School Uniforms: Making The Grade Year-Round: Uniforms Magazine

Between the end of July and the beginning of September, the school uniform business is in full swing.  Stock is literally flying off the shelves.  But what happens to dealers and distributors the rest of the time?  It’s not so easy.  Yet, the same venerable companies thrive year after year, managing just fine.  Here are some of their secrets for success during the ten off-months:

Marketing—In today’s world, the Internet comes first.  Be sure that your company can be Googled, identified with a first class website, and can support online ordering for fast easy-access service, 24/7.  Make sure that freight and payment terms are straightforward, included, and safe, and that your images are present and attractive to the shopper’s eye—kids as well as adults.  Check out www.UniformsBySharon.com to see a perfect example. 

Advertisements go everywhere from the schools, themselves, to the phone book, bulletin boards, and mailers for parents.  Coupons?  You bet.  Use the media including radio, TV, computer ads, links, and text messaging; billboards, and even bumper stickers keep your easy-to-remember company name in the consumer’s mind.  Focus on particular selling points or specialty items that only you carry. 

  

Call on the schools, personally, and make repeated visits.  Become friendly with the staff, and don’t hesitate to take the store to them via samples, catalogues, and brochures.  All of this comes into play during those long silent months when business slows.

Make your store accessible.  Multiple retail outlets are optimum, and hopefully in safe neighborhood shopping areas or places that are geographically tempting for many nearby schools.  Partner with other similarly minded business concerns such as school/office supply companies or bookstores, and make agreements to support one another in terms of promoting merchandise.  You want to be a household word.

Diversification—We tend to think of school uniforms as outfits for K-12.  If a uniform company is going to survive for a period of more than two months a year, consider the broader spectrum.   Many stores today include all kinds of kids’ wear.  Cookie’s in New York, for example, handles multiple types of children’s items from toys, baby things, and children’s furniture, to mainstream kids’ clothing, and school uniforms.

“Oh, if we didn’t have a lot more than just the uniforms, it would be terrible,” Al Falack of Cookie’s states plainly.  There’s a lot to choose from, keeping business buzzing for the entire twelve month cycle.

Also, we tend to think of school uniforms as being only about kids.  There are cooking schools, nursing schools, medical schools, carpentry and trade schools, to name a few.  A school uniform store or manufacturer can just as easily branch out into these areas as not.   Look at Dickies that makes uniforms for multiple careers, and includes its children’s line, too.  These other school types have classes running constantly, plus graduated professionals who are continually needing replacement garments: Scrubs, labcoats, industrial shirts, pants, and so on.

Land’s End manufactures men’s and women’s clothing, children’s wear and accessories, in addition to its school uniforms.  Dennis Uniforms manufactures labcoats, even though its focus is the school market.  The more investment in various garments, the larger the overhead and expense, but the alternative is there are more garments to help keep the industry and the dealerships going through the winter and spring months. 

“Remember that department and big-box stores only sell school apparel during the height of the season; uniform stores stock their merchandise year-round,” emphasizes Sharon Brushett of Uniforms By Sharon.  In agreement, Sheila Farber of Denver Dennis Uniforms reiterates, “Someone always wants a fresh pair of pants, or there’s a new student who needs outfitting.  We manage to keep busy.”

Gimmicks—Sales work wonders.  January sales, June sales: Remind the folks that you’re still around, and that you’re giving them a chance to get the jump on the upcoming season.  In spite of the Fall-only big business, things happen at Winter semester, too.  Check out school schedules very carefully. 

“We present our customers with “advantage” or “bakers’ dozen” cards,” says Andrew Dunbar of Dennis Uniforms.  “We at Dennis give punch cards that offer $10 off with a purchase of $150 or more during on-season shopping, and $20 off for off-season purchases.”

Add an extra pair of socks with an outfit, a hair bow, or a fun pair of “undies.”  Include or offer school identity, such as embroidery of a school logo, screen printing of a favorite wrestling character, or a matching backpack for purchases over $200.  Maybe, some gift certificates to a fast-food store tucked inside a pocket would be just the ticket.  

“The littler kids like to pick out a lunchbox or some extra small thing to go with the uniforms,” observes Al Falack. Do whatever it takes to bring the folks into the shop, keep them buying, and keep them coming back.

One of the best ideas is the Mattel American Girl dolls that have matching uniforms in the appropriate plaids, and that can be purchased through Dennis Uniforms: The Peter Pan blouse, a hair bow, and the street length jumper on your favorite character.  How perfect for a young lady to be able to see herself and her twin doll in fashionable school clothes!

Merchandising—When doing the buying for school uniform items, shop the competition, find unique fashions in multiple sizes, and include "plus" sizes.  Carry all colors, the several styles approved by the schools, and even those that aren’t, in order to draw the attention of kids or parents who want something special.   If you skimp, the customers will go elsewhere.

Depending on the demography of the area, if there are conservative or parochial schools, skirt lengths can matter: As Sharon Brushett says, “Skorts are a definite trend setter.”  Yet, the longer below-the-knee length is often mandated for a traditional look.  Cookie’s has its own manufacturing facility and features apparel for particular religious groups, as well as stocking standard school clothing that is ready-to-wear.  “Sometimes, we have whole schools where every girl has to have a 27” skirt hem,” marvels Al Falack.

Check out what it is that your area schools are needing as well as wanting.  Don’t exclude important population components.  If you have schools that need to meet requirements for specific ethnic garb, look into this; there are small custom manufacturers around the country that make these specialized uniforms. 

Customer Service—Finally, have the best customer service that you can provide.  To keep overhead low, use fewer people during most of the year, and add another five or six employees during the height of the season.  Don’t be shy about cutting help and your hours when they’re not necessary. 

“We have limited hours during the off-months,” advises Sheila Farber.  There’s no need to pay overhead for a building that isn’t used, or for help that isn’t producing.  Think practically and pragmatically.  Your customers will adapt.

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“Hot Stuff”

Girls will be girls—that means craving doo-dads for their hairstyles.  Barrettes, headbands, bows, scrunchies: They come in different solid colors, or the plastic is designed to have inlaid plaids with extending ribbons that match the garments.  It doesn’t matter how old a woman is; for her to be well-dressed is about head to toe, and that includes items for the hair.

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Outerwear is huge.  There are hooded duck jackets, fleece windbreakers, Ike bomber jackets, quilted vests, raincoats, and of course, hoodies.  Screen printing and embroidery are available to enhance any item; both guys and gals are now dressed for the seasons inside and out, in the best fashion.  All of these items come in school colors, and may include added racing stripes across the shoulders, around the cuffs and collars, or down the front.

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Fabrics are changing as organics are entering the picture.  From pre-school up, mothers are especially conscious of “going green,” with garments that are made from environmentally sensitive, custom-dyed yarns.  (Watch your costs here though, as organics are more expensive.)  In contrast, several manufacturers are adding Lycra to their slacks so that girls can have tighter fitting as well as more comfortable pants.

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Styles are morphing away from the dressier girls’ jumpers with blouses, and boys’ pants with dress shirts; instead, it’s items such as capris, and hip-huggers with flared bottoms for girls; cargo pants and bicycle shorts for the boys.  Polo shirts are taking over the traditional shirts and blouses; solids are replacing plaids.  The reasons are not only about taste, but about economy, which is beginning to play a larger factor in uniform choices. 

Many items have become much more casual.  Land’s End has added more length to its turtlenecks so that they may be worn untucked; T-shirts are part of the uniform scene; backpacks, lunchboxes, boots and shoes, colored socks in multiple lengths with plaid trim, and even underwear are all becoming items for the school uniform ensemble. 

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