National Clothesline

Whether you believe the U.S. economy is sputtering or recovering, it’s easy to see that most Americans have fundamentally changed their spending habits. Almost every household has had to adjust its budget. A recent Harris Poll (consisting of 2,227 adults) conducted between June 14 and 21 revealed results that strongly suggest that trend is not winding down. The poll said that almost half of all Americans (48%) are now brown-bagging lunch to save money. Also, 65% are purchasing more generic brands of products, 22% have stopped purchasing coffee in the morning and another 22% have cut back on cable or television services. Those numbers are all up from similar surveys conducted one year ago.

Most plant owners are already well aware that some customers have either cut out drycleaning altogether or they simply wear clothes more often between trips to the cleaners. The Harris Poll confirmed this. In it, 24% noted that they have cut down on drycleaning. That number is up from similar polls taken in February of 2010 (22%) and June of 2009 (20%).

Broken down further, it appears the older the customer, the more they have cut back on drycleaning. Those 65 and older have cut back 33% while Baby Boomers (46 to 64) have scaled it down 28%. Meanwhile, Gen X customers (34 to 45) and Echo Boomers (18 to 33) are less inclined to reduce their cleaning: the percentages are 17% and 18%, respectively. At least younger professionals have cut back on cleaning at a slower rate.

Still, the numbers do not exactly instill hope for the industry and it’s quite possible that they won’t improve anytime soon. So, cleaners may feel compelled to change their tactics in order to survive. Fortunately, this issue is filled advice and strategies for the proactive business owner who does not want to accept defeat. Are you considering dropping your prices? Don’t sell yourself short. Don Desrosiers discusses the potential perils of offering 99-cent shirts on page 32. According to James Peuster (page 12), cleaners are now faced with a fork in the road: Easy Street vs. Hard Way. Guess which path the successful entrepreneur is likely to choose? However, even if you are willing to follow the Hard Way, it helps if you can visualize a successful path ahead. Bill Bishop discusses the importance of such visualization on page 8.

While the picture may seem bleak, don’t include yourself in that gloomy landscape. The economy will rebound. Visualize yourself as part of that better future.

It has been said that the best defense is a good offense. For too many years, the drycleaning industry has been on the defensive concerning environmental issues. It’s time to go on offense.

At the recent CINET conference in the Netherlands, Paul Kokerbeck provided the basis for establishing a good offense.

First, it is important to make people realize that drycleaning does not exist in a vacuum. It is not a question of whether or not clothes are drycleaned. The question is how are clothes to be cleaned.

When looked at that way, professional cleaning is far better for the environment than home laundering. Professional cleaning uses less water, less energy, less detergent and results in fewer CO2 emissions. Think of all the improvements in efficiency that have taken place in the professional cleaning environment in the last 20 years and compare that to the typical home laundry, which still operate much the same as in the 1960s.

Second, professional cleaning not only conserves resources, it makes garments last longer and look better. As Kokerbeck pointed out, manufacturing new garments is not environmentally friendly. And most consumers don’t get the full life from their garments and discarded garments become a load of laundry destined for the landfill.

The benefit for consumers is two-fold. Not only are they helping the environment by keeping their clothes looking good and lasting longer, they are postponing the expense of buying new clothes. Thus, drycleaning is not an expense to cut back but a means of saving money, a plus in these recessionary times. Instead of the industry constantly defending itself from attacks on the environmental front, we need to get the message out that professional cleaning is an environmental solution, not a problem.



								National Clothesline






						Beating the numbers with a better plan Whether you believe the U.S. economy is sputtering or recovering, it’s easy to see that most Americans have fundamentally changed their spending habits. Almost every household has had to adjust its budget. A recent Harris Poll (consisting of 2,227 adults) conducted between June 14 and 21 revealed results that strongly suggest that trend is not winding down. The poll said that almost half of all Americans (48%) are now brown-bagging lunch to save money. Also, 65% are purchasing more generic brands of products, 22% have stopped purchasing coffee in the morning and another 22% have cut back on cable or television services. Those numbers are all up from similar surveys conducted one year ago. Most plant owners are already well aware that some customers have either cut out drycleaning altogether or they simply wear clothes more often between trips to the cleaners. The Harris Poll confirmed this. In it, 24% noted that they have cut down on drycleaning. That number is up from similar polls taken in February of 2010 (22%) and June of 2009 (20%). Broken down further, it appears the older the customer, the more they have cut back on drycleaning. Those 65 and older have cut back 33% while Baby Boomers (46 to 64) have scaled it down 28%. Meanwhile, Gen X customers (34 to 45) and Echo Boomers (18 to 33) are less inclined to reduce their cleaning: the percentages are 17% and 18%, respectively. At least younger professionals have cut back on cleaning at a slower rate. Still, the numbers do not exactly instill hope for the industry and it’s quite possible that they won’t improve anytime soon. So, cleaners may feel compelled to change their tactics in order to survive. Fortunately, this issue is filled advice and strategies for the proactive business owner who does not want to accept defeat. Are you considering dropping your prices? Don’t sell yourself short. Don Desrosiers discusses the potential perils of offering 99-cent shirts on page 32. According to James Peuster (page 12), cleaners are now faced with a fork in the road: Easy Street vs. Hard Way. Guess which path the successful entrepreneur is likely to choose? However, even if you are willing to follow the Hard Way, it helps if you can visualize a successful path ahead. Bill Bishop discusses the importance of such visualization on page 8. While the picture may seem bleak, don’t include yourself in that gloomy landscape. The economy will rebound. Visualize yourself as part of that better future. The best defense It has been said that the best defense is a good offense. For too many years, the drycleaning industry has been on the defensive concerning environmental issues. It’s time to go on offense. At the recent CINET conference in the Netherlands, Paul Kokerbeck provided the basis for establishing a good offense. First, it is important to make people realize that drycleaning does not exist in a vacuum. It is not a question of whether or not clothes are drycleaned. The question is how are clothes to be cleaned. When looked at that way, professional cleaning is far better for the environment than home laundering. Professional cleaning uses less water, less energy, less detergent and results in fewer CO2 emissions. Think of all the improvements in efficiency that have taken place in the professional cleaning environment in the last 20 years and compare that to the typical home laundry, which still operate much the same as in the 1960s. Second, professional cleaning not only conserves resources, it makes garments last longer and look better. As Kokerbeck pointed out, manufacturing new garments is not environmentally friendly. And most consumers don’t get the full life from their garments and discarded garments become a load of laundry destined for the landfill. The benefit for consumers is two-fold. Not only are they helping the environment by keeping their clothes looking good and lasting longer, they are postponing the expense of buying new clothes. Thus, drycleaning is not an expense to cut back but a means of saving money, a plus in these recessionary times. Instead of the industry constantly defending itself from attacks on the environmental front, we need to get the message out that professional cleaning is an environmental solution, not a problem.