SERIES: Over the Counter book Serialized

Back in the good old days of publishing, books were often serialized in magazines and newspapers, and readers waited anxiously for each installment. Think Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol.

Marcia Todd’s book, Over the Counter, is a training guide for counter personnel in dry cleaning plants. There is no other such resource out there that you can turn to if you want to train all your people uniformly. The book has recently been updated and brought out for a new generation by Jan Caon Barlow and Becca Anderson. Fabricare Canada will be publishing one chapter a month for the next 2 years.

---

Chapter 1

Introduction —The challenge and variety of the dry cleaning counter

The dry cleaning industry has a hero, known only as “Proud of Us,” which was the way she signed her letter to columnist Ann Landers many years ago. In it, she detailed some of the services dry cleaners performed for their customers, and pointed out that most customers take them for granted. I am sure she opened many eyes across the country, even those who have seen everything, including Ann Landers herself, who wrote, “Thank you for educating millions of people today—including me.”

The writer was defending her choice of job against someone who described it as being “low class,” and I feel her reaction is long overdue! People who work for a dry cleaner are often asked, “Why don’t you work in a bank?” Or told “There’s an opening at the mall; you should apply.”

I can’t answer for everyone, but I would like to try to list some of the unique and highly interesting aspects about a job at a dry cleaning counter.

First of all, there’s the variety. To an outsider, this might seem to be impossible when looking at a job which appears to consist of taking in soiled garments and handing out clean ones. But there is probably no other job which is as full of variety, and I am sure that no one who works at a dry cleaning counter would ever say they’ve seen everything. Because if they did, there would be a completely different surprise for them soon.

To begin with, there’s the variety in that thing called human nature. Customers have very few secrets from you, no matter how hard they may try to cover up. Sometimes they give false addresses, phone number or email addresses; other times it’s a suspicious story about how a garment became spotted—one which was soaked in alcohol, for example.

Through it all, you always maintain your professional friendliness and discretion. You even discard the odd motel key card found in the “wrong” pocket, while retaining and returning such important finds as jewelry to your customers.

You also have the challenges of new technology and fashions to keep your job interesting—in two ways. First of all, your company may install new equipment that processes garments better. You should be taught about its operation, and also how to explain its benefits to your customers.

Then there is the endless new technology of fabrics, trimmings and fashions, which require ongoing knowledge. The output of just one major garment company is enough to keep you learning all year long. The innovative things that the designers do each year are an education in themselves.

Until people actually work at a dry cleaning counter, they most likely don’t give a thought to the practicality of fashion. Such as, can a certain trim be cleaned with the same process as the garment that trim is on? There are many instances where the garment must be dry cleaned and its sewn-on trim must be laundered. This certainly make the person who works at a dry cleaning counter a truly educated consumer, as well.

Another real pleasure of working at a dry cleaning counter is the opportunity to see the transformation from soiled to clean, the rejuvenation of fabrics and garments. No one enjoys handling the really soiled garments (which are usually in the minority). But when you have to handle them, you can picture how they’ll look cleaned and pressed. And you can also anticipate the delight of the owner when orders are picked up.

Personal Contacts

Perhaps the greatest pleasure I can cite for dry cleaning personnel is meeting people. Often, employees who work at a counter have been hired for the job because they’re interested in people and enjoy serving them. They like saying, “Good morning,” and then seeing the customer smile in response to the greeting. Though a dry cleaning counter is not a place for long conversations and the flourishing of friendships, it is a place for brief, pleasant contacts.

There’s an opportunity for the dry cleaning counter person to bring a warm smile into the life of a very busy and hurried customer. You have a chance to be professional and smile, even when your feet are aching and your shift is officially over. In a way, you are much like actors on a stage; the show must go on. And it’s a variety show: drama, comedy and occasionally tragedy. But the show is always fascinating!

Suggested discussion questions

1. What surprised you most at a dry cleaning counter?

2. What was your hardest question from a customer?

3. What do you like most about the job?

4. What do you dislike most about the job?

---

For more information about Over the Counter, visit our information page.