A Production & Operations Field Study of Laundry Shop in

General Santos City

In partial fulfilment of the requirement in Management 104

Submitted to
Prof. Gilbert Tan

By
Mary Jean Lomocho
Fe Ganub
Annabelle Rollon
Allan Clark Adiola
Lu-nieshi Casanova
Chapter I
Introduction
 A Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles. Laundry processes
are often done in a room reserved for that purpose; in an individual home this is referred
to as a laundry room or utility room. An apartment building or student hall of
residence may have a shared laundry facility such as a tvättstuga. A stand-alone
business is referred to as a self-service laundry (laundrette in British English or
laundromat in American English). The material that is being washed, or has been
laundered, is also generally referred to as laundry.
Laundry has been part of history since we began to wear clothes, so the methods
by which different cultures have dealt with this universal human need are of interest to
several branches of scholarship. Laundry work has traditionally been highly gendered,
with the responsibility in most cultures falling to women (known as laundresses
or washerwomen). The Industrial Revolution gradually led to mechanised solutions to
laundry work, notably the washing machine and later the tumble dryer. Laundry, like
cooking and child care, is done both at home and by commercial establishments outside
the home. (Wikipedia)
Laundry was first done in watercourses, letting the water carry away the
materials which could cause stains and smells. Laundry is still done this way in the rural
regions of poor countries. Agitation helps remove the dirt, so the laundry was rubbed,
twisted, or slapped against flat rocks. One name for this surface is a beetling-stone,
related to beetling, a technique in the production of linen; one name for a wooden
substitute is a battling-block. The dirt was beaten out with a wooden implement known
as a washing paddle, battling stick, bat, beetle or club. Wooden or stone scrubbing
surfaces set up near a water supply were gradually replaced by portable rub boards,
including factory-made corrugated glass or metal washboards.
Once clean, the clothes were rinsed and then wrung out — twisted to remove
most of the water. Then they were hung up on poles or clothes lines to air dry, or
sometimes just spread out on clean grass, bushes, or trees. Finally, they were ironed.
Villages across Europe that could afford it built a wash-house, sometimes known
by the French name of lavoir. Water was channelled from a stream or spring and fed
into a building, possibly just a roof with no walls. This wash-house usually contained two
basins - one for washing and the other for rinsing - through which the water was
constantly flowing, as well as a stone lip inclined towards the water against which the
wet laundry could be beaten. Such facilities were more comfortable and convenient than
washing in a watercourse. Some lavoirs had the wash-basins at waist height, although
others remained on the ground.

The launderers were protected to some extent from rain, and their travel was
reduced, as the facilities were usually at hand in the village or at the edge of a town.
These facilities were public and available to all families, and usually used by the entire
village. Many of these village wash-houses are still standing, historic structures with no
obvious modern purpose.
The job of doing the laundry was reserved for women, who washed all their
family's laundry. Washerwomen (laundresses) took in the laundry of others, charging by
the piece. As such, wash-houses were an obligatory stop in many women's weekly lives
and became a sort of institution or meeting place. It was a women-only space where
they could discuss issues or simply chat (cf the concept of the village pump). Indeed,
this tradition is reflected in the Catalan idiom "fer safareig" (literally, "to do the laundry"),
which means to gossip.
Sometimes large metal cauldrons (a "wash copper", even when not made of that
metal), were filled with fresh water and heated over a fire, as hot or boiling water is
more effective than cold in removing dirt. A posser could be used to agitate clothes in a
tub. A related implement called a washing dolly is "a wooden stick or mallet with an
attached cluster of legs or pegs" that moves the cloth through the water.
Laundry processes include washing (usually with water containing detergents or
other chemicals), agitation, rinsing, drying, pressing (ironing), and folding. The washing
will often be done at a temperature above room temperature to increase the activities of
any chemicals used and the solubility of stains, and high temperatures kill micro-
organisms that may be present on the fabric.
Shop is a commercial or business establishment for the making or repair of
goods or machinery, machine shop, repair shop. It is a small retail establishment
or a department in a large one offering a specified line of goods or services.

Laundry shop is a full-services coin-op laundry (washing, drying, optical

folding, and flat iron) services dedicated to consistently providing high customer
satisfaction by rendering reliable and furnishing a clean, enjoyable atmosphere at
competitive price value relationship.

Laundry shops in Gensan was developed for the benefit of Gensan’s citizen
and every households around the city. In this, researcher is challenged to examine
the capabilities of laundry shops in Gensan to serve the people in that areas
covered.

CHAPTER II
 Methodology
This chapter presents the procedure that will be used in conducting the study. It
includes the research design, research instrument and research process. The study
aims to answer these following questions:

1) What is the total population in General Santos City?

2) How many permitted Laundry Shop in General Santos City?

3) What are the major complaints encountered from the customers?

4) What are the Laundry Processes?

Research Design

The study made use of the descriptive methods of research. This method of
research described the data about the Laundry Shop in General Santos City.

Research Instrument

A self-made questionnaire was used in gathering data needed in this study. The
self-made questionnaire was subjected to validity and reliability prior to the final
research study. Also, interview method was used. The researchers used an
unstructured informal interview. It is normally conducted as a preliminary step in the
research process to generate ideas/hypotheses about the subject being investigated.
Such interviews are entirely informal and are not controlled by a specific set of detailed
questions. Rather the interviewer is guided by a pre-defined list of issues. These
interviews amount to an informal conversation about the subject.

Research Process

Our group personally visited in City Hall-Gensan and at the Business Permit
Office to get information about the population and permitted Laundry Shop in General
Santos City. Furthermore, the interview took place at the Lavahh Loundromat in
General Santos City. During the interview, the respondent were free to express her
views even in topics which were not included in the discussed areas. Finally, it should
be noted that the conversations flowed smoothly and pleasantly.
Results and discussion

The total population of people in Gensan is 594,446 and the total Laundry Shop
is 53 only. The researcher can say that Laundry Shops in Gensan is enough to serve
the people of Gensan. Because, not all families are going to pay for their laundry since
there are families who have their own washing machines and others have their own
maid/helper to do the laundry. There are also people didn’t afford or shall we say other
people won’t spent their money for the service that they can do on their own.

In Lavahh Loundromat the services they offered is self service laundry, so the
people will wash their own laundry.

Chapter 3
 Recommendation
The researchers recommend to provide internet connection or television so that
the customer will be entertained while waiting for their laundry. In addition, we
recommend observing the service intervals of the washing machine. This means that
such sensitive components as the heating element are regularly checked.