National Clothesline

Now that the holiday season has ended, you can relax and go to work on your business. Your first assignment is to make a list of all the things you want to accomplish in 2012.

If you have not tried doing this, you will find that you might actually get things done that you have only thought about and not achieved.

This month’s question, “What is good packaging?” Packaging is a topic that might be titled “Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder.” The vast majority of cleaners do not know what good packaging is because nobody taught them.

Prior to my employment by R.R. Street & Co. Inc. and later, before becoming self-employed, I had the good fortune to work for the highest-end drycleaning company in Los Angeles. The company was named Averill Morgan. I drove a route and worked in the production department. As an example of their packaging, suits were delivered on wooden hangers. The hangers were much like those you get from a department store when you buy a new suit.

Before you purchase packaging supplies, be certain you have a logo that you want to live with for the next five or ten years. Look at logos from high-end garment manufacturers. Look at logos from other industries and see if you can find one or two that you can emulate.

Go to a graphic design artist and put together a logo that you love. The definition of the word logo is “a design used by an organization on its letterhead, advertising material, and signs as an emblem by which the organization can easily be recognized.”

Decide how you want your company to be recognized.

Here is a list of the supplies I believe you need to package garments properly. You will want your company name, if it is not part of your logo, your logo, web address and phone number on all items that require printing. If you do not want to have printing of your name and logo on an item, have self-adhesive labels printed with your information. They are an inexpensive method of branding.

Printed hangers.

Printed hanger covers with the company name printed on the front and back.

Tissue paper, the large size and the small size, printing of company name is optional.

Cardboard or plastic shoulder guards for suit and sport coats.

Collar supports for shirts are optional. I will explain shortly.

Sweater bags with snaps, breathable on one side, printed or use a self adhesive label.

Hangers with clips for skirts, shorts, or pants hung from the waist.

Printed plastic bags. The printing is optional if all of the other packaging material is printed. The heavier the plastic, the better image you will present.

Collar supports for all shirts.

Cardboards for folded shirts.

Bags for folded shirts.

Boxes or shopping bags to place folded shirts in.

Clips for laundered shirt sleeves for shirts on hangers.

Cardboard for finished flat work such as sheets, pillowcases, and tablecloths.

If you process fluff and fold, consider having a half box made, or using the same cardboard as used for finished flat work.

Plastic wrap.

Ribbon, printing optional.

After purchasing all of these items the next question is, “How do I use the supplies?”

Pants over strut hangers. No more than three pants in a bag. Pants covered with capes and then a bag. Lined pants hang from waist with clip hanger.

Dresses, blouses and shirts: place two pieces of large tissue under each shoulder. Some dresses, shirts and blouses will require tissue in the collar to support the collar or use collar supports for shirts.

Ladies’ suits: Ladies’ suit jackets packaged the same as blouses, pants or skirts hung from waist with clip hangers, cape and plastic bag.

Men’s suits: Pants over strut hanger unless it is a tuxedo. Shoulder support on pants hanger, coat on the same hanger. Tuxedo pants hang from waist. Cape over items and then plastic bag.

Sport coats on hanger with shoulder support, cape and plastic bag. If pants are brought in with sport coat, they can go in the same bag, hung behind the sport coat.

Top coats, rain coats and jackets are the same as shirts or blouses.

Sweaters should be individually folded with small tissue, bagged and placed on shelf. If you find this too difficult, use the sweater bag on the hanger as shown on the Cleaner’s Supply website (www.cleanersupply.com) and then put your adhesive label on the bag.

Household items: Either over large hangers, cap and bag, or space permitting, folded and put into special household bags with zippers printed or use your adhesive label.

Shirts on hangers:

Up to three shirts in a bag.

Each shirt has the sleeves clipped.

Each shirt has a collar support.

Printed cape over the shirts and then the plastic bag.

Folded shirts:

Use cardboard in body.

Collar support.

Place shirt in plastic bag.

Place shirts in box or shopping bag.

If you have any questions regarding packaging other items such as fluff and fold, finished flatwork, leather items, and shoes, feel free to contact me and I promise to respond.

I anticipate that you will say that your labor will increase as well as your supply costs. I can tell you from my personal experience any increase in operating costs will be marginal if you manage properly. I upcharged all items hung from the waist by 50 cents. When I started folding sweaters in individual snapped bags, the price went up 50 cents.

The major benefit of packaging the way I described will be product differentiation. How can the consumers tell the difference between your product and the $1.99 drycleaner down the street?

I always hark back to my visit to Wall Drug Store in South Dakota. Wall Drug sells gold painted buffalo chips wrapped in clear plastic to tourists. What does that tell you about the importance of packaging?

Some customers will complain that they do not want the tissue in their garments. What you do if that situation arises is note the information in your computer system and flag the order.

If you want your company to stand out from the crowd, consider changing and upgrading your packaging.