With the development of the consumption level, more and more customers send their high-end luxury brand clothes to laundries for cleaning and care. When facing high values and complex materials, laundries often take on big risks when accepting such orders. Especially when customers emphasize “global limited quantity” and “high price purchase”, front desk staff often find themselves in a dilemma between accepting and not accepting: accepting means high risk, while refusing may lead to the loss of customers.
Current Problems
From a business perspective, washing a normal pair of pants costs about 20 yuan. If there is any damage during the wash, the compensation amount is generally within a thousand yuan. If washing a pair of luxury brand trousers (such as Louis Vuitton) also costs 20 yuan, once they are damaged, the compensation amount may be as high as tens of thousands of yuan. The risks and returns of the two are seriously disproportionate.
Therefore, how to scientifically price and systematically manage luxury laundry and care products has become an urgent problem to be solved in the laundry industry.
- In fact, disputes and even legal lawsuits arising from the washing of luxury clothes are not uncommon. Many practitioners have reported that the washing fee is only around twenty yuan, but the accident compensation amounts to tens of thousands of yuan. The risk and return are extremely mismatched. Therefore, it is very important to establish a charging and service mechanism that is acceptable to customers and affordable for laundries.
What are Luxury Clothes?
It is generally judged from two dimensions.
- Brand recognition
The laundry shop should make a list of common luxury brands. Front desk staff need to receive brand recognition training and be able to quickly identify and categorize.
- Customer statement
If customers declare that their product is of high price, limited quantity, or made of special materials, it should also be treated as a luxury item.
Suggestions for Charges of Luxury Care and Laundry
At present, most laundries adopt the model of pay-per-piece, while some luxury care stores implement “pricing by brand” or “charging in both regular and luxury tiers”. We suggest that the cost of laundry and care for luxury clothes should be significantly increased compared to that for ordinary clothes (for example, 3 to 5 times the regular washing fee) to match their high risk and high service demands. This move is not merely a price increase, but rather a response to more refined craftsmanship, more professional care, and a greater sense of responsibility.
Principles of Washing and Caring for Luxury Clothes
Clothes from luxury brands often adopt natural fabrics, special processes, and complex decorations. They easily change colors, shrink, or deform during washing. Laundry shops should follow the following principles.
- Prefer mild dry cleaningover water washing.
- Hand-wash washable items as much as possible to avoid intense friction during machine washing.
- Use neutral or specialized detergents and avoid strongly alkaline products.
- Control the washing time and pursue a balance between efficiency and safety.
In conclusion, the simpler and more targeted the care method is, the lower the risk will be.
Principle of Compensation for Washing Accidents
Washing accidents are hard to completely avoid. Rational and compliant compensation is the key. If the clothes cannot be worn anymore, it is recommended to compensate for depreciation at the original price. The annual depreciation rate can be set at 20%, and the cumulative depreciation should not exceed 70%. It is also possible to refer to local regulations and implement compensation several times the washing cost.
It is important that the laundry clearly informs the customer of the washing risks and compensation rules when receiving the clothes, and it is best to note them on the laundry list to avoid disputes later.
Conclusion
When dealing with clothes from a luxury brand, laundries should establish professional standards for receiving, pricing, cleaning, care, and compensation. By raising charges to reflect high risks and high service value, while continuously enhancing employees’ professional skills and risk awareness. Only in this way can we provide high-quality services while ensuring the sustainable operation of the store. Kingstar is willing to work together with the laundry practitioners to promote the laundry industry to develop in a more standardized and professional direction.
