Is your in-office dry cleaning service really an inconvenience in disguise? Find out why.

In the modern lifestyle most of your time has already been allocated. Between work, errands, appointments, & chores you have very little time left for yourself or your loved ones. You take all the help you can get and the world around you is also adjusting to fit your lifestyle. Some industries more than others though. Food ordering businesses are popping up everywhere and they are all mobile. Some industries however, haven’t really caught up.

 

Take for example dry cleaners. Most of them are still cash only establishments. What does a busy professional like yourself do? Most offices luckily have a dry cleaning office service in house. Which spares you a trip to the local cleaners before work, after work, or on your Saturday off (Eek!). But office services are really not much more convenient than your typical trip to the dry cleaner. In some ways it may even be more inconvenient. So, are you unknowingly stuck in an old fashioned solution without even knowing it? Here are 7 points to consider.

 

1. Taking your dirty clothes to work

You might be used to doing this if your office (building) has a dry cleaning service. However, have you never felt a little uncomfortable taking dirty clothes to the place where you need to look sharp / presentable the most? Sure, you’re not taking dirty underwear and socks, but you’re still handing the receptionist a bag of fabric with sweat, skin flakes & odors. On top of that, it’s also a hassle to carry your bag of clothes along with your briefcase, purse, coffee, and phone in your hands. This is worse when they’re clean and on a hanger and it’s raining (which is pretty much everyday here in the Netherlands).

 

2. No personal contact with an office service

Sure, the office has chosen a reputable service provider. But you don’t really know who’s picking up your clothes and if they’re treated with care. You can’t know for sure that unique attention is being paid to meet your needs. What if you need to repair a button or a tear in your favorite shirt? Do you write it on a piece of paper and hope the receptionist communicates it well to the dry cleaner?

 

3. Standard pick-ups /deliveries

Most office services have pick ups on standard days and deliver the items back in 2 days. If you miss the pick-up day you’ll have to wait until the next round of pick-ups. If you have coffee or wine stains on your clothes they need to be treated asap to avoid setting. You would probably need to do it yourself and hope for the best or run to the local dry cleaners yourself. Still, what if you need express service?

 

4. What about your other items?

Some dry cleaners also offer repairs, but it gets trickier to communicate your specific requirements if you don’t have direct contact with them. What about your shoes? Your curtains? Your bed sheets, carpets, and actual laundry? Yup, you still have to take care of those yourself. Your office service pretty much only handles your professional clothing.

 

5. It’s the weekend. What now?

Friday is here and you realize that you forgot about your dry cleaning. You really needed your favorite shirt / suit for an important meeting on Monday. Your office service will surely not have it done in time. What do you do? Take a trip to your local dry cleaners of course. With some luck they may have it ready for you by Monday morning. On demand services like Mr. Timesaver for example, could have your favorite shirt / suit ready for you on Saturday already! Best part is, it’ll be picked up and delivered right at your door. You can even have your favorite shoes polished too!

 

6. Payment

With in-office services your payments are probably deducted from your salary at the end of the month. Which is easy. I guess. But how do you keep record of your whole month of services? How do you know if you were charged extra or charged for the wrong service? At your local dry cleaners payment issues may even be more annoying. Many only accept cash payments. So aside from remembering where your ticket is, you also need to stop at an atm first.

 

7. Lower cost / higher risk & inconvenience

Something went wrong with your order. Your missing a button or there’s a tear in your favorite blouse. What do you do? Will you be able to contact the dry cleaner directly? What are their policies? Do they offer refunds or pay for the damages they were proven to have caused? Most dry cleaners will likely try to fix the problem or give stain removal another shot if you return it in person. If it needs to go through the office process it gets trickier.

 

With on-demand services such as Mr. Timesaver most of these issues are minimized. The price matches the overall convenience provided and may seem a little higher per item still, the risk is also lower and the convenience can actually be called convenience. Best part is that you never have to leave your house or apartment with dirty clothes again. Mr. Timesaver also offers repairs, alterations, laundry, and shoe services with next day delivery. The convenient 1 hour time-slots also make it easier to plan your pick-ups and drop-offs and start from 7 in the morning until midnight every day of the week. Yes, even on Sunday.