Did she take the piss deliberately or am I being U?

[Oopsydaisyy]

Got my first customer to do ironing for as I'm venturing in an ironing business. I advertised per black bin bag for £15, 4/5th full, not to the brim just to undercut a few companies. She gave me a huge sack that wasn't even a black bin bag and it has 50 items in it, very creased tops and long thick dresses and shirts as it has all literally been twisted and bunged in. So I worked all day for 30pence per item! I am a bit miffed. Can anyone tell me what to do in future to make a profit at least? What are you willing to pay? If you iron or have an Iron Lady, how much do you charge/they charge? I feel so silly and have shot myself in the bloody foot

I prefer to pay by the hour. Then I can put anything in, for e.g. a child's t shirt that needs a quick once over as well as a linen dress that needs much longer. I hate paying by the item because then I feel the need to include only items 'worthy' of the fee.
Happy to pay £15ph.

You need to work out your costs per hour (electricity and insurance) and divide it by the average number of items you can iron in an hour. Then add your profit on.

I think the other problem is if you say per bag people are much more likely to just shove items in and therefore make the creasing worse. Per item is definitely more sensible, no nasty surprises for anyone then and dont be afraid to charge different amounts for different things.

Is 40p reasonable?

Have you done any research at all before you ventured in to business?

I'd be put off because I wouldn't want to put my clean clothes in a bin bag really. Sorry OP! I think per item or by weight would be better.

It's funny, I'd rather iron shirts all day than some of the items other people think are easier!

After all of that, did she supply hangers for the freshly ironed items?

Work out how long it takes you to iron an averagely creased item by doing your own ironing and timing yourself Then work out a rate per item. Maybe have different rates for types of clothes

Button Shirts
Tops (not button shirts)
Trousers
Jeans
Dresses/Skirts
Linen/ sheets/duvets/table cloths
underwear/socks

I would them also add in my terms that the chargeable rate is for averagely creased items and that you reserve the right to put aside and not iron anything that does not come within that but that you will inform the client of how many items this is and if they still want you to iron them you will do so but at a higher rate of (xx - quote a higher rate)

That way they can decide if they want to pay you for a higher rate for some items and you don't feel hard done by.

You need to be able to clearly state your terms so everyone knows where they stand

Charge per hour.

On the plus side, at least the CF has highlighted a problem early on!

I agree with the others - you need to specify per item, weight or the size of bag.

Good luck - I loathe ironing! :)

OP, plenty of advice on here so you now need to think about the local situation and decide what's best for you - by weight, by item, bag or basket, hangers, delivery or not....lots to consider.

The important thing is to be clear with people and if that means a list of T &C's you present to them first time then so be it. Set out your stall with a smile and the CF's will go elsewhere. Good luck!

Near me, most places charge in 5’s. So five items £5, 10 times £10 etc. She does an offer for 30 items for £24 and charges £3 for bed sheets.

you are way too cheap!

When we were between houses living with family I used a laundrette for our washing and asked them to iron everything after. I had assumed it would be £8-10 an hour or something (eight years ago so I would expect £12-15 an hour now) then I saw the sign on the desk £1 an item - and I was horrified as my washing was full of toddler clothes - and I backtracked and said “sorry I can’t afford to have all those little things ironed at £1 an item” I was worried it would be £50/60 quid! The lady said not to worry they would be sensible about it and it was £20 or £25 which was fine.

I think I would prefer a per hour pricing structure as we all have a fair idea of how long ironing takes - (and we know it is a long time if clothes have been screwed up in a heap for ages), I don’t see a business would have anything to gain by not doing a fair hours ironing as they just wouldn’t be used again.

You could advertise an hourly rate but say a per item pricing structure can be negotiated if preferred (if it’s what someone is used to or they are afraid of paying more to switch you could agree it wouldn5 be more than x per item pricing structure) - but you would have to be a little tougher and not allow people to take the piss - specify it must be laundered and folded and if items have been dried into screwed up balls send them back.

I agree “bin bag” itself doesn’t get someone in the mindset of freshly laundered folded clothes but more “I’m going to stuff my antique ironing pile in a bin bag and clear the back log for £15”.

Why not supply those folding/zip up laundry bags if required for the £1 or so they would cost you and then the clothes go back and forth in those or on hangers if the client supplies them. The more you can make the clothes appear precious and well cared for when you return them the more pleased your clients will be.

Good luck with your new venture!

My parents have their ironing done each weekend. They pay £10 per week and it includes 5 work shirts and 7 simpler items such as blouses, tops, jeans or skirts. If they send bedding in it's additional charge.
It's been priced like that for years. The guy who does it collects Fri and drops off Sunday same time each week included in the price which is why they get it done its convenient (it's probably only worth it for him because there are a few houses on the street that all use the service so collection is worthwhile).

I’m Yorkshire, our average seems to be 50p per item

Definitely get your own bags which are then used to hand over/collect items and in your terms note that the bag should be loosely packed.
Also include minimum fee and a right to renegotiate the price if the supplied items require special handling or the bag is over filled. Good luck with your new venture and treat this customer as a learning trial.

Can you return them in your idea of a bin bag full and request however much? If going for a container full I would probably get a stash of uniform containers (e.g. like a recycling box) which can be used to neatly fold the items into, for regular customers they can buy one to fill as they go, for first timers you fill at the door. Returned in box neatly folded. They would be scrunched in a bin bag and too much potential to get mixed up and accidentally binned by dh!

I’d charge per item just because you can get a lot more baby/children’s clothes in a bag than adults! But if you want to do bags maybe have a bag that you put the clothes in to on Delivery to work out how much to charge so if someone comes in with a sack you can split it up and say okay that’s 2/3 bags worth at my rate that way everyone is getting the same deal 😊

Just out side of Glasgow for clarity & price point ,
My lovely ironing lady charges £10 per hour ,
I send a large blue ikea bag of bedding , folded of the line or out of tumble so not a riot in terms of creases & it’s normally £15-£20
Your lady was taking the pickle

Start over, under a different name perhaps, charging the market rate - or a bit more, because you're BETTER, aren't you! If you position yourself as cut price, you'll never get 'quality' money. And yes, it sounds like per-item would be a more sensible method of charging.

I would phone around to see what the competition charges and then price accordingly.

If it was me I’d charge more for adult shirts and dresses, less for children’s clothes and sheets and pillow cases. Don’t charge by container - everyone’s will be different!

This is the price list for one local ironing service - there is another for 50p per item. I'm in the South Wales Valleys.

I paid £10 per hour from my ironing last, rarely cost more than £15 for a weekly load, typically 2 wash baskets.
If bedding was included was a bit more, this included baby clothes and husbands oxford work shirts.

try again