Bankrupt Zoots To Re-Open For One Day For Customers To Get Clothes
FRAMINGHAM (CBS) - A bankruptcy trustee says Zoots locations in Massachusetts will re-open for one day on Friday, Feb. 2 to allow customers to retrieve their locked up clothes.
Frustration has been mounting since the dry-cleaning chain abruptly closed its 17 stores last Friday.
Some customers suddenly received an email announcing the bankruptcy, including Maria Vagnini who had just brought in 20 dress shirts to the Framingham location.
"I dropped them off and the girl who took them obviously knew they were going to close. The shirts are worth about $300," she said.
Even though the one day opening has been negotiated, bankruptcy trustee David Madoff says he still can't guarantee employees will be paid for checks that bounced last week.
"We are working hard to get them paid," Madoff told WBZ-TV.
He hopes the money customers bring in to pay for their clothing will help cover payments to employees who work next Friday.
In the meantime, the main dry-cleaning facility in Brockton will be open long enough to finish the orders, and home delivery should be completed by the end of the next week.
But customer Ben Kestenbaum believes it was all mishandled.
"There's no sign outside, and the 'now hiring' sign is still up, it's very deceiving," he said.
If customers are unable to get their clothes next Friday, Madoff says they will be brought to a centralized location for pick-up that's yet to be determined.