How do people afford dry cleaning here?

[steveinbsas]

Back to the first question: How do people afford dry cleaning here?

People in Argentina have been taken to the cleaners by their leaders so often they're just willing to pay whatever they have to/are told to pay.

And really just want to go on with their lives...even though greater action will be required of them if they ever want this insanity to stop.

 

[marksoc]

I think that we just don´t. If you can afford an item that needs dry cleaning, you could very well pay for it.

 

[steveinbsas]

I don't think that paying for dry cleaning will stop the Argentine "people" (I hope to be one of them...at least a citizen...soon) from being "taken to the cleaners" by the government.

 

[Ries]

This is one of the most incredible posts I've ever read here.

Sometimes I wonder how the "locals" can take such grotesque advantage of foreigners.

Did they think you were using a "governement" credit card?

If so (and they understand governent corruption), it actually makes sense.

Steve, the "locals" everywhere do exactly the same thing. Try sending your clothes down to be washed in a luxury hotel in LA, or London, or even Ubud, in Bali- and you will be charged similar prices. I imagine you havent looked at minibar prices in moderate priced hotels in the USA lately- I was in a $99 a night hotel in Sarasota in Sept, a very modest place- 4 bucks for a bottle of water, 7 for a beer. In a "good" hotel, in the USA, its often double that.
How can the "locals" in the USA take such grotesque advantage?
Simple- there are multiple tiers of prices everywhere on earth, and, anywhere, if you pay $200 and up (US) a night, everything else in the hotel is priced accordingly. This is in no way unique to BsAs.

 

[chris]

Hotel cleaning is always expensive. Argentina, US, Europe, etc.

I want to warn people NOT to use 5 a Sec. They ruined an expensive blazer of mine. Naturally they made no compensation and acted indignant that I complained. Since then I have used Dolphin System.

Some dress trousers are a blend of wool and synthetic (they look like wool) and can be washed in cold water but never dry in a machine.

Brooks Brothers makes superb 100 percent cotton shirts that are wrinkle free due to some special process.

 

[Ashley]

The only things I take to the dry cleaners are wool-type coats, suit jackets and our duvet... Almost all other (dry-clean only) stuff can be put on a cold wash with a light, woolite-type detergent or handwashed (if it's really delicate) with shampoo (which is what cashmere manufacturers recommend). I think that a lot of dry-clean labels are there to protect the manufacturer from people that would otherwise bung the item into a normal wash and return it...ruined. As for dress shirts, a lot of laundry places will iron them for a few pesos each...which is the trickiest part of the process. I don't think that dry cleaning prices are particularly exceptional when compared with everything else here (laundry, food shopping)...It has all gone up to ridiculous levels.

 

[TheBlackHand]

but we'd all like to pretend it is. At least for arguments sake on this forum. It makes it easier for people to vent their frustrations.

Hi pot, im kettle.

Simple- there are multiple tiers of prices everywhere on earth. This is in no way unique to BsAs.

 

[dani28]

I beg to differ but for many things, it is quite unique to here, even using the hotel analogy that was spoken about in an earlier post, here I feel like they have that chip on their shoulder about, well this is a luxury service/item so you better be prepared to pay accordingly for it, si o si, ignorning that in other areas of the world, services which often times are of better quality are much cheaper.

In any other city in the world, a hotel like the Hilton Puerto Madero or the Sheraton would NOT cost $400 USD a night, except maybe in top European cities. I find it perplexing that dry cleaning in Flores costs 4 times more than the dry cleaning shop inside of a luxury high-rise building in downtown Chicago, and is nowhere near the quality or efficiency levels.



but we'd all like to pretend it is. At least for arguments sake on this forum. It makes it easier for people to vent their frustrations.

Hi pot, im kettle.

 

[steveinbsas]

Steve, the "locals" everywhere do exactly the same thing. Try sending your clothes down to be washed in a luxury hotel in LA, or London, or even Ubud, in Bali- and you will be charged similar prices. I imagine you havent looked at minibar prices in moderate priced hotels in the USA lately- I was in a $99 a night hotel in Sarasota in Sept, a very modest place- 4 bucks for a bottle of water, 7 for a beer. In a "good" hotel, in the USA, its often double that.
How can the "locals" in the USA take such grotesque advantage?
Simple- there are multiple tiers of prices everywhere on earth, and, anywhere, if you pay $200 and up (US) a night, everything else in the hotel is priced accordingly. This is in no way unique to BsAs.

Well, this just reinforces my decision to live in the country, never stay in hotels (even when I travel), wear clothes that don't require dry cleaning, rarely eat in restaurants, and only drink at home.

 

[Ries]

I beg to differ but for many things, it is quite unique to here, even using the hotel analogy that was spoken about in an earlier post, here I feel like they have that chip on their shoulder about, well this is a luxury service/item so you better be prepared to pay accordingly for it, si o si, ignorning that in other areas of the world, services which often times are of better quality are much cheaper.

In any other city in the world, a hotel like the Hilton Puerto Madero or the Sheraton would NOT cost $400 USD a night, except maybe in top European cities. I find it perplexing that dry cleaning in Flores costs 4 times more than the dry cleaning shop inside of a luxury high-rise building in downtown Chicago, and is nowhere near the quality or efficiency levels.



but we'd all like to pretend it is. At least for arguments sake on this forum. It makes it easier for people to vent their frustrations.

Hi pot, im kettle.

I am not sure what you mean by "a hotel like the Hilton"-
but although the Alvear Palace does cost over $400 a night, I can go on expedia right now and book a room at the Sheraton for $140 a night, or the Hilton Puerto Madero for $160. (US dollars)
Whereas, in Seattle, the nearest city to where I live in the USA, there are over 2 dozen hotels downtown with rates over $300 a night.
And believe me, their dry cleaning prices aint cheap either.

here is a link to a thread about NON hotel dry cleaning prices in the USA, specifically Seattle.
http://www.yelp.com/topic/seattle-dry-cleaning-pricing-wtf
average per shirt prices seem to be in the 20 to 25 peso range.
Figure hotel prices at double to triple that.

The cheapest place I have ever been for dry cleaning was LA- there are something like 2000 korean run dry cleaners in Southern California, and they are extremely cost competitive.