Post Exchange Methods / A Manual for Exchange Stewards, Exchange Officers, Members of Exchange Councils, Commanding Officers, Being an Exposition of a Simple and Efficient System of Accounting Which Is Applicable to Large and to Small Exchanges Alike.

by Paul D. Bunker

Bills Receivable for Laundry Work.

The methods used in the case of enlisted men differ from those used in the case of Officers and others of like classification; the former is rate work and the latter is piece work. The former will be explained first.

The system about to be explained hinges about the Laundry List, Form 20, shown in Fig. 34. These are 5 × 8 inches in size, made up in pads of 100, fifty originals printed in black ink on white paper and fifty duplicates printed in red on white paper. Thus, each book or pad will last one man about one year. Each original and duplicate are on the same piece of paper, folded at the bottom and the lower (duplicate) forms are bound by their top edges, a piece of carbon paper being bound into each pad so as to fall between the two copies. A glance at a “Paragon” style of duplicating sales book will show clearly how this simple arrangement works. The backs of all sheets should be fairly well covered with advertising or other matter in order to prevent persons from ekeing out their supply of stationery by using these forms. If desired, the instruction shown on the face of the blank in the illustration could be placed on the back instead. In quantities of 1,000 or so, these books should cost in the neighborhood of 7 cents apiece.

Figure 34, (Reduced in size)

With this arrangement, each man makes out two copies of his laundry list with as little trouble as he formerly made out his single copy. The amount of clerical labor which this simple expedient obviates is simply enormous. It makes the system practically automatic and saves labor costs in the Laundry. The man puts both copies of his list in his bag of laundry, and the laundry wagon calls at the company at the proper time and collects same. The bag of wash is given to the “Marker”, who checks off on the duplicate slip, all wash found in the bag. If everything is right, the marker places the duplicate slip in a sorting tray, and lays the original aside to be filed. If the list contains a mistake, the whole bundle is immediately placed aside and is not touched until the owner has been sent for, his mistake explained to him, and he has personally corrected both copies of the list. This not only prevents controversies, but, also, makes the men careful in making out their lists in order to avoid the necessity of visiting the laundry to correct their lists.

In case any article is damaged when received at the laundry, it is examined to see if it is properly marked, and then placed aside for the inspection of the Officer in charge. This point will be touched upon later.

The duplicate lists remain in the sorting tray behind numbered guides until the time comes to sort out the finished wash of the organization to which the slips belong. When “marking in”, the marker either uses the space “MARKING O. K.” provided for the purpose, or, as is usually the case, we depend upon the personal check mark she places opposite each item on the list. This marking is done on the duplicate list only.

When the finished wash is sorted, preparatory to delivery, the sorter makes another check mark (different from the first one) opposite each item that is put in the batch. No batch is allowed to go out with a shortage if it can possibly be avoided; if any article is held for re-washing, it is rushed through “special” and the whole bundle belonging to that particular man is held back to wait for it. This prevents the laundry from acquiring garments belonging to customers. If this is not done, a receipt for the shortage should be delivered to the customer with his wash, and a duplicate kept as a sort of tickler, to insure the missing articles being put in the next batch of washing received from and done up for that customer.

The original slips are inserted in alphabetical order in loose-leaf binders, one binder for each organization. These binders should have a 2 inch back in order to hold one month’s slips conveniently. They form our retained record and are invaluable in case of disputes. The duplicates are given to the men when they come for their wash. While it is a great convenience to the men to be permitted to get the wash of their friends, at times, it has been found that this privilege is abused. In such a case, each man may be compelled to come for his own wash, which will be found to have a salutary effect. Ordinarily, it is sufficient to tear off the top of the duplicate slips at the time of delivery, thus showing that the wash has been called for and delivered.

At the beginning of each month, each organization makes out a list of the men in the company, a carbon copy of Form 25 is the easiest to furnish. On the first day upon which any organization sends wash to the laundry, some designated N.C.O. of that organization marks in the first blank column opposite each man’s name, information as to whether or not he sent laundry on that date. Such entries would be “YES” (by using a rubber stamp) if the man sent laundry; “S”, if he did not, through being sick in hospital; “A”, meaning temporarily absent; “D”, meaning discharged, etc. When the batches of wash belonging to this organization are received at the laundry and each bundle or batch has been checked as before described, the entries on the consolidated list are checked against the original laundry slips as the latter are being placed in the binders. This is to insure the correctness of the consolidated list. After this is done, the consolidated list is returned to the organization, and the above operations are repeated upon every succeeding wash-day during the month.

At the end of the month, all extras, such as charges for pressing uniforms, excessive number of pieces in wash, etc., are charged up on the original lists, the totals for the month found by mental addition and said total entered on the last original list for the month pertaining to each man, also, if desired, but only for cogent reasons, on the consolidated list. These totals are then sent to the Post Exchange for incorporation in the pay table collection sheet. If the binders are taken to the Exchange, the totals can be read from them without the necessity of entering these totals on the consolidated list at all. At this time, all of the original lists are lifted from their binders, temporarily bound with twine, and sent to the Exchange for file until the bills are paid, when they may be destroyed.