8th February 2008 :: Washable but dry-clean for the first time

Yesterday I was talking about washable things and that reminds me of another theory that I am not able to understand. This happens if you are buying fabric for ladies' dress or a dress itself. When you ask the salesman if this is washable, you get to hear something that doesn't make sense at least to me “You can wash it but dry clean it for the first time”. What is that going to achieve? Here are four options I could think off. Feel free to add yours to the list.

1. Dry cleaning adds some sort of protective layer on the garment that makes it safe to wash.
2. You wear a dress dry clean it once and then wear it and then wash it and the colour fades or it shrinks but since you have worn it already a few times, you don't really care
3. You feel the cost of the garment is not high enough to justify a dry clean and decide to take a risk. Now you can't go back to the shop as the salesman will say “I told you so. I told you so.”
4. The last option is if you have followed instructions and take the garment to the shop from where you bought it, a considerable time has passed and the salesman will conveniently say “Madam you should have come earlier, we exchange things within a week of purchase.”

What do you think is the real reason?