By JIM KINNEY
jkinney@repub.com
The rising price of wire hangers is throwing a new wrinkle into the dry-cleaning business.
The U.S. government slapped a punitive tariff on Chinese-made wire clothes hangers last month, and suppliers have already warned local cleaners that the price of the ubiquitous wire loops might double over the next few weeks.
The price per hanger has already gone up 20 percent over the past six months from about 7 cents to 9 cents each, said Derek R. Samble, dry cleaning division manager for Belmont Laundry and Custom Dry Cleaning in Springfield.
Two cents might not sound like much to someone who gets a suit or blazer cleaned every few weeks. But Samble orders hangers by tractor-trailer loads of 36-count boxes. Between the dry-cleaning locations and Belmont's commercial uniform rental business he figures the company runs through 8,000 to 9,000 of the humble wire hangers a week.
Monika M. Solowinski, owner of Circle Cleaners in Agawam, said her price per hanger is up from a nickel to a dime each. She uses from 150 to 200 hangers a day. So an increased cost of 5 cents per hanger turns into a increased cost of $10 a day, $50 a week, $2,600 a year for her small shop.
"We are eating it, so far," said Solowinski said. "We just can't continue to go up on our price. Then we start losing customers."
Samble said his suppliers warned him about the expected price jump, so he ordered a larger stock at the old price.
"I have extra pallets of hangers," said Samble said. "That's something we always try and do. But that can only last so long."
James C. Ramah, owner of Center Cleaners in Chicopee, said he uses about 500 hangers a week. "I wish I was in a better position to stockpile, but I'm not," he said. "It adds up to us. We're trying to hold the line on prices."
Jan G. Baillargeon, a salesman and purchasing agent for Package Supply Corp. in Avon, sells hangers to dry cleaners in the Pioneer Valley. He said the price may come back down as the lone remaining wire hanger factory in the United States picks up production and factories in India, Mexico and Poland - which aren't hit by the tariff - step up production.
Samble said he hopes more American companies get into the business because his company buys American products whenever it can.
Customers are returning their hangers to Professional Cleaners in Hampden for re-use, said owner Susan Cahill. She welcomes the hangers back provided they aren't stained, dirty, bent into a hook to open a car door or re-worked into an emergency muffler bracket.
"Some of them you just can't reuse," she said.
Material from Newhouse News Service was used in this story
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.