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 garme
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.