The Dry Cleaning Process Essay, Research Paper

Most people worry when starting a new job. Being nervous is a natural

feeling of course, especially when there are a lot of mistakes to be made.

Although, in ten easy steps one can master the process of working at a dry

cleaning facility. One must be very careful in making exact matches of

identification tags, the most important of all steps.

The first step in the dry cleaning process is waiting on the customer.

Always greet the customer in a friendly manner. Be cheerful, and if one

knows the customer by their previous visit, greet he or she by correct

salutation accompanied by their last name. Then using a dry cleaning invoice,

write the last name, address and phone number on the appropriate lines. Ask

the customer if there are any special instructions on their garments. Then one

may tell the customer the approximate day that they may pick up the clothing.

The next step is identifying and pricing the clothing. One must write a

short description of the garment or garments on the invoice in case the

identification tag falls off in the cleaning process. If the customer brought in

a silk blue dress with a green diamond pattern, then on the invoice one would

write: silk dress, blue with green diamonds. One then would write the price

of the item, which is twelve dollars and fifty cents. If more than one garment

was brought in, the total of all the garments should be totaled and written at

the bottom of the invoice.

The third step is to put the appropriate identification tag on the article

of clothing. Count how many pieces of clothing one has, and what day of the

week it is to be picked up by the customer. If one had a silk blue dress that is

to be picked up on Wednesday evening, then one would use a white

identification tag with a number one printed on it. If one had two sport

jackets to be picked up on Thursday evening, then one would use a orange

identification tag with a number two printed on it.

The fourth step is checking the clothing. One should check all pockets

for the customers personal items. Anything found in the pockets should be

returned to the customer when he or she picks up the clothing. One should

also check the buttons on the garment. Ceramic, shell and wooden buttons

must all be wrapped with aluminum foil to prevent damage in the cleaning

process.

The next step is the transporting of the garments to the main store

where all the cleaning and pressing takes place. When all of the clothing has

been identified, one puts the garments in industrial-size cloth bags. A van

then picks up these bags and takes them to the main store.

After the clothing has been cleaned, pressed and hung at the main

store, each article is sent on a van back to the appropriate store, based on the

identification tag. One must then look at each individual identification tag on

the garment and place it on a rack with the appropriate invoice. One must

make sure all of the identification tags match the invoice. This step is very

important because one does not want to include the wrong garment with a

customers order.

Once all of the pieces are cleaned and received, one must then remove

the identification tag from the article of clothing. One must be very careful in

removing the tags so not to cause damage to the garments. These tags can

then be thrown away in the garbage, because now one has the invoice to

identify the articles of clothing.

The eighth step is to bag all the clothing so no dust or dirt will adhere

to the clothing while the order is waiting at the store to be picked up by the

customer. The bags are placed over the hanging garments according to

length. Long industrial-strength bags are used to cover the clothing for

dresses, long blouses or heavy winter jackets. Short white bags are used to

cover the clothing for sport jackets, blazers and shirts.

After the clothing is bagged, the invoice is stapled to the upper left

hand corner of the dry cleaning order. The finished dry cleaning is then put in

alphabetical order with all of the other dry cleaning orders. This step is very

crucial. If an order is not put in the proper spot, it may get lost, and it would

take a long time to find when the customer comes to pick up the order.

The final step is when the customer comes into the store to pick up his

or her finished dry cleaning order. The customer gives his or her last name

and street name. One must then go into the back where all of the dry cleaning

is, and look in alphabetical order for the customers order. The total amount

is then entered into the cash register. Once the customer has paid, thank the

customer for using ones service. Then one should make a polite remark to

the customer by saying Have a wonderful day.

The dry cleaning process is a very complicated task. The biggest fear

that I have, is including the wrong garment in a customers order by mistake.

Overcoming this fear takes practice and the understanding that one will

always make a mistake. Remember, if one does not make a mistake, then one

must not be doing anything.