The biggest threat you your business is, not doing business with you, at all.
A couple articles ago, I made reference to how a drycleaner faces the same ‘lost opportunity cost’ as Pharmacists do when customers decide to ‘skip a pill’, or ‘skip a trip to the drycleaners.’ I made a casual reference to how drycleaning customers stand in front of their closets sorting clothes that are going to go to the cleaners, and which clothes can be worn ‘one more time’, will go to the cleaners ‘next time’, and usually end up hanging on ‘the laundry chair’. And now, someone has actually done it, someone has created: ‘The Laundry Chair’
"The biggest threat you your business is, not doing business with you, at all."
And now, here it is…..
People can actually buy it. It’s available
right now from Kickstarter. Here is the link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/
simonegiertz/laundry-chair-the-bedroom-
chair-you-have-always-wanted
Oh crap! Look, I was just making a wise
crack to illustrate a point. It was bever my
intention to inspire anyone except to think
about how to promote their business. But
now, the laundry chair really exists…….
What is The Laundry Chair and what
does it do? Why should Drycleaners be
concerned?
The Laundry Chair is a piece of furniture,
a chair, with a rotating rail that you use to
hang your worn clothes upon. Its designed
and intended to be a piece of furniture whose
function is to be the place where you can
hang and store your ‘half dirty’ clothing until
you are ready to service them. There is a lot
to unpack in this statement….
Remember what I said about who loses
the most when a pharmacist’s customer
‘skips a day’ by not taking a prescribed pill?
Here is a reminder: When a pharmacist’s
customer skips taking a pill, that revenue
from not consuming the pill is gone, and
gone forever, there is no ‘making it up’ on the next day.
For a drycleaner, we face the same lost opportunity
cost: If a customer holds back pieces because they will wear it ‘one
more time’, or ‘I’ll send this garment in next time,’ the drycleaner
misses out on 100 percent of the lost income just like a pharmacist
does! Now, do you see the threat this piece of furniture is to the
drycleaning industry?!!
The place to store your ‘Half Dirty’ clothes
Half dirty…….ick, what a term, but, even worse as a concept.
It reminds me of a software engineer I encountered at a local
software developing company I was presenting at. The software
developer was wearing a Lego Darth Fader dark grey t-shirt, covered
with what appeared to be potato chip crumbs and grease stains. His
blue jeans were no better, rumpled and creased, like they hadn’t been
washed in weeks, pressed by leaving them in the dryer or crumpled
on the floor. He is, what I envision, could be the poster boy for The
Laundry Chair with his ‘Half dirty’ wardrobe. He wasn’t completely
dirty, he was only half dirty, and obviously was just wearing his
‘casual Friday’ wardrobe one more time before sending his clothes
into a professional drycleaner to keep his corporate dress code
fresh……..sheesh!
The risk to our industry is REAL! Since the 60’s drycleaners
have faced declining piece counts due to changing fashions. This
has continued on through the 90’s with ‘casual days’, silicone valley
billionaires sweaters and hoodies over blue jeans, and continues with
the ‘wash, dry, fold (note, no pressing)’ movement of today. I guess
it was inevitable that eventually someone would see the opportunity
and demand of the ever increasing load and need for a Laundry Chair.
I, for one, see the opportunity to promote the liability of being
‘Half Clean’ - It’s not just what you wear, it’s how you wear it!
Professional drycleaning is how successful, professional, up and
comers moving up the success ladder dress. Professional drycleaning
is the secret to success often over looked. Short cuts in caring for
your appearance add up over time, the short cuts you deploy today
come back to bite you tomorrow, or the day after. Half Clean is Half dressed!
Key Takeaways
- Why This Shift Is Happening matters for readers making practical decisions.
- Economic Impact matters for readers making practical decisions.
- The biggest threat you your business is, not doing business
- with you, at all.
