<p>Does anyone have an idea about how much it should cost to have sleeves shortened for a woman’s heavier shirt/light jacket (I’d call it a cross between the two). The material is polyester and looks like it is microsuede. Also, we have a lot of cleaners that also do alterations, and we have tailors near us. Which is more likely to be less expensive.</p>
<p>It depends if sleeves have details you would like to keep, if so, you would need to shorten from the shoulder, and it would be more expensive. If you simply shorten by cuffing it (without moving buttons) then I think it would be around $20-30. Cleaners would most likely be less expensive than tailors.</p>
<p>Oldfort, thanks. There aren’t any details on the sleeves.</p>
<p>northeastmom: I have to have almost everything with a sleeve or full length leg altered. Go to a tailor, rather than the dry cleaner. I have a fantastic tailor, and sleeves cost $12 to 25, depending on several things…lined, higher cost, shortened via the shoulders, much higher, a quick and easy “hemming” of the sleeve, even with buttons, lowest cost of all. Call around, compare apples to apples (so make sure they know if they’re lined, etc.). But I have had much nicer results from the tailor.</p>
<p>"just"amom, thanks.</p>
<p>I had a shirt taken in at the waist at a cleaner and it just cost just $7. Maybe you could have something cuffed (not too complicated) for less at a cleaner?</p>
<p>Jolynne, that is what I am thinking. I just bought 4 microsuede jackets. They fit, but all sleeves are too long. They were a bargain, which is why I bought them. If I need to spend $20 each on the sleeves, they were still inexpensive, but not a bargain, and I would consider returning a couple of them. As far as cost, these things were originally $59, but after markdowns and coupons they were only $8 each! The buttons and zippers are probably worth $8! I don’t need a great seamstress for these jackets. I am going to try a few cleaners first, because I just know that the tailor will charge $18-20 per jacket. If I can find someone to do these alterations for less I’ll keep all of the jackets.</p>
<p>Update: I took my clothes to 2 dry cleaners. I already know that our local tailor would charge a minimum of $25 per garment.</p>
<p>I walked in with 4 microsuede jackets. The first place wanted $20 ea. for 3, and $30 for 1 jacket. I took my jackets and began walking out. It was at that point that I found out that she was open to negotiating price. She asked what other estimates I had gotten. I told her none, bc she was my first. I told her I’d think about it. </p>
<p>I walked into the 2nd cleaners. She offered to do the job for $10 ea. for 3 jackets, and $15 for one of them. I left all 4 jackets with her. If the sleeves come out to be fairly even, I will know where to go in the future.</p>
<p>There was a $45 difference on the estimates between 2 cleaners (similar neighborhood, and fairly close to each other).</p>
<p>Great. I wasn’t that off on the price. Everything is negotiable. Americans are not very good at saying “Can I have a discount?” My white husband almost fell out of his chair one time when I asked for a better price at Prada.</p>
<p>Well, sure she was open to negotiating since she was watching $90 plus a possible new and future customer walking out of her door. She is not in a location where there would be lots of street traffic. There are just so many customers per day that walk in there. I did not bother trying to negotiate, because I did want to pay nearly half of what she was charging, and I found it too.</p>
<p>My H is better at negotiating than I am. He does it with electronic items all of time.</p>
<p>Yay, northeastmom! Amazing what asking can do! If I see a slight defect in a clothing piece, I always ask for a discount. A missing button yielded me an extra 25% discount on a jacket (I just made sure that the spare button was still there), and a lipstick stain got me a $200 Tadashi holiday dress for $40 (before I paid for it, I made sure the lipstick was easy to rub off - it was). My H is a super negotiator. He was asked many times to go car shopping with friends to help them negotiate better deals.</p>
<p>That’s great, northeastmom. Same here–the shirt I had altered for $7 was actually an Express, dressy top that I paid $1 for at a yard sale (tags still on, I think :-)). For those super-bargains, it’s worth it to find an affordable tailor. Good for you!</p>
<p>BunsenBurner, it sounds like you are a shopper. I just had an experience at a department store. I purchased a $200 suit for $85. It had a button missing, but it also had an extra so I had the store’s tailor put it on, and I did not ask for a discount since it was already discounted. Since I did not have spare button any longer, I asked that she tighten all of the buttons and press out wrinkles that were in the suit. She did not do the last 2, the first time around. Additionally, I came home with security tags on 2 pairs of pants (did not ring when I left the store, and this is the second time that this has happened to me at this store). More was involved, and I ended up with quite a run around, to make a long story short, and I sent a written complaint to the chain via email. This is the first time that I bothered to register a complaint about anything (H normally does this in our house), but it was also my worst shopping experience ever. I am waiting to see if they do anything for me. They have forwarded my email to someone to investigate my complaint. Frankly, I expect a gift certificate with an apology. I really don’t care about the apology from strangers that had nothing to do with it, but I do want to be compensated.</p>
<p>Jolynne, you did well too!</p>
<p>There used to be a mom-and-pop tuxedo rental shop in the area. They would do tailoring also (you found out word of mouth) - were great and inexpensive.</p>
<p>BunsenBurner & northeastmom–wondered if these were large chain stores where you got the discounts? I’ve asked for that a few times (at Target, Wall-Mart) but they’ve said stuff like, “it’s not our policy to discount for defects, etc.”</p>
<p>Jolynne, my lucky buys were at Macy’s (jacket) and Nordstrom. The dress had a wrong size tag attached to it in addition to the lipstick stain. The manager’s options were to send it to the Rack or to sell it to me right there on the spot. I have to say that I never had any luck at Target either. </p>
<p>I looked at my Macy’s bill today, and it says I’m entitled to free basic alterations! And I was avoiding pants that were a bit too long since I did not want the hassle and additional costs.</p>
<p>Thanks, BunsenBurner. I guess the higher end stores are a little more flexible w/the defect-discounting. People have told me they’ve gotten great buys at Macy’s, but I’ve avoided those 2 stores for the past few years thinking that they were just too expensive. Maybe not! </p>
<p>That’s great re: the free alterations!!</p>
<p>Jolynne, Macys. This season Macys had fantastic prices! I saw pricing that I have not seen in years and years. I bought some nice stuff my sons there this year ($50 slacks for $17 after coupon, $55 sweaters also for about $17, my suit for $85, and I found blouses and jackets on the clearance rack for myself for $8 each). The 4 jackets that I need to have tailored are from Macys ($8 each and were originally $59 each).</p>
<p>Woo hoo, that’s great northeastmom! I’m going to check it out. Especially if I’m going back to work, that could be the place to go. Won’t be able to get by w/my yard sale finds in an office…!</p>