National Clothesline

Three weeks in the Far East with Barbara made me a happy man. There is nothing like a vacation to cleanse the mind and refresh your outlook on life.

We had not been to that part of the world for 20 years. Barbara and I found remarkable changes.

Twenty years ago, China was a bicycle society. Today China is a country of Mercedes Benz automobiles. In 1988, the year before Tiananmen Square, a car with plain-clothes police officers followed our tour group. Today you can go anywhere, at any time, and not feel as though you are under the watchful eye of the government.

China is the factory of the world. The billions of dollars that have poured into China have created remarkable results. Freeways and high-rise buildings in Beijing and Shanghai, along with traffic jams, make you feel as though you are back in the USA. To step back in time you have to go into the countryside. People still wash clothing and bathe in canals. The differences between the big city and rural areas are enormous, but that will change.

Moving from an agricultural society to a manufacturing society does not occur overnight. Our wonderful country has done so, and now we are a consumer society. When you look at the Chinese population, you can think about the potential sales dollars when they become more consumer-oriented. Our world economy has incredible potential.

“I have been in business over 20 years. My prices have been on the low side. I want to change my company image. I want to charge more because I believe I am putting out a good product. What can I do to change my image and charge a lot more for my product?”

That, folks, is a great question. This person has intestinal fortitude to consider an image change and major price increase, especially because we are in a down economy. This position change in the market will require a lot of work on the part of the plant owner. To do it correctly you have to start at the back and work your way to the front.

I said “start at the back” because the finished product has to be the first thing to look at. We need to look at the drycleaning that is coming out of that department.

How knowledgeable is the spotter? Does that person know the difference between oxidizing bleach and reducing bleach? Are there any odor problems? Who is in charge of the solvent maintenance?

In many plants that I have visited, a presser has been promoted to the drycleaner spotting position. It is not because the presser knows anything about cleaning and spotting, it is because it is easier and cheaper than looking for an experienced person.

When you think about it, the reasoning is defective. The converted presser has absolutely no idea what an acid or alkali is. The new spotter thinks bleach is something that is put in the washing machine, not used for stain removal. The individual can be trained, but it will require hours and hours of training.

In many instances, the owner does not know about cleaning and spotting, so the situation is similar to the blind leading the blind. The new spotter could be sent to the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute school and receive training, but that costs money. Money is the reason the unskilled person was put into the position, so that option is not considered.

If you want a top product, have a skilled, well-trained person doing one of the most important jobs in your plant.

Look at the finishing. Do you see double creases on the pants? How about seam impressions, are they visible on the garments? Are the finishers operating on a “bang them and hang them” schedule?

What are your requirements for pieces produced by the finishers? If the numbers are too high, will the finished product look like a new garment? If the numbers are too low then the production cost becomes too high. You must determine what you require the finished product to look like, and then discuss this with the finishers.

Meeting with the production staff before an image change is imperative. The employees need to know what your goals are, and what you want to achieve. This will put everybody on the same page and create a team effort to produce a great product. This might be a good time to consider an incentive program based on claims and do-over reduction.

Are you doing alterations and repairs for the customers? Do you have a tailor or seamstress on the premises? Is the person who is sewing a CSR with little or no knowledge of how to sew a button on properly?

Is there anyone on the premises who can operate a sewing machine or hand stitch a hem? If you want to go to a higher level, it requires professional services at every position.

Let us assume you have a top spotter, your finishers are producing about 20 pieces per hour, and you have a seamstress or tailor good enough to alter your best customer’s clothing.

You know, in your heart of hearts, that you are putting out a product that is about the same as the highest-priced cleaner in your community. Does your clientele know the difference between the product you are turning out and the product that the $1.98 cleaner across the street is selling?

Your customers know you and like you, but if you are going up in price you need to give your customers more than what you think is a top product.

What are you going to do to make your beautifully cleaned, finished, and sewed product look different from the $1.98 cleaner across the street? Consider visiting the highest-priced cleaner in your area and secret shop them. How is their packaging different from what you have been providing?

While you are looking at the packaging, look at the finished product. Can you say the high priced product is the same or about the same as your product?

Concurrent with secret shopping the high-priced cleaner, shop the low-price cleaner. Consider meeting with your staff and have them look at and evaluate the garments and packaging of the two cleaners you have visited. You might find the comments of your employees of interest to you.

Are marking tags removed? Is tissue paper used? How many garments are put into a bag? Dollars to donuts, the high-end cleaner removes the marking tags, uses tissue, and limits the number of pieces that goes into a bag.

Product differentiation is crucial. Differentiation is not only important in the garment coming out of production, it is necessary for the garment presented to your client. A consumer’s major care is that when he or she takes the garment out of the bag it can be put it on with no worry about stains or wrinkles.

The use of tissue, cardboard supports, plastic supports, clip on hangers, and any other methods to keep the garment wrinkle free and immediately wearable are essential to present a high-end image.

Besides all the fancy packaging, you want your company logo on everything. Branding your packaging tells the customer you are proud of your company and what you are doing. Customers carrying clothing become walking billboards. I printed my garment covers on both sides so that my company name showed up either way the clothing was hung in the car.

With a freshly painted counter area, new signage, and new counters you will be ready to embark on your image change. Be certain your counter staff is dressed professionally.

Assuming all of that is in place, you can now determine how much you want to raise your prices. Be certain to raise the prices high enough so that you can visit the Far East for three weeks and have a wonderful vacation, just as I did.