."
NCAI is on hand to assist in any way it can, Roller added. Peter Atha calls Roller "once or twice a week" to provide assistance.
"We need to work together to get things done. We offer people ideas; we want everybody to be involved. That's what NCAI is about," Roller said.
One of PIC's goals is to reach "smaller cleaners and bigger cleaners and let them know they have the same problems," Roller said. PIC can "let people know how to do things to stay in the business," he added.
Roller can be reached at (317) 664-0823. OMAHA, NE -- The Nebraska Fabricare Association fall convention in Omaha will feature Kenney Slatten as the main speaker.
NFA will meet Sept. 21-22 at the Ramada Hotel Central, the headquarters hotel for the weekend.
Slatten is scheduled to present two programs. The first will be at Camelot Cleaners in Omaha where he will lead a hands-on finishing seminar on Saturday. This will be held from noon to 5 p.m. On Sunday Slatten will review some of the highlights of the finishing program and go on to review some "hot" industry topics.
On Saturday evening a night at the Bluffs Run dog track and casino is planned.
Sunday's calendar includes the association's meeting, election of officers, speakers and Slatten's presentation. Refreshments will be available.
A fee of $65 for NFA members and $95 for non-members is being charged for the Slatten finishing program.
For complete information on the weekend, contact Jerry Freeman at NFA, (402) 556-2217.
NEW YORK, NY -- The Neighborhood Cleaners Association International held a press conference in New York City on July 10 on the efforts the textile care industry toward environmental and consumer safety.
The presentation was designed to portray the cleaning industry in a positive light prior to the state's negotiated rule making hearings in mid-July.
With the New York School of Drycleaning as the setting, NCAI "demonstrated 'fourth generation' equipment and methods that would be able to meet appropriate New York State regulations as proposed for drycleaning processes," the association said.
NCAI executive director Bill Seitz told attendees that the association "is not an adversary of the DEC or any other government agency.
We expect to continue our heritage of cooperating in every way possible to ensure cleaner air in and around drycleaning facilities."
Seitz said "the adoption of the proposed regulations would be a historic event, by establishing the most stringent protections involving perc in mixed-use residential buildings in the United States."
He observed that there is great disagreement among the negotiators of the rules "as to what levels of perc are considered safe." He cited a peer reconsideration of the Dept. of Health guideline of 15 parts per billion.
Reaching such a standard "would require enormous new expenditures which could bankrupt most cleaning stores without any real difference in risk to the public," Seitz added.
NCAI supports regulations which would require drycleaners in mixed use residential buildings to install vapor barriers. Seitz justified the stand by noting that "you don't need a vapor barrier with fourth generation (machines), but people live in those buildings 24 hours a day, so we have responded much more positively and well beyond what good science necessitates."
NCAI representatives were pleased with reception of the presentation.
"We had a helluva performance; I even stuck my head in a machine" to illustrate a point about vapors, NCAI associate executive director Jerry Levine said. "The presentation lasted two hours. We explained ventilation, vapor barriers, everything. It was great."
Levine said the event was attended by local affiliates of the CBS, NBC and Fox networks as well as New York One television, Korean TV 63 and the Korean trade publications and daily newspapers.
In addition, Frank Choi did a radio show the next day with Radio Korea, a New York City station.
An industry member who heard the broadcast said Choi told listeners that the neg reg hearings on July 15 are very important. Choi urged people to attend them and support the cleaning industry.
Levine said a good turnout by industry members is important if the scare tactics of opponents is to be countered.
These tactics include circulars signed by Greenpeace, UNITE and Consumers Union be distributed in apartments.
Levine called the fliers "a very nasty piece of work."
The Korean Drycleaners Association of Southern New Jersey has opted to affiliate itself as a chapter of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International. The officers of the group include Mu Woong Lee of Plaza Dry Cleaners in North Cape May, president; In Jae Kang of McKee City, secretary general/treasurer; and Byung Il Suh of Atlantic City and Myong S. Pae of Pomona as auditors.
"NCAI staff will do everything in our power to help them in their jobs," associate executive director Jerry Levine said.
A neighboring Korean association is also reported to be nearing an agreement with NCAI. The Philadelphia KDA chapter has held negotiations with the association. That group recently elected Heng Suk Hong of Glenside Custom Tailors in Glenside, PA, as president.
JACKSON, MS -- A seminar titled "How to Keep Good Employees and Get Rid of Bad Ones Legally" will be presented by the South Central Fabricare Association in September.
Seminar leaders will be Steve Winzeler, and industry consultant and trade association executive, who will speak on employee retention, and David Bowers, an attorney, who will discuss EEOC claims.
The session will be held Saturday, Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Covington, LA, Holiday Inn.
The registration is $60 per person includes lunch.
SCFA also has announced that Larry Barrios was elected president of the association and took office in June. He succeeds Jim Shepherd who said that Barrios's "enthusiasm and grasp of the needs of membership" will make him and excellent president.
Barrios is the owner of Larry's Drycleaning in Slidell, LA and is both a Certified Environmental Drycleaner and a Certified Professional Drycleaner. He has served on the SCFA board for the past four years and was membership chairman this past year.
For information on the SCFA and its activities, call the association office, (601) 352-4291.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Stan Caplan will teach a three-day course on finishing drycleaned and wetcleaned garments at the Southwest Drycleaners Association school in Denton, TX, Sept. 27-29.
The course covers finishing basics and characteristics, units and accessories, maintenance and proper padding of presses, fabric characteristics and training technique.
Students who have no experience will be taught both by the instructor and the more experienced students. This is intended to help the experienced students learn concepts of training.
Tuition is $295 for SDA members, $380 for other IFI members and $430 for all others.
Caplan will also be on hand to teach Spotting and Drycleaning Procedures Oct. 2-6. Topics covered include spotting basics, spot removal, fibers to fabrics, finishes, wetcleaning procures and equipment bleaching and dye stripping, dye settings and digesting.
Aspects of drycleaning technology to be covered are filtration, distillation, titration, garment classification, vapor recovery, solvent characteristics (petroleum and perc) detergents, moisture control, various cleaning cycles, NESHAP and OSHA requirements, redeposition, and swales.
Sessions are divided between lecture, class discussion, demonstrations and hands-on experience.
Tuition is $295 for SDA members, $380 for other IFI members and $430 for all others.
For registration and other information on this and other upcoming courses, call the SDA office, (210) 826-4684 or fax (210) 826-6423.
CHARLESTON, SC -- Hurricane Bertha forced the postponement of the July South Carolina Drycleaners Council convention and the South Eastern Fabricare Association board of directors meeting. It will now be held Aug. 22-25.
The program will be the same, right down to the hours and agenda of all meetings. Only the date has been changed. On Thursday, Aug. 22, the SEFA executive committee will meet from 3 to 5 p.m. SEFA committee meetings are planned from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, Aug 23. The SCDCC will meet at 4 p.m.
On Aug. 24 four seminars on the agenda. First, Sandy Seay of Seay Management Consultants will speak on "What's Hot and What's Not in Human Resources Management and Labor Relations." Ken Holder, president of L&DC Services, follows with a "Petro-Beat Update." Nick Albergo is next on the agenda with a talk on "Site Screening: What to Expect." He is president of HSA Environmental. Robin Stephens of the South Carolina Dept. of Health and Environmental Control concludes the session with a look at "Small Business Assistance: A Program Review."
On Aug. 24 the SEFA board will meet at 8:30 a.m.
Fees are $30 for the seminar program, $65 for the social events and $95 for the complete package. Proceeds will go to the SCDCC's legislative fund.
Information on the convention is available from Sonya Bratcher of SEFA, (800) 998-7332.
With their joint state agreement officially terminated in July, the International Fabricare Institute and the California Fabricare Institute have announced new dues schedules for cleaners who want to join one or the other or both associations.
Under the joint state agreement, cleaners in California paid one set of dues and were automatically members of both associations.
Under the old agreement, annual dues for membership in both groups started at $270 and scaled up according to the number of employees.
Now annual dues for CFI members start at $150 and annual dues for IFI start at $179. Those amounts apply to members who have three or fewer employees.
Beyond the three-employee level, the CFI-only dues schedule is $350 for four to eight employees; $550 for nine to 12 employees and $700 for 13 or more employees.
The IFI-only dues schedule, which applies to all California membership renewals and new members starting in July, 1996, is $239 for four and five employees; $359 for six to eight employees; $469 for nine to 11 employees; $629 fro 12 to 15 employees; $699 for 16 to 24 employees and $759 for more than 24 employees.
CFI is offering a special dues rate of $75 for cleaners who join for the remainder of 1996. That amount is added to the regular dues payable for 1997 and combined with a new member package that includes all membership benefits plus complimentary admission to CFI's trade show in Long Beach, including a "New Member Cocktail Reception."
Among regular membership services advertised by CFI in a current brochure are garment analysis, legislative representation in on the state and local level; customer complaint mediation, technical bulletins and a resource kit with information designed to help cleaners comply with California-specific rules. CFI is also in the process of organizing a standing drycleaning school on the West Coast.
IFI announced last month that its member services in California now includes a "Personal Member Representative" assigned to each member. IFI said the representative will personally assist members with all individual business questions and problems. The representatives have already made introductory calls to members in California, IFI said.
IFI also said that its members in California will be able to avail themselves of the national association's garment analysis, research, government affairs, education, marketing and technical assistance.
Questions about CFI membership can be directed to the CFI office in Sacramento, (916) 443-0986.
Questions about IFI membership can be directed to IFI's headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, (800) 638-2627, ext. 119.
DENVER, CO -- "Alternatives '96" will be the theme of a Rocky Mountain Fabricare Association's conference in Denver Sept. 5-7.
Wetcleaning seminars and demonstrations will be conducted along with discussions of the pros and cons of this cleaning method.
Kevin Daly of Aqua Clean Systems will discuss the technological aspects of wetcleaning and Sylvia Ewing-Hoover of the Center for Neighborhood technology in Chicago will discuss the findings of the Greener Cleaner wetclean-only demonstration project. Sue Armstrong of Armstrong Cleaners in Omaha, NE, will relate her experiences with whitewashing in her plant.
Other alternatives to be discussed are Exxon's relatively DF 2000 solvent, which has been on the market for about two years. Jim Schreiner of Exxon Chemical Co. will make the presentation. Two alternatives still in the "to-come" stage, Rynex and CO2, will also be discussed.
For registration and other information about the conference, call RMFA, (303) 433-4446.
MILES CITY, MT -- The 82nd annual convention of the Montana Textile Services Association will take place at the Billings, MT, Plaza Hotel and Trade Center Sept. 12-14.
Speakers on Friday and Saturday will be Chris Dolan of Aquatex Systems, Mike Wannamaker of Milliken Co., Deborah Rechnitz of Methods for Management, Everett Childers of E. Childers and Associates, Matthew Sepe of Unifirst Corp. and Bob Stewart of Anderson Co. A tour of the American Linen plant will be offered on Friday afternoon and the MTSA business meeting will Saturday, also.
Other planned activities include a ladies' luncheon, a shopping trip, and a buffet dinner with a hillbilly theme, all on Friday. A nine-hole golf tournament a tour of Ross Mansion and visit to Collectors Emporium Antique Mall, a formal dinner with the introduction of new officers and directors and presentation of awards and entertainment the Calamity Janes, are on the Saturday slate.
For registration information, call Terry Clines, MTSA executive secretary, (406) 232-1148. Room reservations can be made directly with the hotel by calling (406) 248-7701.
Norvin L. Pellerin, a founder of Pellerin Milnor Corp. was named Tulane University's outstanding engineering alumnus from the class of 1946. He delivered the commencement address to Tulane School of engineering's 1996 graduates in ceremonies in New Orleans. Pellerin attended Tulane under an accelerated program during World War II, graduating in less than three years. He was then commissioned a U.S. Navy officer upon gradation. After the war he joined his father, W.A. Pellerin, and uncle, A. W. Walsdorf, in starting Pellerin Milnor Corp. a manufacturer of laundry machinery that is sold and serviced world-wide. In his address to Tulane's 1996 graduates, he offered words of advice, including "Never order someone to do something you yourself wouldn't do" and "Always be willing -- even anxious -- to explain your decisions. You'll be surprised how much better you understand them yourself." Pellerin was Milnor's president from 1947 to 1983, then board chairman and later engineering consultant. He retired in April, 1996.
Warren McArthur, owner of Chelsea Cleaners in Chelsea, MI, has been named the Michigan Field Director for Citizens for a Sound Economy. CSE, a Washington, DC, based "think tank" supported by 250,000 individual members and more than 300 corporations and foundations, works for regulatory reform at the national level. As Michigan field director of CSE, McArthur will be responsible for building a grass-roots support base for environmental and regulatory reform in the state. CSE has taken on the project to support members on Congress who were unable to accomplish the reforms attempted in the 104th Congress because of a perceived lack of support. McArthur has a master's degree in hazardous materials management and is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager. He worked for the Midwest Environmental consultants before becoming executive director of the Michigan Center for Environmental Studies where he participated in many of the environmental reforms achieved recently in Michigan. McArthur can be contacted at (313) 475-3622.
Apparelmaster USA has announced an expansion into the Mercosur area of South America and the acquisition of Bennie's Linen and Uniform Services in Nashville, TN. The Mercosur expansion is an area that includes Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Peru, according to George E. Beetz, Apparelmaster USA vice president. The acquisition of Bennie's Linen in Nashville, will be "encompassed in our existing facility after we complete a significant expansion," said Steve Bryant, president of Apparelmaster USA. It is the company's second acquisition in the Nashville market this year. Apparelmaster USA Service Inc. is a part of the Johnson Group Cleaners PLC, based in the United Kingdom. It operates nine rental plants, an international direct sales business and 145 rental licensees throughout the United State, Canada Mexico, South America and New Zealand. Bryant said the "strategic focus will be to continue our rapid growth and expansion, both domestically and international."
Joe Petrozzi and Russ Petrozzi of Capitol Cleaners in Niagara Falls, NY, received the chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award. Congressman John LaFalce made the presentation at a Chamber dinner attended by 800 people. The award is given annually to a small business that demonstrated growth, stability and is active in the community. Capitol Cleaners is in its 49th year. Joe and Russ Petrozzi, both active in the Chamber of Commerce, organized several "Coats for Kids" drives and they serve on many boards of directors, including the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International. Joe Petrozzi is a past president of NCAI.
SCHAUMBURG, IL -- The Daewoo air-bubble power washing machine is manufactured in Korea and available in the United States through CNA Inc. The company said that many garments that would otherwise require drycleaning can be washed in the machine using "air-bubble power technology" and a special detergent. Two models are available, the DWF-9290PA and the DWF-5590PA. The former has a wash capacity of 20 pounds and the latter a capacity of 12 pounds. The 20-lb. capacity machine has selections for seven automatic cycles as well as user programmable cycles and a 48-hour timer. The steel cabinet measures 26 x 40 x 26 inches and the machine operates on 120 volt, 60 Hz power. The smaller unit has eight automatic cycles and is slightly smaller in overall dimensions.
----------PLAINVIEW, NY -- Full-color wall calendars designed exclusively for the drycleaning industry are available from Liberty Forms & Tags. In addition to graphic designs, the calendars have a seasonal guide to keeping clothing and household items professionally cared for and they feature a custom coupon promotion page. A brochure is available from Liberty that shows all of the calendars and the various themes. The calendars are part of Liberty's expanding "Image Builders" products that are specifically designed to bolster and project a fashion-associated image for drycleaners.
----------FREMONT, OH -- A new thread nipper introduced by Clauss Cutlery Co. has a new ball-bearing construction feature along with sturdy springs and a bolt for longer operating life. The tool is double plated with chrome plating over nickel plating to inhibit rust and stains. Replacement parts are available to save the cost of replacing the entire tool should a part wear out.
----------AVONDALE, PA -- A wide range of sewing and general purpose scissors can be sharpened on the premises using EdgeCraft's ScissorPro Diamond Hone Scissors Sharpener Model 500. The sharpener can be used for right- or left-hand scissors without disassembly.
----------SILVER SPRING, MD -- "Counter-Acting Customer Conflict" is a new course from the International Fabricare Institute that helps front counter employees recognize common types of angry customers and respond to each type by putting conflict into perspective and offering solutions for coping with them. The course, which IFI says builds employees' confidence, includes an audio cassette of about one hour in length, a trainer's guide, six manuals and a carrying case.
----------CINCINNATI, OH -- Ajax has developed a new control for its gas and steam dryers. A device senses when the cylinder has come to a complete stop and gently reverses the rotation to eliminate the jerking effect experienced in the reversing action. Mechanical stresses from sudden twisting and torquing due to changes in direction are reduced and maintenance costs for the entire drive system are reduced. The system automatically adjusts to the load size and makes continuous adjustments during the cycle.
----------OXFORD, PA -- Scalewatcher North America has a new range of industrial units covering all types and size of pipe material ranging from to one-half to 50 inches, superseding the systems launched in 1993. Replacing the old plastic enclosures is a new, hard-wearing, aluminum case. All units now have a higher output field strength to treat extremely hard water -- in excess of 10.5 grains per gallon as defined by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The output is less dependent upon pipe diameter and the number of times the unit's solenoid cable is wound around the pipeline to be treated. Electrical and magnetic fields are generated by a coil wrapped around the outside wall of the pipework to be treated. Patented frequency modulation technology changes the direction of the current several thousand times a second, inducing a magnetic field within the pipe. The change in magnetic field creates an induced electric field inside the pipe that affects the electrically-charged, dissolved ions of scale-causing minerals.
----------SKOKIE, IL -- The Pearl Pak, a two-piece, no-frills chest, is being introduced by Foster-Stephens. Measuring 71/4" x 191/2" x 31", the chest provides basic protection and will keep the gown safe from dust and ultraviolet rays. It can be shrink-wrapped and hermetically sealed. Tissue, polybags, bustforms and shipping cartons are available as optional accessories.
----------PHILADELPHIA, PA -- A compact and portable golf club cleaning machine has been developed by S. Morantz Inc. Called Caddy's Li'l Helper, the machine use ultrasonic technology to clean irons and woods and restore the tack to club grips in a matter of seconds. It can also be used to clean golf balls. S. Morantz has marketed its ultrasonic blind cleaning system to cleaners for several years. The compact golf club cleaner opens new business opportunities using the same sound-wave technology, the company said.
----------SAN ANTONIO TX -- Marvel Manufacturing Co., has introduced its Super Petrol dry-to-dry petroleum system. The company said the Super Petrol is two petroleum machines for the price of one. Standard features include two separate Kleen-Rite filtration systems, two pumps and two by-passes that allow it to function as two separate machines. The Super Petrol is available in load capacities of 35, 45, 55 and 80 pounds.
----------FORT WAYNE, IN -- An ozone washing system for fire restoration has been designed by L & S Equipment in conjunction with Kevin Clute, an electronic engineer with expertise in ozone applications. The system can be used to remove stains caused by fire and odors from smoke, the company said.
----------Date created: 96.08.01 Last modified: 96.08.01 Copyright © 1996, BPS Communications National Clothesline ncled@aol.com