Bra Wires Used in Another Laundry

The whole thing was straightforward and simple. Attendants were independent contractors and kept everything they earned. All they had to do was put their own money in the washers and dryers. The owner got his piece of the pie when he made collections. It was a good deal for all parties until some found a way they could screw things up. At first, the attendants didn''t even think they were doing anything wrong. Their deal with the owner was he let them use office space, which was paid for by keeping the place clean and telling him about malfunctions. They got orders, started the machines, washed, dried, folded, and collected. It was a win, win deal for all. Then someone found how to use bra wires to start machines. They kept a supply of the wires on top of a soft drink vendor, and each time they needed to start one of the washers they used one of the wires. It went on for months with no one being suspicious. Changing fluorescent lights is an infrequent task, but that''s what the owner was doing when, from the ladder, he looked down on the coke vendor and noticed the wires. ''What are these,'' he asked? A startled attendant blurted out, ''To start the washers. Oops!'' The jig was up. All the attendants are still there, only they are back to using coins to start the various machines. It is, however, a warning to laundry operators everywhere. Once someone figures out how to scam a laundry, it seems to spread like wild fire. Wires from underwire bras are but the latest thing. There are simple protections, and it doesn''t take much cash. Owners should check with a service tech to see how to protect their laundry''s machines.