Walk into most ordinary cleaners and you'll
probably find the quality of their service adequate: they'll greet
you, take in your garments, provide a receipt, retrieve your
completed order, take your payment and send you off with a smile
and a "have a nice day."
But ask them a technical question or seek their technical advice
and you'll probably get that deer-in-the-headlights stare. And it
doesn't seem to matter whether the question involves the removal of
an old yellow stain, the whitening of a garment that's greyed, the
blocking of a knit that's misshaped, or the retexturing of a
garment that's lost its feel or look. Nor does it seem to matter
whether the advice you seek involves the alteration of a garment,
the restoration of a vintage garment, the short term storage of
woolens, or the long term storage of a heirloom tablecloth.
And the reason for such ignorance? Ads such as this on Craigs
List (1.19.2010) ...
CSR for High Quality Dry
Cleaner (Scottsdale)
Looking for Customer Service
Representative to work in a high quality dry cleaning store located
in North Scottsdale and Tempe. Monday through Friday plus one
Saturday per month, flexible hours. No dry cleaning experience
required (italics added). Please contact our store at:
480-348-XXXX.
If these are the job qualifications at a "high quality dry
cleaning store", imagine the job qualifications at an ordinary
cleaner.
How can I help you?