Everything you need to know to work the floor with confidence.

Welcome & About Us

Kimberly's Laundromat is a neighborhood laundromat on Bedford Avenue offering self-service washers and dryers plus full-service wash-dry-fold, with customer pickup currently available and delivery planned for the near-term rollout. As a team member, you're often the only face of this business a customer sees — how you handle their laundry and their questions is what keeps people coming back.

What we expect from every team member

• Treat every customer's laundry as carefully as you'd want your own handled
• Keep the shop clean, organized, and welcoming at all times
• Follow written procedures instead of improvising — consistency is what customers trust
• Speak up early if something's wrong, broken, or unclear rather than guessing

Employment Basics & Policies

These are the ground rules for working here — schedule, pay, conduct, and what to expect from us in return.

Schedule & shifts

Opening coverage begins at 8:30am. Closing coverage may run through 8:30pm. Individual shift start and end times may vary based on business needs, employee availability, training coverage, and handoffs. Your manager will confirm your regular weekly schedule and any approved schedule changes.

Attendance & punctuality

• Arrive ready to work at your scheduled start time — not walking in the door at that time
• Call or text your manager as soon as possible (before your shift starts) if you're going to be late or absent
• Repeated lateness or no-shows will be addressed directly with you — we'd rather talk early than let it become a pattern

Pay & pay day

Meal breaks

If you work more than six hours, management will schedule the meal period required for your shift. For many daytime shifts, that means at least one uninterrupted 30-minute unpaid meal period. Always coordinate coverage before stepping away from the floor.

Dress code

• Closed-toe, non-slip shoes at all times (you'll be on your feet near water and machines)
• Clean, presentable clothing appropriate for physical work
• Name tag or apron, if provided, worn during your shift

Personal devices

Keep personal phone use to breaks. If you need to be reachable for an emergency, let your manager know — customers should always feel like they have your full attention.

Code of conduct

• Treat customers and coworkers with respect at all times
• No smoking, alcohol, or drug use before or during a shift
• Handle disagreements with coworkers privately, never in front of customers
• Confidential information — cash procedures, customer contact info, security details — stays inside the business

Equal opportunity

Kimberly's Laundromat is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Opening Procedures

Complete every item before unlocking the doors to customers.

• Disarm alarm and unlock doors at scheduled opening time
• Turn on lights, signage, and music/audio system
• Walk the floor — check all washers and dryers for error codes, leftover items, or damage
• Confirm change machine and card/payment system are working and stocked
• Count and verify the starting cash drawer against the previous close-out
• Check detergent, softener, and vending supplies are stocked
• Wipe down folding tables, counters, and machine tops
• Check restroom is clean and stocked (if open to customers)
• Empty trash if it was left from close
• Review any overnight or drop-off orders waiting for processing
• Check for and review any handoff notes from the closing shift

Closing Procedures

Complete every item before locking up for the night.

• Finish or safely pause any in-progress wash-dry-fold orders — never leave wet laundry in a machine overnight
• Clean all lint traps and check behind machines for lint buildup
• Wipe down folding tables, counters, machine exteriors, and door handles
• Sweep and mop floors
• Clean restroom, empty trash, restock supplies
• Secure all completed customer orders in the designated pickup area
• Count the cash drawer, reconcile against the day's transactions, and log any discrepancy
• Secure cash per the business's cash-security procedure (safe/deposit — confirm with management)
• Check that all machines are off/idle and doors are closed
• Turn off lights, signage, and audio system
• Set the alarm and lock all doors
• Leave a brief handoff note for the opening shift if anything needs attention

Self-Service Customer Assistance

Many customers use the machines themselves — your job is to make that experience smooth and to step in when something goes wrong.

When helping a customer at a machine

• Explain cycle options, pricing, and timing clearly and patiently
• Help with the payment system (coin, card, or app, whichever is in use)
• Point out where detergent/vending items are if they need them

Basic troubleshooting before calling for repair

• Check the machine's error code or display against the posted quick-reference guide
• Confirm the machine is fully closed/latched and started correctly
• Check that a coin jam, card reader issue, or door sensor isn't the simple cause
• If unresolved, take the machine out of service (posted "Out of Order" sign) and log it — see Section 11

Wash-Dry-Fold Order Workflow

Every wash-dry-fold order needs a documented chain of custody, so customer items are never mixed, lost, or processed incorrectly. Follow these five stages in order for every order.

1. Order intake

• Confirm the customer's name and contact information
• Weigh the laundry and apply the correct rate shown in the current posted pricing and POS system
• Record detergent, softener, wash temperature, and drying preferences
• Ask about allergies or fragrance-free requests
• Note rush orders and the promised completion time
• Tag every bag/order, and note any visible damage or unusual condition before you touch it
• Review any prohibited or specialty items with the customer
• Provide a receipt or order confirmation

2. Sorting & preparation

• Keep each customer's laundry completely separate from every other order
• Follow the shop's sorting policy (colors, fabric type, delicates)
• Check pockets according to the written policy
• Identify anything that should not be machine dried
• Assign the order to a specific washer and record the machine number and start time

3. Washing & drying

• Use the correct detergent amount and the customer's documented preferences
• Select the appropriate wash cycle and monitor for completion
• Transfer to the dryer promptly — don't let finished wash loads sit
• Use the documented dryer temperature and avoid overdrying
• Never combine unrelated customer orders in the same load

4. Folding & quality control

• Fold neatly and consistently; pair socks when reasonably possible
• Check for remaining dampness before packaging
• Confirm the order looks complete against the intake ticket
• Package and label the order clearly, and record the completion time
• Place it in the correct pickup or delivery staging area

5. Customer or courier handoff

• Verify the customer or driver before releasing anything
• Confirm the order number matches
• Record the pickup/release time and get a signature or confirmation if required
• Report and secure any order that can't be released as scheduled

Handling Cash & Payments

Accuracy and consistency here protect both the business and you.

• Verify the starting cash float at the beginning of every shift
• Record every transaction as it happens — don't rely on memory to reconcile later
• Never leave the cash drawer unattended or unlocked
• Count change carefully and confirm the amount with the customer before completing the transaction
• If accepting card or mobile payments, follow the payment system's confirmation step before releasing goods
• Reconcile the drawer against the day's logged transactions at closing (see Section 4)
• Report any discrepancy — over or under — to management the same day, no matter how small
• Never remove cash from the drawer for personal use, even temporarily

Phones & Customer Communication

Answering the phone

• Answer promptly with a friendly greeting and the business name
• Have hours, pricing, and current wait times/turnaround readily available
• For order status questions, look up the ticket before answering rather than guessing
• If you can't answer a question, take a message with a callback number rather than leaving the caller uncertain

Common questions to be ready for

• "What are your hours?" — 8:30am–8:30pm daily
• "How much is wash-dry-fold?" — confirm current per-pound rate before quoting
• "Do you offer pickup and delivery?" — pickup service is available; delivery is part of the near-term rollout. Confirm the current service area, turnaround, and handoff process before quoting a customer
• "Is my order ready?" — check the order log/ticket before answering

Pickup & Delivery Handoff

Pickup service is currently available, and delivery is part of the near-term service rollout. Whether the customer, staff member, or an approved courier is handling the order, the handoff step is where mistakes are easiest to catch — or miss.

• Confirm the customer's or courier's identity before releasing an order
• Match the order number and customer name against the ticket
• Record the release time and get a signature, photo, or app confirmation if the process requires one
• If a scheduled pickup or delivery fails, secure the order and log the failed attempt immediately — don't leave it unaccounted for
• Never release an order to someone who can't confirm the name or ticket number on file

Cleaning & Sanitation

Machine Care & Maintenance Reporting

• Check every machine for error codes or unusual noise during your shift walk-throughs
• Take a malfunctioning machine out of service immediately with a visible "Out of Order" sign
• Log the issue — machine number, symptom, time — in the maintenance log
• Notify management the same day; don't wait for the next shift change
• Never attempt electrical or mechanical repairs yourself unless specifically trained and authorized

Safety & Emergency Procedures

Fire safety

• Clean lint traps every day without exception — see Section 10
• Know the location of fire extinguishers and posted evacuation routes
• Know the exit signage and never block exits with equipment, carts, or supplies
• If a fire starts: get people out first, pull the alarm, then call 911 — don't attempt to fight anything beyond a small, contained fire

Slip, fall & lifting safety

• Clean up spills and wet floors immediately; use a wet-floor sign
• Use proper lifting technique for laundry bags (bend at the knees, not the back)
• Wear closed-toe, non-slip shoes at all times

Chemical safety

• Store detergents and cleaning chemicals in their original, labeled containers
• Never mix cleaning chemicals
• Know where safety data sheets are kept for products used in the shop

First aid & bodily fluids

• Know the location of the first aid kit
• For any spill of blood, vomit, or other bodily fluid, use the biohazard cleanup kit and gloves — never handle it bare-handed

Incident reporting

Any injury, accident, or safety incident — no matter how minor — must be reported to management the same day and documented in writing. This protects you and the business.

Lost & Found / Damaged Items

• Any item found in a machine or left behind should be tagged with the date and stored in the designated lost & found area
• If a customer reports a damaged or missing item from an order, document it immediately — order number, item description, and what happened, as best known
• Escalate damage or loss claims to management rather than resolving them yourself — refund or replacement decisions should go through the owner

Where We're Headed — Service & Technology Roadmap

Kimberly's is modernizing in phases. Some tools are already being tested or introduced, while others are part of the near-term roadmap. The exact software or payment provider may change, but the service standards in this handbook stay the same.

• Card and mobile payments — the business is moving beyond coin-only transactions. You may be trained on card readers, tap-to-pay, QR/app payments, or another approved payment system. Always confirm that the payment shows as successful before starting a paid service or releasing an order
• POS and order-tracking software — wash-dry-fold orders are expected to move increasingly from paper tickets into a digital POS/order system that can record customer details, preferences, pricing, order status, payments, and completion
• Automated customer notifications — texts or emails may be used when an order is ready, helping reduce missed pickups and unnecessary status calls
• Online booking, pickup, and future delivery dispatch — customers may increasingly schedule pickup online; delivery and courier dispatch are part of the planned service expansion

Quick-Reference Daily Checklist

A condensed version of Sections 3, 4, and 10 for a fast daily glance. This page is designed to be printed and posted near the register.

Emergency & Key Contacts

Acknowledgment of Receipt

Please sign and return this page to management after reading the handbook.

I acknowledge that I have received, read, and understand the Kimberly's Laundromat Employee Handbook, and agree to follow the policies and procedures described within it.