CHICAGO — Dry cleaning, as an industry, has historically known ebbs and flows as the seasons shift and consumer needs change. For operators across the country, these predictable yet challenging patterns affect everything from staffing to equipment maintenance. Finding ways to maintain profitability through the peaks and valleys of seasonal instability is crucial for cleaners to keep a steady bottom line.
Understanding Seasonal Patterns
For most dry cleaners, business follows fairly predictable cycles, although experience helps owners and operators to see the full picture.
“Our seasonality is pretty consistent,” says Mark Hatch, manager of French Cleaners in West Hartford, Connecticut. “Spring and fall get very busy. Here in the Northeast, that transition from warm to cold or the other way around, is when we’ll see clothes come in.”
Hatch notes that their busy season begins right after spring break and continues until summer break. “We’re in a suburban area,” he says, “and the school schedule kind of dictates what we do.”
For Mark Scott, president of Bakkers Fine Drycleaning & Laundry in Kirkland, Washington, the patterns are similar despite being on the opposite coast.
“The busiest time for us is spring and fall,” he says. “Spring cleaning prompts people to bring in winter garments for cleaning and so forth. And then in the fall, anytime there’s a big weather change, that’s when we see a surge in business.”
Norman Way, vice president of Puritan Cleaners in Richmond, Virginia, sees these patterns but says his company endeavors to level out the workload: “Each season’s kind of got a rhythm to it, but our improvements in client communications over the years have reduced the variance between highs and lows, allowing for greater consistency than we’ve had in the past.”
Staffing Through the Seasons
Managing staff levels through these predictable fluctuations can present a significant challenge, and it’s vital to retain valuable team members despite seasonal downturns.
“Our strategy has been to run as lean as we can,” Hatch says, “and then when the busy season comes, our staff members are eligible or have an opportunity to earn overtime. That’s baked into the formula for the entire year.”
Scott takes a similar approach with his team: “During the slow months, we encourage the employees to use their paid time off, take vacations and things like that, just to help manage labor costs. And then, of course, conversely, we advise against people taking days off during our peak time.”
Way emphasizes the people-first approach at Puritan Cleaners.
“Our team members are our greatest asset, so we work really hard to provide stability,” he says. “During slower times, we cross-train, adjust the schedule slightly, allow more flexibility for PTO and focus on making sure that they’ve got steady hours. The goal is to retain talent and not just manage the labor costs.”
Service Diversification
Adding complementary services is a way many cleaners have found that can help balance seasonal fluctuations.
“We’ve expanded services like wash-dry-fold, along with household item cleaning for comforters and rugs, which are less seasonally sensitive,” Way says. “It’s not so much about making up for less dry cleaning, but about staying connected to the clients in a meaningful and profitable way, even when dry cleaning isn’t their primary need.”
Scott notes similar efforts but acknowledges mixed results: “To supplement our core services, we actively try to promote offerings like alterations, garment repairs, tailoring and area rug cleaning — the stuff that customers may not automatically associate with a dry cleaner. While we’ve had some success with the wash-dry-fold, our facility is not really set up for a high volume, and we don’t have an attached laundromat.”
Hatch has found cold storage to be an effective service for balancing workflow.
“Right now, we’re going to winter storage,” he says. “People will drop off a bunch of sweaters, for instance, and then we’ll clean them and offer free storage for six months in our cold-storage facility. That way, they can offload their wardrobe and get it out of the house.”
This approach allows French Cleaners to process items during slower periods and create a more consistent workflow.
“We can clean the clothes whenever we want to take our time,” he says. “We stage it so we can do it when we’re a bit slower.”
Come back Thursday for Part 2 of this series, where we’ll examine the role of marketing, pricing and technology in leveling out seasonal business.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].
