We’re excited to formally launch Rinse for Business as the most convenient dry cleaning and laundry benefit available for your employees. We soft-launched with select partners in the Bay Area in 2019 and have received a very positive response from their teams (and significant inbound interest from new partners at the same time). We’re now ready to officially launch Rinse for Business in all of our markets — SF / Bay Area, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago, and Boston. It will also be a core part of our offering as we expand nationally.

DRY CLEANING AS AN OFFICE PERK … BEFORE RINSE

Clothing care has always been full of friction and the experience hasn’t changed over the decades. Most customers simply go to the nearest cleaner and are held hostage to proximity. Since there are no trusted brands out there (and the space is incredibly fragmented), customers can’t really assess quality until after their clothes come back. In addition, there is little to no investment in transparency, customer service, and technology.

The biggest point of friction, though, is that cleaners are only open from 9am to 5pm, which means that customers have to either be late to work or leave early to get to the cleaners, and they have to do this twice since they have to drop off and pick up their clothes.

At Rinse, we refer to all of these pain points in dry cleaning as “death by a thousand cuts.”

Dry-cleaning-as-a-perk was born in response to the last pain point — if so much productivity is lost because our employees are going to the dry cleaner during the workday, what if we brought the dry cleaner to them? This incremental innovation led to companies partnering with a local dry cleaner to pick up from and deliver directly to the office. This benefit has been most prevalent in markets like San Francisco, where the war for talent (and subsequently, the availability of benefits) is a bit of an arms race.

While the intentions of the incremental innovation of bringing the dry cleaner to the office were good, there were still issues with the customer experience. Not only were the “death by a thousand cuts” (or maybe 999 now?) still there, but it’s not necessarily a positive customer experience for your employee. For some it certainly can be, but it creates extra friction for employees who need to bring their clothes to work via public transportation, a company bus, a bike, walking, or any other way that is not conducive to carrying a laundry bag or clothes on a hanger. In addition, not all employees are comfortable literally showing their peers and managers their dirty laundry.

THE ORIGINS OF RINSE FOR BUSINESS

Rinse was founded in 2013 with the explicit focus of systematically removing the death by a thousand cuts in dry cleaning and laundry and creating a seamless customer experience from start to finish. We started with a sole focus on serving our customers at their homes and in the evening between 8pm to 10pm (we call our approach “smart scheduling”). We felt the evening schedule was a better approach to addressing the biggest point of friction noted above, and allowed our customer’s to deal with their dirty laundry in private and where it’s piled up — at home.

As we scaled Rinse from three zip codes in San Francisco to much of the SF / Bay Area (including all of SF, Oakland, and San Jose), Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, and Boston, we received a constant stream of inbound demand from companies that wanted to do something special for their teams and offer dry cleaning and laundry as a potential benefit. For six years straight, we politely turned down that inbound interest, maintaining our focus on delivering and scaling an amazing customer experience between 8pm and 10pm.

In 2019, we were approached by one of the most prominent Tech companies in the Bay Area and asked if we would work with them to provide dry cleaning and laundry to their team. They already had a cleaner who was coming on-site to pick up and deliver, but they were most intrigued by our evening schedule and the ability for employees to use Rinse at home outside of work.

We had developed a very strong operational and technological infrastructure to serve our customers between 8pm to 10pm at the time, and had already started testing a few “B2B” type relationships, so the timing of this conversation was perfect for us. We decided to jump into the partnership and provide service both at home and on-site at the office.

The initial feedback from this partner’s employees was amazing, and the data showed that 70% of the employees were choosing to use Rinse at home instead of at work, indicating we were providing a more convenient experience for these employees than what they had in the past.

In addition to providing our core service and adding an additional service window for on-site employees, we also used this opportunity to develop product features that help make Rinse for Business the obvious perk to bring to your team, including custom landing pages, a dedicated sign-up funnel for your team, and an administrative dashboard for your HR / Benefits team to track usage and understand if your employees are taking advantage.

RINSE FOR BUSINESS IS LIVE!

In 2019, we developed and refined Rinse for Business to make sure it was ready for prime time. Rinse is already active at dozens of leading companies in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, including leading tech companies, public companies, media companies, some of the largest consulting firms in the world, fast-growing startups (unicorns and aspiring unicorns), and more.

Rinse is solving a universal need — regardless of what your employees do, they all need to take care of their dry cleaning and laundry, and they all would love to save three hours a week at the same time — so it’s not surprising that we’ve been able to partner with a wide variety of companies at different stages and in different industries.

The standard offering for Rinse for Business is as follows:

• Rinse for Business @HOME is free for your company and it instantly gives the benefit of Rinse to all your employees at their home. @HOME is available 7 days per week, including Sundays, with door-to-door pickup and delivery between 8pm and 10pm. Rinse’s services include Dry Cleaning, Launder & Press, Wash & Fold (priced per pound), and Rinse Repeat (a subscription service for Wash & Fold).
• For organizations that want to bring Rinse for Business on-site @WORK, we offer fully-customized solutions at an additional cost. (Note — we have found Rinse for Business @WORK works best for companies of 500+ employees, but it is an option for all companies).

Benefits to employees include Rinse credit, special promotions, and ongoing service discounts, plus the same high-quality service they’ve come to expect from Rinse.

Rinse for Business has been available for select organizations to date, but today we are making the benefit accessible across all of Rinse’s service areas, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, and Boston.

We are very excited to bring Rinse for Business to more companies across our markets (and soon enough, across the entire US) and would love to hear from you if you think your company would benefit from Rinse for Business as an employee perk.

If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to [email protected].

Rinse might have had a late start this past decade (we launched in 2013), but the 2010’s will always be special - we took care of some of your most treasured items, grew significantly, and had a positive impact on the environment. Thanks to our customers, our team, and our supporters for making this past decade great...we're excited to do so much more in the 2020's!

This past Tuesday (9/10/19), California legislators approved a landmark bill that will require companies to treat contract workers as employees when the contractor's work is considered "part of the main business." In response, Uber declared that they were not subject to the new law because it does not consider its drivers to be at the core of their business.

At Rinse, we feel very differently about our Valets: they have always been at the core of our business and are at the frontlines of our customer experience. To that end, the new legislation doesn’t impact us at all because we have classified our Valets as W-2 employees since the very beginning (2013).

Read our CEO and Co-Founder Ajay Prakash's Forbes article from 2015 to learn more about why it's so important to Rinse to have our delivery drivers receive employment status.

Forbes Article from July 15, 2015

Over the past few years, there has been a growing debate around whether someone is an employee or independent contractor, particularly in "on-demand economy" companies that require a staff of drivers and other service providers to deliver their product or service to the end customer. The recent ruling by the California Labor Comission on how Uber should classify its drivers has re-ignited this debate.

While I can’t opine on how other companies have decided to classify their workers, I wanted to provide perspective on how we formed our opinion on the subject at Rinse in case you are currently thinking about starting a company where delivery is core to its value proposition.

At Rinse, a critical part of the experience we’ve created for our customers is the interaction they have with our Valets (which is what we call our drivers) at the point of pick-up and delivery. Our Valets are on the front lines of the customer experience, so we made the decision to classify them as employees (“W-2”) early on. Depending on how you use your delivery staff, you might decide to take a different approach, but here are three reasons why W-2 status made sense for us — and why it could make sense for your drivers too.

It’s the Right Thing to Do

When starting a company, it’s imperative for founders to remove any friction that may stand in the way of getting their product to their customers to collect feedback. Given that, you want to spend less time early on agonizing over decisions like whether to classify your staff through W-2 or 1099 forms, and instead spend more time on actually serving your customers and improving your product.

Even though classifying your drivers under 1099 status is quicker and cheaper (especially since you avoid payroll taxes), it’s important to understand what exactly your drivers will do and how they will do it. At Rinse, our Valets work less than 20 hours per week (which one person told me early on puts us in a “gray area” in the employee vs. contractor debate), but we provide them with a uniform, make their schedule, tell them where to go and when to go there, and supply them with most of their equipment. According to IRS guidelines, those are all indicators that W-2 status is most appropriate for them. If you expect your drivers to do similar things, you might draw the same conclusion that we did.

It’s Better for Your Drivers

Although W-2 status is more expensive for your company, it is much better for your delivery staff in the long run. Financially, they end up paying fewer taxes each year, are compensated for overtime hours and are reimbursed for each mile driven. More importantly, though, it signals to your drivers that they are a critical part of your team (which they are!).

At Rinse, we invest enormous amounts of time in training our Valets so they have complete product knowledge to best serve our customers and the appropriate context to understand the importance of their role. This investment has led to better performance, happier valets and incredibly high levels of retention (and in some cases, Valets have been promoted into key roles on our customer experience and operations teams), and is an investment we would be less likely to make if we classified our Valets as merely contractors.

As you think about building your team, consider using the W-2 status as a strong motivational tool to get the best out of your delivery staff.

It’s Better for Your Customers

Most importantly, investing in your delivery staff is ultimately better for your customers. One thing I’ve heard consistently from customers since our early days is that we have the friendliest and most competent delivery staff out there. This is because happy employees who really care about their company are more likely to go above and beyond to make sure their customers are happy. In addition, sending a consistent delivery staff to your customers only serves to increase the level of trust they will have in your brand and in your service. At least, that’s what we’ve seen at Rinse.

If delivery is core to your product offering, it’s worth your time to think through how you want to classify your drivers. If you’ve noticed the recent spate of lawsuits against delivery companies that have chosen to go the 1099 route, it might be wise to classify your drivers as W-2 employees today. That said, regardless of how the “W-2 vs. 1099″ debate evolves, make sure you take a people-first approach and take care of all your employees, especially your service staff like drivers, as they are often the main touchpoint for your customers. Remember, happy employees lead to happy customers, and ultimately you need happy customers to even be part of this ongoing debate.

Why do we wear socks? Chances are socks were first created for the simple fact of protecting our feet from cold weather and debris. Unless you’re lucky enough to live in a climate that supports year-round warm weather you most likely wear socks to keep your feet warm and prevent chafing the majority of the year. And if you’re like most people you have a dedicated sock drawer full of dress socks, low cut socks, high socks, crazy socks, lonely mismatched socks...you name it!

It’s amazing how something as simple as a sock offers so many choices and variation. Let’s take a look at the evolution of the sock through the ages from ancient civilizations to today.

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Ancient Civilizations And The First Knit Stockings

Ever since the days of the caveman, we have been wearing versions of the modern sock. Ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans both adopted their own versions using animal skin or leather and often tied them around their ankles to hold them in place. The first knit stockings were first discovered in an Egyptian tomb that dates back to c.1000 CE and was most likely worn with their version of sandals. Fashion faux pas!

Socks similar to those worn in ancient Egypt c.1000 CE - Source Link

Socks As A Status Symbol And The Beginning Of The Modern Day Sock

As societies progressed knit stockings became more popular, but they were still for the privileged and rich, in particular with Europeans. Since stockings were seen as a sign of nobility their manufacturing was kept a guild secret for many years.

European stockings, the mid-1500s

Englishman William Lee (of Nottingham) first invented the knitting loom in the year 1589, which made knit fabrics easier to manufacture. France’s King Henri IV provided financial backing and William Lee relocated to France to establish a stocking factory. Around the time of the Industrial Revolution socks, which were mostly still made of wool, became easier and cheaper to manufacture and began to spread more rapidly throughout Europe.

A pair of 18th-century socks featuring a stripe pattern - Source Link

The sock took on many lengths and patterns and designs were added. Cotton became the fabric of choice around the 17th century, but otherwise, there was not much innovation across several centuries.

Men’s dress socks made of cashmere from 1906 - Source Link

Men wearing argyle and patterned socks from the 1920s - Source Link

Tall socks from the 1950s - Source Link

Mid-length socks (over the ankle) from the 1960s - Source Link

Socks Today

Around 1938 nylon was invented, which added elasticity to socks and many socks today are still made of nylon. Much like the 1920s-1960s, today has seen a resurgence of socks that feature more color and bolder designs and patterns. The sock is made of cotton, spandex, wool, polyester, nylon and more. There certainly is not a shortage when it comes to options!

Happy Holidays and Happy Rinsing! 

Over the next twelve days, we'll be hosting #12DaysofRinsemas on all social media. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to win prizes daily! Check out our day 1 prize here! 

Walking

If your walk to work is longer than 10 minutes, you’ll be moving around quite a bit. Here’s how you can make simple tweaks to your outfit.

• Pop on a wrinkle-free or non-iron top. That way, you avoid showing up in a creased shirt.
• While your dress pants might hold up during a long walk, you don’t want them getting dirty before a client meeting. Wear stretchy pants while you walk and then swap them for well-pressed dress pants at the office. If you’re going to carry your dress pants, fold along the seams and then roll them so they won’t get wrinkled in your bag.
• Avoid sore feet by wearing sneakers or athletic shoes. You can store your work shoes under your office desk so you don’t need to carry them every day.
• Depending on your city, you might encounter some rain along the way: a light rain jacket and an umbrella stored in your bag will help keep you warm and dry.

Biking

While biking is an environmentally friendly travel option—and a great way to stay in shape—it’s not so friendly to your work clothes. You might endure a bit (or a lot) of sweat or rain on your way to work so try these suggestions on for size.

• Opt for moisture-wicking and wind-resistant tops. You can try quick-drying fabrics, but stay away from polyester shirts with coated sprays—they’ll make you sweat.
• Merino wool sweaters are handy for chillier or wet days because the material is breathable. They’re a better option than raincoats, which can also cause you to sweat more.
• If your office dress code is on the fancier side, bike in an undershirt or tank top and put your blazer on once you arrive at the office.
• Pair your top with slim, stretchy pants so you’ll have better mobility as you work those pedals. For warmer days, capris and ankle-length pants can keep you cool (and they won’t get caught in the chain).
• If you think you can’t bike to work in a skirt or dress, think again! Just wear a pair of bike shorts underneath.
• Wear tennis shoes or flats, which will make it easier for you to cycle.
• Store your bag in a basket or pannier so you won’t have to deal with a sweaty back.

Taking the bus or train

You might think that you can wear your work clothes on public transit without any problem, but keep in mind that the vehicle might be a lot more warmer or colder than the office.

• Wear a sweater, jacket or blazer over your top. That extra layer will be easy to remove when you’re getting in and out of an air conditioned or heated bus/train.
• Do you have a long walk from your stop? As we’ve mentioned, sneakers are your friend.
• Wearing flats instead of heels will also help deal with unwanted foot pain when you’re going up and down the steps to the train platform.

Driving

Fortunately, you have more control over the temperature in your car, but there are other conditions to keep in mind when you’re driving.

• Wearing a seatbelt for a half hour might leave your button-down shirt looking dishevelled. Don a breathable top like a cotton shirt while you’re in the car. Once you get to the office, you can easily switch shirts or layer something else on top.
• If a suit is standard for the office, choose a high quality material like merino wool that won’t wrinkle when you’re driving.
• Keep a portable steamer at the office to handle any unexpected wrinkles.

By following these style hacks, you can walk through the office door with style and confidence each morning, and focus on more important things at work—like impressing a new client or earning that promotion.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com, Redd Angelo, Matthew Wiebe, Unsplash.com

Introduction

Ah, the holidays! It’s a time of year spent with loved ones, a time to be thankful, a time to give, and a time of year that is rooted in rich tradition. One of the more popular traditions is the hanging of Christmas stockings. Many of us proudly hang our stockings over a fireplace mantel, a staircase, or a windowsill. While there are no definitive written accounts that explain this tradition, there are legends that shed light on the origin of this custom.

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

Jolly Old Saint Nick is not just a nickname or a Christmas carol, it is believed to be the true inspiration behind Santa Claus. St. Nicholas of Myra (which is believed to be modern-day Turkey) was a rich man who lived during the 4th century and was known for his charity. He took interest in one particular villager and his three daughters, as the man could not afford dowries for his eldest daughter.

Legend has it that one night Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the man's chimney knowing that he would never accept the gift willingly. The gold slipped into a stocking that was hanging to dry over the fireplace. And thus, the man could now afford gifts for his oldest daughter and the legend of Santa and the Christmas stocking was born!

Nicholas continued acts of charity throughout his life and attempted to stay out of the spotlight while doing so. Eventually, he became a Saint for his selfless acts.

While many still speculate about the origin of the Christmas stocking this story is widely accepted as the humble beginning of what is now an essential holiday tradition.

The Evolution of the Christmas Stocking

The stocking ritual has evolved from that legendary night where gold found its way into a freshly laundered stocking. People started to use larger stockings such as high-knee socks or long white socks (probably borrowed from dad's sock drawer). And why not? This meant more gifts! Today, many use boot-size stockings that are often labeled for each member of the family (including pets!) and customized with quirky designs.

The Bigger The Better 

Fun Fact! The largest Christmas stocking (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) was measured at 168 feet and 5.65 inches. The bigger the better! At least if you want more gifts to fit inside!

As you proudly display your stocking arrangement and eagerly await Santa’s arrival feel free to show off your stockings by tagging @Rinse on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #Rinsemas.

Happy Holidays and Happy Rinsing!

Contact us at Rinse today to see our skill in action.

Have laundry or dry cleaning to do?

Rinse picks up, cleans and delivers 7 days a week. Amazingly awesome. Ridiculously simple.

Try Rinse