Your dry cleaner tells you that they're a true
quality cleaner. Yet they offer two different levels of service -
generically dubbed their "basic" and "premium" service.
How do you spell CONTRADICTION?
Here's some background ...
They tell you that their "basic service" is for your "regular"
or "less fussy" garments. And that their "premium service" is for
your "better" or "fancier" garments - your bespoke,
made-to-measure, high fashion, designer, specialty and couture
garments. Furthermore, they tell you that their "premium service"
(often accompanied by a special name such as their sterling, gold,
platinum, diamond, deluxe, signature, classic, craft, style or
artisan service) is their "extra care service", where your garments
are "pressed by their best presser, inspected by hand, hung on
plastic, wood and/or chrome hangers, and stuffed with logo printed
tissue."
The real question to ask yourself is this: is their plastic,
wood and/or chrome hangers and logo printed tissue paper worth the
50% to 100% premium price?
Because in many cases, that's probably the only difference
between their basic and their premium service. In other
words, apart from the packaging, the true difference between your
cleaner's basic and premium service is ... wait for it ... almost
zero.
Their rationale for this strategy is simple: We'll continue to
give customers the same "quality" they've been accustomed to
receiving, but at a reduced price, say 50% to 100%
less. We'll call this our basic service and tell our customers that
we've been able to introduce this "new", lower priced service by
eliminating the fancy cleaning, fancy pressing, fancy inspecting
and fancy packaging. We'll also tell them that they can continue to
request our premium service for their "better" or "fancier"
garments at our current price levels.
Of course,
what we won't tell them is that, apart from the packaging, there's
no real difference in quality between our basic
and our premium service. And we'll gain by charging a premium price
for what is essentially a "bang and hang" garment dressed up with
fancy packaging.
To illustrate the absurdity of offering two levels of service,
let me draw an analogy ...
Just imagine if Denny's and Morton's moved next door to one
another and built a single kitchen that was to be shared by both
restaurants.
Furthermore, imagine if those two restaurants utilized the same
chefs and servers, purchased their food and other supplies from the
same vendors and set the Denny's prices at about 50% to 100% below
Morton's prices.
Do you think it's possible for that shared kitchen to
consistently deliver a steak of Morton's quality
to Morton's diners just because
their steak is prepared by their "best" short order cook and served
on "better" china?
Don't think so.
Clients who choose a true quality cleaner want best of breed.
Not a mutt that has the characteristics of two or more breeds.
How can I help you?