John’s Cleaners & Alterations

Customer Beware. Only gave one star because no-​star rating is not possible. A simple hemming job was botched & slacks were rendered unwearable. To add insult to injury, the price charged was higher than price posted in the store. The person at the counter was extremely surly. There is truly no reason to patronize this establishment when super friendly and competent businesses in the same neighborhood such as Old Country Tailor and East Sac Natural Cleaners provide excellent services for such a reasonable price.

I’ve been here for alterations and for simple dry cleaning. I don’t really have any complaints. They hemmed my pants well and for a cheap price (under $ 10). Dry cleaning has always been okay.
It doesn’t really impress, but hey, since it IS convenient and capable it will continue to be my dry cleaners of choice.

If I could give this place negative stars I would. So i brought 2 wool coats to be cleaned there and my biggest fear happened… they SHRANK both of them! WTF? I am so effin mad! I normally don’t buy über expensive coats cause in Sac, you don’t really get much wear out of them, but man, these peacoats were just TOO amazing to pass up! When confronted about the problem, the lady simply said that was impossible and not true and simply an absurd allegation! Ok, that’s just crap! I clean my coats every winter and I remember trying on both before I took them in to be cleaned. They fit just fine and when I got them back, they were definitely smaller. And worse off they weren’t just smaller, they still smelled of cigarette smoke (my ex used to smoke, ewww, never again). So did they even try to clean it? apparently they did but only did one thing successfully, shrinking the damn things. NEVER GOING BACK AGAIN, sticking to my guys downtown at golden gate.
oh and the worst part, she made me pay the $ 45 tab or wouldn’t give me back my coats!

So I was calling around to get prices on a dress alteration. Seeing that John’s popped up on the GPS as being the closest location to me, I gave them a call. However, when I called and asked about prices, she promptly told me the price then picked up her cell phone to answer another call. She said hello and I said hello back thinking my cell phone might have cut out on her and she replies «oh no, I’m done with you.»
Uhh actually lady, I’m done with you and you will not be receiving my business at all.

Went here based on the review by SFDance M. :)
Pricing for dry cleaning was still expensive (but keep in mind, this is coming from a new college grad, still living on that college budget) and somewhat inconsistent (took the same coat in twice … first time was charged $ 8 and the second time charged $ 11). But the service is always great. I always walk out of there smiling because the ladies behind the counter are so sweet.
I’ve also gotten three items altered here. One dress (no lining), one skirt (with lining) and a pair of jeans (no fancy original hem). Both the dress and the skirt were charged at $ 17.00 a piece.
Good lord. I could kind of … sort of … understand about the skirt since it was lined, but the dress … which was more of a summer dress … I don’t believe was worth the $ 17.00 hem job.
The jeans were just perfect, I believe they tend to cut a bit shorter than what they measure when you’re there, so I wore a pair of heels that were a bit higher to the fitting.
Dry cleaning is still highway robbery to me but I’ll keep bringing my things here until I finally learn to buy things that aren’t «Dry Clean Only.»

I’ll have to continue updating this review, but for now, relatively pleased with this place. Shirts are standard pricing, $ 1.50 on hangers. I had three done with light starch and they were extremely well pressed and presentable. The washing process did not impart any particular laundry/​perfumey odors as well, which is a big plus. Also, the three shirts were neatly packaged together, with one plastic slip, rubber bands around the hanger tops, and a clip holding the sleeves in place in front to avoid wrinkles during transport. Another plus. But do take the clip off asap once you get them home.
I only had one item dry cleaned, a suit for $ 12.50, which looked excellent. I didnt have any stains to check on so I cant report on how they would have done trying to get any out. I dont know enough about comparable prices here to know whether the cost is ok or not, and I rarely wear suits so Ive forgotten how much it used to cost to have them cleaned in SF, but I think I recall it was less than this.
Customer service-​wise, when I went to drop off the process was very smooth. Enter your name and phone and pay now or later. All computerized, so very efficient. The woman at the counter was very pleasant and gracious. The pick up was just as smooth. There wasnt anyone there either time, so I didnt have to wait, but once I walked in, I was greeted immediately, and my clothes were located very fast.
I’ll update this with more info after the next time.

I highly recommend this cleaner. I’m a recent transplant from SF and was shocked a few weeks ago by the high prices of Camellia Cleaners. After my visit to Camellia, I went across the street to Corti Bros. to buy a bottle of wine to get over the stickershock. As I locked the car, I spied John’s Cleaners out of the corner of my eye. I went in and asked about their prices. The price list was significantly lower than Camellia Cleaners. In defense of Camellia Cleaners, however, I suspect the prices are high because of the chemical-​free process — although those of us with laundry shouldn’t be made to suffer. I digress. John’s was neat, well-​organized, and clean as a whistle. The lady behind the counter was very gracious and kind. Even when I told her about my unpleasant surprise with her competitor, she replied by only saying that they have a good reputation. Now that’s a class act.
Back to my review. I highly recommend this cleaner. I had several shirts laundered and some slacks cleaned and pressed. The shirts were returned in pristine condition. All the sleeves were carefully organized and clipped in front to minimize wrinkles. The slacks were clean and have a nice press to them without a shine. All the laundry marks were in unobtrusive locations.
While it appears the quality is very high, the prices are conversely low. I highly recommend you give this cleaner a try. Don’t go there if you’re looking for chit-​chat. It’s not that kind of place. If you need to gab, call your friends or your shrink.