If you’ve ever tried to take care of your dry cleaning and laundry after work or on the weekends, you’re probably familiar with the fact that most cleaners only operate Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm -- a point of major frustration for anyone trying to check dry cleaning off their to-do list.
You’ve probably wondered why dry cleaners aren’t open on Sundays -- the one day of the week most of us actually have time to pick up and drop off our clothes? There is actually some history behind how we got to this point (which we describe below).
At Rinse, we’ve created a customer experience that addresses all of the points of friction in traditional dry cleaning and have been serving customers on Sundays since we launched in 2013. This focus on the customer has made us the most convenient solution in the clothing care industry and a large reason our customers keep coming back.
Why Aren’t Dry Cleaners Open Sunday?
It seems counterintuitive that a business would be closed on a day when their customers most need their service, but there is actually a long history behind why dry cleaners are closed on Sundays.
Get your dry cleaning done any day of the week, including Sundays! Schedule a pickup with Rinse.
Sundays Off: The Legacy of Blue Laws
It’s long been a tradition for businesses to have reduced hours or close entirely on Sundays. The tradition is most prevalent in Western nations owing to their cultural roots in Christianity which holds Sunday as the Sabbath - a day of rest. Laws preventing work on Sundays in Western countries go as far back as the rule of Emperor Constantine.
In America, this tradition dates back to the 17th century when the Puritans implemented blue laws, which regulated the sale of alcohol and certain activities on Sundays. Puritan blue laws dictated the closure of stores and limited recreational activities so the community would observe Sunday as a religious day of rest and reflection.
Other than a handful of locations in the US, blue laws are essentially nonexistent today. Bergen, NJ is the only place in America that still legally requires retail shops to remain closed on Sunday.
Nevertheless, the spirit of the laws remain and many businesses and proprietors view Sunday as a day to relax at home and take a break from work. This leads to many customer-facing stores having reduced hours or no service on Sunday altogether.
Traditional Dry Cleaners tend to follow this approach as well. Many are very hard working during the week, like the majority of us, and during the weekend they want to take a break as well. Oftentimes for traditional dry cleaners, the people working in the shop are also the owners of the store, so they don’t always have the luxury of being able to hire and staff over the weekend, and there are opportunities to reduce overhead costs by operating on fewer days. Given all that, the vast majority of dry cleaners are closed on Sunday.
Why Rinse Is Open Sundays
At Rinse, our mission since the beginning has been to remove the friction from clothing care to give you time back in your day to take care of the things that really matter. For us, that means operating on a schedule that works best for our customers, providing high-quality cleaning you can always trust, and coming straight to your door to pick up and deliver your clothes.
Rinse offers both quality and convenience through our smart scheduling. We’ll pick up and deliver 7 days per week (yes, we’re a dry cleaner open on Sundays!) and always between 8pm and 10pm. With this schedule, our customers are able to fit laundry and dry cleaning into their daily routine.
Our predictable schedule allows us to devote the time needed to properly clean each of the garments we pick up. We offer Standard 3-Day turnaround, as well as optional Rush service so your clothes are quickly cleaned and delivered, ready for the next time you wear them.
The next time you’re looking for a dry cleaner that is open on Sunday, schedule a pickup with us and one of our friendly Valets will arrive at your door between 8pm and 10pm to pick up your dry cleaning!
