Faisal Aboobacker Ponnani Saudi Gazette DAMMAM — Laundries around the Kingdom have been struggling to serve the huge rush of Eid Al-Fitr customers. Most of the customers said they have been experiencing a delay in their laundry service, as laundromats are flooded with clothes, blankets, carpets and curtains. “Normally I get my clothes washing done at a nearby laundry within one day but now it takes at least three to four days. Anyone who visits the laundry outlet can see the bundles of clothes heaping up inside,” said Syed Zaheer, a regular customer in Dammam. During Ramadan, laundries in the Kingdom remain open past midnight, like other shops. And most of them are working round the clock to meet customers' requirements and urgency. “We are expecting huge rush these days,” said Mansoor, who is working in Laundry 2000 in Mazrouia area at Dammam. “We are struggling to meet the demand with our limited staff and working round the clock without any break to finish everything before Eid holidays,” he added. “We are getting blankets, sweaters, jackets and curtains, besides the clothes for daily washing. People have now started preparing for the winter,” said Balan of Dammam laundry, which has around 100 outlets around the Kingdom. Most laundries in the Kingdom had recently hiked their charges by SR2 or SR3 for each service. Balan said, “The price rise is not due to Ramadan or Eid season but because of recent price increases of detergent powder, oxygen bleach, laundry shower gel, emulsifier and soda.” He said dry cleaning a blanket costs SR18 while washing will cost SR15. Charges for small apparel like shirts and trousers cost between SR5 to SR7 depending on the work. However, there is no uniformity in the prices in the market and it varies shop to shop Mohamed, working in another famous Laundry group in Al-Khobar, said: “This year we are getting more business and experiencing a big rush due to Ramadan and Eid. We are trying our hard to serve our customers with less time duration along with high quality service.” His laundry has more than 65 outlets in Al-Khobar, Riyadh and Jeddah. Most of the laundries have stopped receiving items for washing and ironing if they are required for Eid. Some of them are accepting items only for ironing at a cost of SR3 a piece.
