Pick-Up/Drop Off dry cleaning service - why?

[Scurvy]

What always interests me in any discussion like this is the assumption that a stay at home spouse - man or woman - has no business paying anyone to do any type of service that could conceivably be done by that person at home. Whether it's a working mom vs stay at home mom or a dad who travels and doesn't want to spend his weekends doing yardwork vs a dad who does his own lawn, it seems to be a real issue for some people.

Personally, ther are a lot of chores and errands I don't like doing and I would and do happily pay someone else to do them for me. I have someone do my yardwork, clean my house, and do my laundry. I'm home full time and I could easily do all those things myself - but I just don't want to. I would rather spend the money to pay someone else to do them. If my neighbor wants to observe and comment, well, hey! that's OK with me!! I'm still not going to mow my own yard!

In the case of dry cleaning, if I could just put it out on my porch and have it magically show up, I'd be all over that. No more having to remember to pick up the cleaning - it's all done automatically. That's a time and gas saver for me. I'd look at it as something else I had automated, like electronic bill pay.

I think some people just don't like the idea of someone taking what they see as the "lazy" way out, but I'm all about lazy so any time I can take advantage of that I will!

I agree! The thought that someone ought to have a good reason not to take their drycleaning in is ridiculous to me. They want to use the service, and they can afford it. That's all that matters.

Money can't buy happiness, but it can (essentially) buy time. Whether it's a matter of a dry cleaning service, pizza delivery, scheduling UPS pickup instead of trooping out to their office, lawn service, cleaning service, hiring someone to do alterations, . . . if I can hire someone else to do it, which will free up some of my time so I can do stuff I want to do, then I'm in favor of it. If you have the money, why spend time doing something you don't enjoy when you can hire someone else and use the time for things you prefer? I can't understand why someone wouldn't take advantage of a service like that, unless they truly enjoy driving to the drycleaners or they can't afford it or don't want to spend their money that way.

 

[EclecticWAHM]

I agree! The thought that someone ought to have a good reason not to take their drycleaning in is ridiculous to me. They want to use the service, and they can afford it. That's all that matters.

Money can't buy happiness, but it can (essentially) buy time. Whether it's a matter of a dry cleaning service, pizza delivery, scheduling UPS pickup instead of trooping out to their office, lawn service, cleaning service, hiring someone to do alterations, . . . if I can hire someone else to do it, which will free up some of my time so I can do stuff I want to do, then I'm in favor of it. If you have the money, why spend time doing something you don't enjoy when you can hire someone else and use the time for things you prefer? I can't understand why someone wouldn't take advantage of a service like that, unless they truly enjoy driving to the drycleaners or they can't afford it or don't want to spend their money that way.

100% agree with this. Why NOT use services that give you back your time? If I could afford it I'd hire someone to do laundry, clean the house, care for the yard etc. without a second thought. I'd much rather spend time on things I enjoy or on revenue-generating activities than that kind of junk!

Doesn't matter whether someone's a SAHM or not or "needs" the service or not. If they want to and can pay someone to do things they don't want to do, I think that's awesome!

 

[Imzadi]

My parents had six kids, and my mom didn't work outside the house until we were all in school. AND she had a car. But every week, the cleaner came to the house and picked up the dry cleaning and my dad's shirts; the next week, he'd return that stuff all set to go and pick up the new load. It was one less thing my mom had to do. She did her own laundry, but I remember for a couple of years, she used to take it over to some other lady to... iron!!! And the other lady didn't pick up or deliver! And when the 'new' supermarket opened, and was open 24 hours? My mom thought she'd died and gone to heaven. She'd put us all to bed and go grocery shopping - KID-FREE - at midnight!

Ah, yes, those where the days when you could leave kids who were old enough to call 911 or run over to the neighbors during an emergency, home alone, without being arrested for it.


Yes, I very fuzzily recall back in the old days when I was small, our family had something called an ice box. We used to get milk delivered by Ken, the milkman. We would just leave the empty glass milk bottles out by the garage door a couple times a week and magically, they'd be replaced with fresh milk the next day.

It was such a great service than many SAHMs in the neighborhood later named their kids Ken, too.

People pay for convenience. It is really no different that ordering pizza, why have it delivered when you can go pick it up, or better yet, make it yourself? Convenience!

That also includes Chinese food delivery and Netflixs, mail order items.

How does the OP know if these moms don't have a secondary, at home job while the kids are at school?

I think some people just don't like the idea of someone taking what they see as the "lazy" way out, but I'm all about lazy so any time I can take advantage of that I will!

Any excuse to give you more time to read off of your Kindle!

It's the subtle nuance that you're either missing, choosing to ignore or outright exploiting while saying you're not outright exploiting it. (the old "I'm sorry, but..." disclaimer that people like to use)

Otherwise known as 50 posts by a newbie posting a topic that's controversial, then saying they have a right to post about it, while not "understanding" that it's controversial.

I'm sorry, but (see? I can do it too) your posting habits on this thread could be seen as a little trollish. Especially as someone who's supposed to be "new at posting".

She actually didn't say she was a new to posting. She's only an alleged newbie here. The WMs can actually look up a person's IP address and check to see if they've been posting here under another screenname.

 

[EclecticWAHM]

Otherwise known as 50 posts by a newbie posting a topic that's controversial, then saying they have a right to post about it, while not "understanding" that it's controversial.

LOL - What amazes me is what some folks find controversial! I can't imagine why people would even give *this* topic a second thought.

 

[Imzadi]

LOL - What amazes me is what some folks find controversial! I can't imagine why people would even give *this* topic a second thought.

Oh, the dry cleaning isn't controversial. It's the subtext, or the implied insinuations that people are responding to. I'm not a SAHM, so I can observe the dialogue without getting emotionally involved. In fact, I didn't engage the OP at all. There would have been no value in that. I had fun with what a couple other posters said, instead. And I reminded Carly what she already knows.

There are actually two types of comnunication going on in this case. (More actually.) The apparent event or topic. In this case, the "dry cleaning being delivered." And the real, underlying event or intent, the jabs at SAHMs, "moms rarely leave their homes during the day. . . because I cannot imagine needing this if you stay at home" which may or may not purposely imply that SAHMs have nothing to do all day and can surely pick up the dry cleaning.

This type of communication is well defined in the book, The Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense. Passive-aggressives, emotional manipulators, shamers, the people who turn conversations around to be the "Poor Me victims," and Internet trolls use this form of communication all the time. Once a person knows how to recognise it, it's interesting to observe how these people operate. It's really fun to break down & diagram their conversation and strategy line by line. Of course, they deny it all, then claim to be the victim , or the self-righteous , whatever . But, once you nailed them. Game over. They know it (whether they admit it or not, usually not ) and YOU know it. And they know you know it! Goal. Score. Win!

 

[LuvLDM]

I'm a SAHM and I would definitely use a service like this, then I don't have to turn off the soaps and put down the bon bons.

no kidding and if I'm out picking up dry cleaning I can't be home supervising the maid.

 

[JessicaR]

This is more curiosity than anything about this. I am assuming that pick-up and drop-off dry cleaning services cost more than just dropping it off yourself, is this correct?

The reason I ask is that two of my neighbors use this service. About once a week I see the guys hang the bag on their door and then see the van pick-up and drop-off their dry cleaning. Both of their wives stay home and have kids who are in school. The moms rarely leave their homes during the day. I know because I stayed home the majority of the last 8 months. Why on earth would they not just go to the dry cleaners themselves? I am just wondering if this kind of service does something special or something because I cannot imagine needing this if you stay at home.

Yes, I know this may offend someone, but I just think it is silly.

Because they can.

 

[DMickey28]

I know my neighbor's dry cleaning habits! We live on a cul-de-sac with 5 houses so not too many cars going down the street that we don't know! There is a blue dry cleaning van that comes by twice a week to the house just down from mine ... I know the couple is our age (early - mid 30's) with no kids and both work out of the house. They must travel but rarely at the same time because they also have two dogs that are always home. I don't notice any 'odd' cars to think they have pet sitters! So I figure they travel because why else would they need that much dry cleaning service if they work out of the house if they didn't travel ...

Now, I don't sit at my window all day at all however most of the area we live in, in the house is in the front so anytime a wierd car goes by I look up as does my DS and the dog! Just observations, not stalking ...

 

[tlens]

Here it doesn't cost anything extra to have it picked up and dropped off so why not? Even it cost a little more, it's still cheaper than driving my car to the drycleaner. Let them use their gas and put the mileage on their trucks.

Regarding the housecleaners? Again, what does it matter? Just because they are SAHM's doesn't mean they sit around all day eating bonbons and watching soaps. Many SAHM's that have kids in school volunteer at the school, or church or do other activities that occupy their time. If they don't need to work outside the home and can afford a house cleaner, more power to them.

It appears perhaps you need some volunteer work or something to keep your mind off what the neighbors are spending their money on.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

I agree! The thought that someone ought to have a good reason not to take their drycleaning in is ridiculous to me. They want to use the service, and they can afford it. That's all that matters.

Money can't buy happiness, but it can (essentially) buy time. Whether it's a matter of a dry cleaning service, pizza delivery, scheduling UPS pickup instead of trooping out to their office, lawn service, cleaning service, hiring someone to do alterations, . . . if I can hire someone else to do it, which will free up some of my time so I can do stuff I want to do, then I'm in favor of it. If you have the money, why spend time doing something you don't enjoy when you can hire someone else and use the time for things you prefer? I can't understand why someone wouldn't take advantage of a service like that, unless they truly enjoy driving to the drycleaners or they can't afford it or don't want to spend their money that way.

I agree with this completely. We have dry-cleaning delivered, our house cleaned and our yard done. Why? Because we can, and neither of us likes doing those things. I don't consider taking dry-cleaning in part of my "job" any more than fixing the toilets when they break down. There is a reason those services are available, and as long as we can afford them, I don't understand why anyone would have an issue with it. If I choose to read a book instead? My choice. If I want to hang out with the kids and do art projects? My choice. If I want to eat bon bons and get a manicure? My choice. Making your own choices regardless of what the neighbors think? Priceless.

 

[PurplePinkleEater]

This is more curiosity than anything about this. I am assuming that pick-up and drop-off dry cleaning services cost more than just dropping it off yourself, is this correct?

The reason I ask is that two of my neighbors use this service. About once a week I see the guys hang the bag on their door and then see the van pick-up and drop-off their dry cleaning. Both of their wives stay home and have kids who are in school. The moms rarely leave their homes during the day. I know because I stayed home the majority of the last 8 months. Why on earth would they not just go to the dry cleaners themselves? I am just wondering if this kind of service does something special or something because I cannot imagine needing this if you stay at home.

Yes, I know this may offend someone, but I just think it is silly.

MYOB. It's not up to you to decide that they should not be using that service because the wife stays at home.

Just because one goes the SAHM route does NOT mean that the entire family starts wearing knits only.

 

[scrapquitler]

I am not jumping to any conclusions. Neither of these women are handicapped in any way. People are getting so bent out of shape as if I am talking about them. I am not. I am talking about my neighbors. You (general you) are jumping to conslusions that I don't know either of them and that I sit around all day watching them, I don't. I just notice things that any other neighbor would notice. They live right next door to me so sure, I notice things hanging on their door. I also notice that both of them have cleaning services that come every week to clean their homes.

I used to send my husbands stuff to the drycleaner and would have LOVED to have pick up and drop off, ESPECIALLY when I was a SAHM. It was a real pain to load kids in the car to take stuff to the drycleaner, get the kids out of the car and drag them into the store. Then drag them back out to the car and buckle them back in the seats...what would be a 5 minute errand without kids could easily take 30-45 minutes with them. THATS probably why these stay at home Moms use this service.

 

[ilovesugar]

I used to send my husbands stuff to the drycleaner and would have LOVED to have pick up and drop off, ESPECIALLY when I was a SAHM. It was a real pain to load kids in the car to take stuff to the drycleaner, get the kids out of the car and drag them into the store. Then drag them back out to the car and buckle them back in the seats...what would be a 5 minute errand without kids could easily take 30-45 minutes with them. THATS probably why these stay at home Moms use this service.

I mentioned that their kids are in school all day. Neither of them have little kids anymore. With little kids I can understand why that would be helpful.

Either way - it was pointed out that it is really none of my business and I will agree with that. It just seemed strange to me, but nothing that I am going to dwell on.