Gender Discrimination in Dry Cleaning

So, I have taken my dry cleaning to several places (usually the dry cleaner next to the Prospect Ave. stop on 4th Avenue) and usually take in just my work shirts. They are just standard button down shirts from J. Crew or Banana Republic. The annoying thing to me is that although they are virtually IDENTICAL to a man's work shirt (albeit a little smaller), I am charged the "blouse" price which is twice as much as the "shirt" price. Double the price!!!

Does anyone know a place that will charge you a standard shirt price for a woman's button-down shirt?

It doesn't seem right that I am charged twice as much because it is a woman's shirt.

They try to say that women's shirts don't fit on the standard mannequin that is used when cleaning men's shirts, and therefore require human intervention, which equals higher cost.

I say "horseshit".

I don't have an answer for you as to where you can get them done at the same price, since I can't wear button-down shirts (damn big knockers!)

wow that is totally f-ed up. should be the same damn price.

And flexi, I never knew you had big knockers. crazy.

Knock knock

Who's there?

Flexi.

Yep. Knockers. Got 'em.

Btw, Smitty, have you tried passing them off as men's shirts - since J. Crew and Banana make clothes for both genders? Or, if you have a male person in your life, having them drop off the clothes? I still think it's horseshit and you shouldn't have to do it, but I'm also a big fan of messing with the system :-)

my nabe dry cleaner (happy cleaner on washington btwn st. johns and sterling) will do wash and press on standard women's button up shirts. anything with detailing or funky shapes gets the dry clean but an average jcrew button down - wash and press. it's teh awesome.

Flexichick wrote: Btw, Smitty, have you tried passing them off as men's shirts - since J. Crew and Banana make clothes for both genders? Or, if you have a male person in your life, having them drop off the clothes? I still think it's horseshit and you shouldn't have to do it, but I'm also a big fan of messing with the system :-)

Sounds like I should be less reliant on Ann Taylor for my work clothing!

or just cut the tags out!

My wife has the same problem, they won'y just wash and press a woman's shirt (I guess that's why it's a blouse ;-)

So even though we don't live in the area, we go to the dry cleaner right below Crunch on Flatbush, I believe it's called Golden Touch. They charge the same price for women's shirts and they will even box them.

You know, if it's a cotton shirt, you can wash and iron it at home, for free, and then you won't have dry-cleaning chemicals next to your skin. And the shirt and its buttons will last longer.

Rose wrote: You know, if it's a cotton shirt, you can wash and iron it at home, for free, and then you won't have dry-cleaning chemicals next to your skin. And the shirt and its buttons will last longer.

But who has the time for that? Or the floor space for an ironing board?

Make sure you are asking just for laundry and iron and not dry cleaning when you take your shirts in. if they're still screwing you, well then that just ain't right

AnnaClaire wrote:

But who has the time for that? Or the floor space for an ironing board?

True, you're more likely to have that kind of time if you're unemployed, and then you can just wear your pajamas all day instead of button-down shirts. It's a conundrum.

But really, it doesn't take that long to iron a shirt. I just think there's something kind of gross about dry-cleaning -- you're basically paying someone to dip your clothes in cancer-causing chemicals. :shock:

yeah, but you are not dry-cleaning a cotton shirt just because you take it to the dry cleaners. You are having it washed and pressed. They do a better job then most of us could ever hope to, their starch doesn't stick and bunch up, and they box shirts. No chemicals except laundry detergent.

okay, why get shirts boxed up? do you store them in boxes? I mean, mine come on hangers ...

True but those pressing machines tend to break the buttons, don't they?

I wash, starch and iron my shirts at home because:
I'm actually pretty good at it.
I don't have the foresight to organize trips to/from the cleaner when there isn't a suitable one less than a block away.

Rose wrote: True but those pressing machines tend to break the buttons, don't they?

they do break buttons but usually when the shirt is pretty worn or faded and ready to be swapped out of rotation permanently.

alafairnadia wrote: okay, why get shirts boxed up? do you store them in boxes? I mean, mine come on hangers ...

Well, they are easier to pack in a suitcase. Also I will take one to work with me so I can change there, I don't always want to be wearing a collared shirt, especially in the summer.

Plus there are those lines that say, "This is a new shirt" even when it isn't!

And yeah, I store them in boxes.

I hate new shirt lines. Teh worst.

i wash nearly everything, including my cashmere sweater collection, at home. when i used to work in a real job i'd get pants and stuff dry cleaned, but now there are those home dry cleaning kits that actually work... so much cheaper.

as for an ironing board, you need to get the kind that hangs over the door. folds down when you need it, up when you don't.

then again, i wear the same clay-covered jeans every day in winter, and clay covered skirt in the summer. which makes me wonder why i keep buying more clothes...

Unfortunately, I don't have a washer/dryer in my apartment, so if I wash stuff at home its just in my tiny bathroom sink with a bottle of woolite. Not the best. Hmm...

Isn't there a laundromat somewhere nearby? (Or are you stuck working impossibly weird hours? )

It bothers me how much nonsense comes with a shirt that is dry cleaned, between the paper, clips, mountains of plastic and those crappy wire hangers...I try to dry clean as infrequently as possible. Sweaters maybe once a year, febreezed unless they get really dirty, pants rarely and shirts regrettably often.

I actually live near the prospect stop and the place on the corner of 14th and 4th is great, really cheap wash and fold and so far a good job with the dry cleaning, not sure if they are part of the blouse-chargin'-patriarchy, but its definitely the best spot around there.

However as a dude, if I want to get a pedicure (and I on occasion have) its far more expensive than if I were a woman. Hope that helps.

:-({|=

I bring the hangers back for them to re-use. The waste is disgusing.

(oh, and men's feet are usually way skankier than women's feet.....they should cost more......but why are women paying 10X more for a haircut if the cut is not complicated??)

Good call on the hangers, maybe I'll start doing that, go green and so forth.

I wouldn't get a pedicure without taking a shower first, but touché on the hair front.

Well, the men's toes I've seen tend to have been left untended for a long time - so it's not just a shower....I'm thinking long, curly toes full of ick.

Actually, I don't want to think of the ick...and I'm sure there are some women with gross toes too ....

Definitely trying bringing the hangers back

Well met!

It's weird you mention that cos I did mess with the system (unintentionally) and it worked. I usually drop off my shirts and get charged the blouse price. But I love my cleaners so I got over it.

Last week, my bf dropped off our dry cleaning cos I was busy.. his regular work shirts and my size 2 shirts. They didn't charge him more for mine..although he did say they looked at kinda him funny. Oh well, maybe they think he cross dresses in way too small clothing.