The Webmaster

I am old.  Bordering on ancient and senile, in fact. Depends on how old you are, as to how old I am.  You know how it is...  I live in the twentieth century. Trust me, it was a better place, a better time.  Sure, not as many doo-dads and conveniences; certainly, technology was a stick in the mud compared to what it is, today. However, people talked with one another in complete, un-abbreviated, grammatically correct, and meaningful sentences; what's more, they took the time.   Yep, they took the time to care, to listen, to understand, and maybe to offer a few kind words of advice, admonishment, or praise.

Today, a kid who is five years old, is exhausted at the end of the day. Not enough time.  It used to be that when we were young, the days crawled by, and we could hardly wait for them to pass so that we could grow up.  Now, girls in kindergarten are wearing black velvet with leopard collars and high heels. Time flies by with so much to do, people merely pass one another like strangers, albeit they even may live in the same house. Who has a meal together?  Who shares the day's events?  What happened to family, to quiet time alone, or with friends...?

Into this milieu I have been thrust, through no fault of my own: The twenty-first century.  The reality is that either I have to cope and get on with things, or lag behind and find myself even more lost and ostracized than I already am.  The Hallmark Channel can only take a person so far... Thus, in order to save myself, I found a webmaster.
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My webmaster has been such, since 1997.  He was a senior in college when he started with me.  A wise woman, to whom I am forever indebted, suggested him because she knew his mother.  One of those things. Dumb luck--or God's Will, if you prefer.  It is now 16 years later.  We're still surfing the 'Net. (How awesome do I sound?)

What can you say about a fellow who behaves like Dick Van Dyke, and is built like a dress-zipper with ears?  He is 6'6"+, and maybe weighs 165 pounds.  I come up to his rib cage. Go try to hug him.  He comes with instructions that require a Pogo stick, for any kind of physical familiarity.  I gave up long ago. If I want to give him an endearment, I rest my head just above his belly button, and go from there.

Here's the thing: He's terrific: A mensch.  When he was 21, he was that way; he's the same, now--he's humble and patient, has a sense of humor, is smart as can be, centered, responsible if a little absent-minded or too busy, and he's focused--all prerequisites if you're going to be in my corner.  The only differences are that now, he's got a lovely wife and two kids; he's smarter, wiser, and makes a good living. Otherwise, he's the same familiar old shoe--size 15.

He went through my website with me, back then.  It was like pulling teeth, for all that I needed, and what he had to do while he dragged me along with him: My ideas, his know-how and in-put. He got it done.  His first official website.  Mine, too, come to think of it...  It's still up and running, and attracts its own visitors. It's been through re-decoration and additions; it's just fine, thank you.

Currently, my webmaster has led me through Linked-in, and Facebook (oy...); now, we've pretty much finished this very blog. Can you believe it?  Can you believe I put an entire blog together??? (Well, of course, with the webmaster's huge help).  If I don't do this Stuff constantly, of course, I can't remember half of it. But, we won't go there.  When he and I are done with this project, it's on to Twitter. Oh!  For the record, I can also text--tra-la.

We meet for over an hour, once a month for lunch--usually eggs of some sort; my treat.  He teaches; I scramble--my brains, not the eggs.  Anything in-between our monthly sessions:  I either luck out, learn on my own, or cope.

Sometimes, fairytales do come true.  The webmaster is one of them.

I want to say, that if I had had to do any of this Stuff alone, I think I would have stuck to my Big Chief tablet and #2 Eberhard Faber yellow pencil. Longer to process, yes; but infinitely easier. Really.  I honestly get it, with the technological goodies.  It's incredible.

I also get it that the hours and hours and hours it takes to process all of it; fix it when it crashes or breaks down; call multiple "technical support" people--most of whom can barely speak English or can't think beyond their prepared, scripted instruction manuals; crawl around on the floor while they ask me to re-check what wires and buttons I've already checked; and remember on the side, how to relate to people as human beings rather than as mobs of pixels: All are hazards of the technological age. I don't think it's so hot, just between us.

Still, I want you to know that my webmaster is just the Best--no doubt.  He has even managed to make all this learning sort of interesting and fun.  I feel like I'm about six years old, in terms of know-how and capability; in truth, I'm older than his mother! Understand that I'm not hardwired for anything other than my bra.  So for this guy to hang in with me: I am so lucky.

Twentieth century lifestyle and values, absolutely.  Still, I cruise in the twenty-first, with the webmaster as captain of my technological ship.

Bully for You...Written for the Colorado Cross-Disabilties Coalition

People go into professions that suit their personal psychological needs as well as their physical and mental abilities.  A pediatrician, for example, usually has his own more childlike view of the world and enjoys children; a physician who treats only adults, will be more comfortable with patients and people who are over the age of 18.

Those who relate well with others, do just that in their workplaces--they enjoy the camaraderie of their colleagues, and their customers.  Folks who are more task oriented, preferring to involve themselves with skills rather than customers, orient to occupations that are duty-focused.  Individuals who would rather control or direct, are most often selected for leadership positions, not wanting to be confined to the day-to-day tasks, nor having to "relate" to folks as their primary goal.  These are your three types of workers: "Taskers;" leaders; "relaters."

It generally works this way.  Sadly, workers who are in the wrong jobs for their psychological needs, either don't remain there very long, or aren't very effective in terms of performance--let alone occupationally fulfilled.  Career preferences chosen according to an individual's psychological needs are as important as any training, schooling, or experience that one encounters.
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The world of disabilities is enormous.  Today, people are living longer, managing to survive terrible ordeals, illnesses, and deficits. When an infant or child is too immature to advocate for himself, when a person's physical, mental, or emotional abilities are compromised, when aging takes those properties from people who were at one time, able to function independently but no longer can, there is a dis-ability to participate adequately within the mainstream world.

Providers are called in: Caregivers in all varieties; social workers; healthcare professionals; medical support personnel; educators; job coaches;therapists; advocates; nurses along a wide spectrum of expertise re: special needs; agencies for this function or that.

One of the tragedies, yet all-too-frequent realities for the more "helpless victim" and the "rescuing caregiver" or provider, can be a blur between professional and personal needs on the parts of the caregivers and/or the people who are in charge.

The primary role of the caregiver, in any capacity, is not meant to be a personal one, but a professional one. There are boundaries or limits between client and caregiver; there are duties or executive orders that lie between them. While a caregiver must be compassionate and understanding in his job, the role of a provider primarily is not about being a people person, so much as it is about being a task person.  Get the job done, provide comfort and proper care, above all. Duty first.  Or the patient can be injured or die. Nurturing, protection, enabling, have their places; however, the caregiver's focus must be objective, and separate from the client or patient, before all personal involvements.

What can happen, when an individual who is primarily a people person (who wants to be friends, pals, a parent or sibling) is placed in the caregiver's dutiful role, and that professional is truly not suited for properly performing regimented tasks and executing details, lines get crossed.  The caregiver who is more personally people oriented instead of distanced, disciplined, and objective enough to perform and organize in an exemplary manner, ends up re-focusing his or her own "duties" so that they become more about controlling the patient, rather than seeing to those elements that surround the patient, and support his wellbeing.  A kind of guardian effect may occur, where the healthcare professional decides that a personal relationship with the client is more important than the tasks this professional was originally hired to perform: Father knows best? Mother knows best?  Nope.  Support person knows best. And, that's not okay.

Caregivers, providers, support people, or agencies of any type, can easily slip away from the tasks at hand, and become instead, very people oriented or personally involved with the patient.  Thus, the priority of the caregiver is no longer about objective care, but subjectively about the patient needing care that seemingly only the caregiver can provide; that only the caregiver knows how to provide.  It creates a dependency, and it validates the caregiver's psychological need to be personally connected, in order to be of value.  The tasks the caregiver was originally hired to perform for the patient, become secondary to the caregiver's own psychological needs.

What is potentially worse is the same scenario but where the caregiver becomes a leader, or puts himself in charge of the patient; a role of importance and control, not through a personal relationship, but rather through a kind of executive decision made by the caregiver, himself.  This healthcare provider or caregiver, legislates the needs of the particular client or patient to the exclusion of others--including the patient, himself.   Control gradually becomes absolute.  It is no longer about the patient's receiving objectively evaluated care from a competent task person; all else is subordinated to the caregiver's need to control, commanding others to do what was once the caregiver's actual task-oriented job of scheduling, organizing, and executing specific duties.

The inappropriate shift in roles, in order to fill personal psychological needs, warps a caregiver in whatever capacity; the thrust of that individual toward his client, student, or patient, is no longer a clear, distanced evaluative focus, but rather one of superiority.  It's all too easy when tending folks who are challenged in one way or another, to forget about respect, empathy, distancing, boundaries; and to slip into the role of ruler, surrogate parent, or boss.   Providers and caregivers, remember, come in all sorts of ancillary job descriptions, when networking the world of healthcare.

People who are caregivers or providers in agency work or on their own; who have more psychological needs than their particular job placement may provide; on a day-in-day-out, year-by-year kind of schedule (particularly with the same clients for extended periods of time); are most susceptible when it comes to slipping out of their assigned duty-oriented careers; rather, they ease into an orientation of control.

Certainly, there are practical reasons that exist for caregivers to have a certain amount of supervisory influence, when people are disabled or challenged; these professionals are presumably trained accordingly, they have experience, and they are familiar with the patient's history in one way or another.  It is true that patients often need direction from others, in order to guide and assist themselves.

However, direction is one thing; bullying is quite another.

Simply because a person or agency has done a job for years and years and years; has expertise in his field; has taken responsibility in various areas of his vocation; it does not give him a green light when it comes to taking charge of another person's life, to the exclusion of that individual's personal rights or the rights of others. When it comes to contribution, input, or care that is of significant benefit to a patient or client, there must be shared responsibility between all parties; the professionals must stick to the job descriptions they were meant to carry out.

When any caregiver or support person takes over the rights of a particular individual; when that individual becomes manipulated or less independent as a result of increasing control on the part of that caregiver, what is referred to as "for your own good," is more aptly  labeled "ego trip."  It speaks to the psychological needs of a healthcare professional or agency gone awry and who has turned away from the tasks that are his responsibility;  instead, twisting his job to suit himself, either by creating a too dependent relationship with the client, or by legislating what the client needs or ought to do:  Not only so that it ostensibly suits the client, but primarily so that it suits the caregiver's needs to control, as well.

Either way, it's about personal psychological needs trumping job-description. It's about bullying rather than advocating for the patient's right to be treated as normally as possible, and with as much dignity and respect as possible, given his special situation.

Am I Retiring, Transitioning, or Re-Inventing?

We've been in business for 77 years.  I sold my building: Offices, showroom with fitting area, the actual factory.  Not a huge place as manufacturing plants go, but figure a big fish in a little pond.  Since 1936, ain't bad.

The garment industry in the United States is all but dead; the custom garment industry is dead.  I have business, I have customers.  But not enough to earn a living.  Labor today is all off-shore for any kind of tailoring expertise and decent pricing; what our custom shop has always been about. As one of the last shops in our line of manufacturing--if not the last--it was time to bail.

I had to move.  I got rid of the overhead (Thank God), and I got rid of all those things I am responsible for but can't control; eg: The Facility, the Equipment, and the Help.  You don't want to own a factory in this day and age, if you can help it.  I'm telling you.  At least 50% of my professional life has been about apologising for this mistake, or that mal-function.  The only honors I got out of the deal were the joys of saying, "I'm sorry," and giving courtesy discounts. Mazel Tov.

But OK.  So, now, I'm moved.  Where?  I don't want to go through the entire process with you, but trust me; it wasn't a charmer.   The cost of renting a new space, buying a new space, adding a new space onto my home, squeezing everything I needed into my house as is; were all possibilities.

I have a friend who thinks I ought to have had a Plan.  Are you kidding? What plan?  I needed to get out of the building in order to save the overall   company--you know, the proverbial handwriting on the wall:  I needed to stop the financial hemorrhaging, and the mistakes.  This wasn't something that was self-contained and dependent on my decisions, alone; rather it demanded that all the outsiders' chips fell in their own proper order.

One day, a guy makes an offer on the building.  OK.  I figure it all out.  Get it all ready.  Then the sale falls through.  Plan?  So I continue on, in my original operational mode.  Six months later, another offer.  OK. This time, the thing goes through but with closing in four weeks.  An entire--if small--77 year old manufacturing operation--close down, sort, and pack up in 20 days; all the while with orders in work.  

In the meantime, the folks I was going to take with me to a new, littler shop, decided to retire, altogether. Surprise...  

So that's the end of the factory.  In all fairness, one former worker is 80, another is 73; we're not talking Spring Chickens, here.  But between the first and second purported sales of the building, everything changed, including any kind of income projection.  Thus, rentals/purchases of smaller manufacturing facilities, were out the window.  How now, Brown Cow?

The bids to add on a home office came in at $35,000.  For 10'x10'.  No kidding. Small volume pricing. Thus, I rented: An inside storage facility unit. Same size as the home add-on, but for $181/month including insurance.  At this rate, I can keep my new "satellite office" for almost 17 years, before I come close to the $35,000 addition.  

You would love the satellite office.  It's two blocks away, so Sydney--my dog--and I can walk to work.  It's done in used brick with Columbia blue and white trim, and looks like traditional model homes.  (The complex cries out for red geraniums).  The place has all the comforts of home except electricity (other than the bare bulb overhead); and the bathroom that is three buildings away.

It's almost perfect.  I have Kleenex, a chair, a shipping table with a scale, my boxes/tape/wrapping tissue/labels, a broom and dustpan along with a wastebasket, step-stool, 15 file cabinets of payables and receivables, and over 200 aprons that I couldn't bear to part with (let me know if you're interested in purchasing...)   It's the best.  A mezuzah is on the doorpost, along with a Jewish calendar for the year, 5774. The UPS office is down the street; I pack up the uniforms in this petite shipping department, and schlep box after box rather than paying extra for the driver in the big brown truck, to pick up.

My family-room at home in the basement, along with my upstairs study, comprise the rest of my corporate offices. Downstairs are the "accounting and business offices."  Everything I need to run the show, as long as I don't have to cut cloth in my own shop.  I can cut cloth with other folks; I can press; I can sew--all outside. I can screen-print and embroider.  Same thing. But I can't cut in-house.  So far. That's my limit.  I have others who can do the manufacturing in their own shops (aka contractors and sub-contractors), or I can sell ready-to-wear (uniforms from other manufacturers that are made off-shore and merely pulled from shelves, and shipped.)

Upstairs is the "creative/executive" office with all the business machines.  Yes.  I'm writing to you from this office, right now.

I'm continually getting settled, as the days go by.  Still working like mad to squeeze it all in.  Adding new activities, as my hours and time are now my own. No one I have to apologise for or yell at.  No machines to fail or be damaged by well-intentioned "experts."  I'm working every day and so far, longer than I ought. Just to get caught up and get on some kind of schedule. (Sometimes, a customer may get a call from me as late as 1:00 a.m....)

Now, you tell me.  People say, "Ohhhhh, I'm so happy you retired!"   Am I retired?  I have 3 office spaces, separate phone/fax/email /business cards, and UPS bills.  "Well, but no, you're at home, now, so that's not really working." Maybe if I drove around the block every morning before I sat down at my desk so that I could "arrive" at my offices by 8:00, that would help.  

Others write books about "transitioning."  My own "transition" either must be because I've morphed from young to old, and/or because America has given up the ghost where blue-collar skills are concerned.  It's the same business, the same name, the same Stuff.  No in-house factory to be sure, but in every other way, it's the same.  We've always had cottage industry. Even this isn't new.

Tell me, what have I transitioned besides my moving from my factory to my home?  Still feels the same to me.  I answer the phone the same.  I dunno.  I guess the transition is in the loss of overhead and liabilities, and I don't have to apologise so much, any more.

Finally, and best, are those who insist I'm re-inventing myself.  Um, I lost 10 pounds.  Does that mean I'm re-invented?  Trust me: I'm still the same impossible person I have always been, which is why I'm not a team player and work for myself.  I'm in the same business, doing the same thing: Fashion.  Only, I'm more relaxed now because I can focus on selling the clothing, rather than putting out all the fires and rescuing the help.

Measure Twice, Cut Once: UniformMarketNews.com

It used to be that no matter what we did, we had to do it better:  "Good, better, best; never let it rest--until your good is better, and your better best."  A manufacturer would smile contentedly as he finished an order and quip, "Perfect is good enough."  But, today, the stressed salesman snaps at his impatient customers, "We can give you cheap, quick, or good: Pick two.  You can't have all three!"  In today's world, guess which two most people pick.

Over the last few weeks, I have spoken with several companies:  One was doing ceremonial coats for a specialty group.  Five men with five unique measurements all fitting into size 5xl, one way or another.  Each was more specially shaped than the one before.  Directions were impeccable, fabric was magnificent, embroidery was superb, the pattern perfect. Cutters and sewing operators with years of experience were lined up to present these gentlemen with five perfect coats.  It was to be a collective work of uniform magnificence.  What happened?  Despite explicit instructions, their wives took the measurements, instead of the fellows going to skilled tailors.  Guess what? 

One guy had sleeves that came up to his elbows, because the back was too narrow by five inches.  One forgot that the abdomen doesn't disappear when the coat goes on, and his 59 inch stomach acted as a "front porch," left hanging between  his two 64 inch "side verandas."  Another gentleman's spouse didn't know where her husband's waist was, buried somewhere in his rotund figure; thus, the top of the coat looked like it had an empire waist, also about three inches too short at the hem.  The best is that the guys got the coats, didn't try them on, had them ornately embroidered for an unmentionable amount of money, and only afterward realized that the coats had to be trashed!

Then, there was the police department.  The secretary took down the specifics on this one, claiming she was an alteration lady on the side.  From our military uniform source, I surmise that her skills were very "on the side."  The coats were standard Marine Corps design, braided by hand with edge cord, all around.  In 100% wool elastique, they cost a pretty penny, as first class military coats do.  It turned out the gal had measured one fellow's coat three inches too long, and the entire coat had to be ripped out, cut down, re-lined, re-braided.  The pants for a different officer were criticized as being made far too small for his large, muscular thighs.  The salesman was told that his customer couldn't get the pants on.  When the officer was re-measured for new pants, his thighs were actually an inch narrower than originally thought; it was his seat that was two inches too small.  On it went...

A restaurateur complained that his 3xl gal was wearing a jumper and pinafore apron that were too short regarding the waist length, and asked the manufacturer if it would mind re-designing the pattern  to accommodate this woman's rather large bosom.  The manufacturer explained that an entirely new pattern had to be drafted, graded, etc., and that a custom pattern  for one uniquely built size 3xl would cost a fortune, suggesting an alteration lady, instead.  But no mind.  The gal was taken with a seizure of modesty, refused to get measured and as a result, the owner of the eatery sent the lady's old uniform to the manufacturer, with instructions to make her new uniforms just the same as the old but with a longer bodice.  How much longer, he couldn't say.  No one knows to this day.

Finally, there is the theatrical producer who needed Johnny-on-the-spot costumes for his dancers: Two weeks' notice, four different fabrications, three different garments per uniform to outfit the entire cast.  All were ritz and glitz, goods that were more slippery and clingy than skin on a snake, and so thin the garments couldn't be made up without fusing, lining, and heaven knows what.  Okay.  For skilled manufacturers of theme park attire, no worries, right?   But oop, when the stage manager gave the sewing operators their instructions, he forgot to reveal that there were two different styles of jackets rather than one; the wrong color fabric had been listed on the purchase order for one entire group of dancers (there were three groups); the fabric (which was really meant for flimsy bowties,  not coats and pants ) was 20 inches too narrow; he had forgotten to order one fabric, while short on the other three; and the fellow didn't include the custom-designed patterns.  Oh, yes, pant hem lengths were left out of the measurements, too.

So there you are.  Why accuracy matters.  Which reminds me, a well-known tailor recently came across a new tape measure that started at three inches, rather than at zero.  Have you ever taken a measurement that was three inches larger than the person's actual size?  Try it in your own business, sometime.  But    remember to measure twice, and cut only once. 

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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Survival Skills In A Tough Economy: UniformMarketNews.com

(Note: This article was never published, nor was I paid for it, as Uniform Markets' felt the article was too negative.  In truth, it was perfectly correct and accurate.)

If you're reading this and you're like most of us, you're probably saying your prayers at night, and struggling plenty by day: The uniform industry, like many of those in today's world, is feeling heat from the huge economic meltdown.  Unlike jobs in technology, healthcare, the military, maintenance, or educational sectors, which are considered sacrosanct and necessary, the entire American market is in jeopardy; the apparel and uniform sectors are hanging by a thread.  Only those with the cleverest of survival plans, abilities to be flexible and roll with the punches will survive the shakedown.

If one goes online, looks in the Yellow Pages, or watches the ads in the newspapers, it will become readily apparent that under the heading of "Uniforms," there are not a lot of choices available.  Part of that is because not everyone wears a uniform and it’s a smaller niche industry; the other reason is that there just aren't that many of us around any more.  Tip: Consider partnering with a larger company.

Chances are that if you go out to dinner, you'll find your servers in T-shirts, polo shirts, or white dress shirts—basic and no frills.  They will all have been made off-shore.  If they need a cover-up, it's quite possibly an apron—also less expensive if purchased from an off-shore company that manufactures by the thousands.   If you check pants, it's the same: Off-shore.  It doesn't matter whether they're industrial, chefwear, casual or dress.  For the most part, it's off-shore manufactured slacks that are being worn. Tip: Sell off-shore merchandise as well as "Made in the U.S.A."

What is also noticeable is that fewer and fewer establishments are purchasing uniforms at all.  Employees are asked to purchase their own garments within certain guidelines.  Uniforms are no longer desired, save a cover-up to protect an employee's street-clothes, if even that.  While the littler mom-n'-pop shops are cutting out uniforms altogether, even the bigger companies are honing down.   Tip: Think aprons and vests.

Larger establishments are leaving the rental business as a means of handling their uniforms, and returning to the concept of purchasing the garments while letting the employees launder their own.  One large Sheraton hotel in Colorado is reported to have cut its uniform costs by $100,000 per year, as a result of returning to purchasing their garments instead of renting them.  Tip: If you're a renter, offer the alternative of buying.

Embroidery and silk-screening are the good news and the bad news in the uniform business.  One can look at them as the ribbon around the uniform package—good looking identity by offering a logo on low-cost garments, rather than higher priced uniforms that offer the identity by themselves.  Or, one can do away with the identity imprints as being too costly, and merely use a style, a color, or an accessory such as a hat, scarf or tie—one less aspect again on which to spend extra dollars.  Tip: Be familiar with alternative accessories.

As businesses go out of business, as corporations become more casual, as mergers rid themselves of duplication, as salaries and budgets become less instead of more, the question of how the uniform will survive, is a very real one.  It used to be, of course, that mostly service people wore them.  It also used to be that there were very few choices of garments available, and styles, colors, and fabrics from which to choose were limited.  A waitress looked like a waitress, a chef looked like a chef, a nurse looked like a nurse, and a doctor looked like a doctor.  Today, there are literally big-box stores for medical and kitchen wear.  It will be interesting to see how they do as time goes forward. Tip: Think about adding garments for the service industry in your inventory.

The entire state of California expects to go under in a couple of months, the real estate and banking industries are dying on the vine, and the automobile industry is in the soup.  If they go under, the ripple effect in terms of the economy will stagger businesses everywhere.  What does this forecast about uniforms—an added burden on company budgets?   Can't bank personnel just wear their own clothes?  Can't eateries?  Do liquor stores and mall personnel, or department stores really need an entire ensemble, when a single article will do just fine?  Tip: Think inexpensive, practical, and clever.  

Several of the manufacturers and retailers here in the United States are out of business.  Others are barely managing, as one owner of a factory that's been in business for over a century, said the other day.  "Production is down to three days a week," she confessed.  "People are making do, and no one wants to buy.”  

A customer who had long bought a particular product for his Shrine accessories is now ready to change the product and purchase Canadian, NAFTA and customs be hanged.  "It's half the price," he defended.  "Even though the quality isn't nearly as good as American, we can't afford the real McCoy any longer."  Tip: Offer alternatives.  Think outside the box.  Never say "never."

The trick of it, if there’s any "trick" at all, is to survive however one can. 

If it means pounding the pavement, cold calling, follow-up calls, using the Internet, having flyers or sandwich boards on the street, do it. If working out of your home, shortening your hours, cutting your personnel, cuts down on the overhead, do it.  If you need to streamline your telephones and technology in order to save dollars per month, do it.  Tip: Advertise like crazy and think do-it-yourself tactics.

Whatever it takes, either commit yourself to the long haul, or think about getting out.   Be careful not to drive your business, your credit, and your capital into the ground on a last-ditch hope that you might make it.  Last but not least, be sure you get a minimum payment of 50% up front, and the balance pre-paid before delivery.  Even the best customers these days are huge risks.  The bigger the customer, the greater the loss for you if he defaults.

Gentleman's Agreement: A Disappearing Trend: UniformMarketNews.com

"So many things have changed," Dave Hindlemann reflects. "It used to be a handshake was a man's word. Now, it's lawyers and contracts – cut and dried. The personal element is missing."  (“Made to Measure Magazine," Spring/Summer, 1997).

If you’ve been talking with your colleagues lately, or even if you’ve been involved personally, you’ve probably noticed that our society has changed when it comes to the way in which it does business.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aside, credit crunch and housing markets, too, the uniform industry has been hit with the same kinds of changes in ethical behavior—not only from customers, but from our own small family of apparel manufacturers and suppliers.

More and more, companies are refusing to lend credit, expecting prompt payments with 50% down and balance prepaid before delivery.  More and more customers find themselves short and not wanting to pay their bills, no matter how loyal they’ve been in the past.  Return authorizations are being required from corporations that heretofore accepted merchandise sent back as a matter of courtesy: Good will is no longer the name of the game.  One or two bad customers can shift more friendly relaxed business policies away from good will, towards harsh, stiff penalties. 

Companies that have previously been referred to as being legitimate have no qualms about writing out contracts or purchase orders, and reneging on them without blinking an eye.   Jobbers who buy and sell goods are paradigm.  They offer rock bottom prices, insist the selling customer wrap and label every bolt of fabric (costing hundreds of dollars in labor), change the terms as much as two or three times, and then feel free drop the contract, altogether, knowing that a lawsuit against them would cost the aggrieved party far more than any sale would be worth.  A legal piece of paper means little.

Leading suppliers in the industry find themselves being “stiffed” over and over and over again as manufacturers drive their businesses into the ground, bankrupting themselves rather than closing up before their accounts can be paid.  It’s not one supplier; it’s not one manufacturer; that’s the tragedy of it.  It’s become a trend.  It’s almost as though one’s fellow human being doesn’t matter any more.  When President Harry Truman said, “The buck stops here, he was referring to responsibility—fiscal and otherwise—not his inside pockets.

Commission sales?  Repeat sales?  Whatever happened to customer loyalty?  Whatever happened to a vendor calling on loyal customers?  Whatever happened to salespeople respecting colleagues’ territories?  Whatever happened to companies who used to sell strictly wholesale, but have decided additionally to sell retail, and also undercut their own sales forces by going direct to the customer with a cheaper price than a salesman could offer?

Whatever happened to identity companies that used to make their money solely on embroidery or screen printing—that now sell garments at cost to retail customers in addition, so that the uniform companies have to struggle to compete with those on whom they once depended for wholesale service?

Sound like a lot of whining?  No.  It’s about business ethics:  Respect for one’s fellow, and genuine love of a game that includes the players as well as the rewards.

Women are treated shamefully.  One woman who owned a contract shop first had to bring in her father to gain respect, and then her husband.  The irony is that her 50+ employees are 99% women.  It’s not only about men, but women themselves don’t respect other women as leaders in our industry.  Another smart, savvy gal with whom I spoke waxed philosophical and said that one must be tolerant, bite the bullet and keep one’s mouth shut, not stooping to the level of those who insult people merely because of their gender.  Sounds stoic and mature.  Not so easy to do. 

There was the company who lifted all the drawings from one website to its own, copyright laws aside.  It wasn’t about a link.  The kicker is that the one company was actually doing business with the other at the time of the thievery.   How sad that in such a small and close group of professionals such as ours, each business—mostly small in size, as we struggle to band together to survive  offshore manufacturing that is biting at our heels—has to sleep with one eye open, so to speak. 

Independent contractors are often of a dubious sort at best:  Deadlines and quality control are mysteries left unsolved until the work is turned in.   One can only hope.  

Still and all, it must be said that there are the good guys, too.  What’s encouraging, it isn’t about age.  One might think would be.  There are younger people and older people who are kind, disciplined, and principled; a part of old school values.  Make no mistake that such is the case.

Vendors pitch in to help one another in a tight spot, all the time.  And it’s swell.   However, it’s not about whole companies or general policies any more.  It’s not common practice, but rather the exception to the rule.  People are nice, people take an interest.  But the reality is our industry is so besieged by offshore pressures and survival tactics, the real people who matter often get lost in the shuffle.  That’s what’s sad.


The important thing is that when you go home, you want to be able to sleep at night.  If your approach and behavior toward your customers and colleagues are quite literally the same as those with which you would want them to treat you, then you know you’re on the right path.  If not, perhaps you need to make some changes.   There’s nothing wrong with being competitive or wanting to win the sale.  But there’s a tragedy if it’s at human expense when the price is good will, trust, respect, integrity, and responsibility. 

Anchors Away--Offshore Manufacturing: Article for UniformMarketNews.com

It’s nothing new that these days Americans are buying offshore merchandise by the billions of dollars.  Uniforms are no exception.  Any uniform manufacturer—any article of clothing used for uniforms and sold by a manufacturer or a distributor—that has any sort of volume to it at all, is made overseas.

There is no question that the world grows smaller by the nano-second.  That the United States has multiple trade treaties and tariff agreements with other countries, either pending or in effect, is undeniable.  It is absolutely true that cheaper goods purchased overseas have allowed millions of American citizens to have a better quality of life, just as it is also true that our economy has been pumped heartily by those who shop for offshore-made goods—not only at the Wal-Mart’s, K-Mart’s, and Target’s—but at the Penney’s, Sears’, Macy’s, Saks, Neiman’s, and Nordstrom’s, too.

We can debate and argue about geo-politics and economic forecasts from now until Doomsday, but the bottom line is that things aren’t going to go backward; if any changes occur in our present economic situation, they will only be to further the global economy. 

It used to be that supply and demand was a local, regional, or even national issue.  Now, it has expanded to an international one.  Manufacturing is in the midst of a huge revolution; the dust nowhere near settling.  What is so is that production is about the survival of the fittest.  It used to be that the United States filled that bill and came out on top.  Now, it no longer does for many reasons.  Sadly, we are the worse off for it.

It is safe to say that if we went to war with the Chinese, we would have to order our military uniforms from them first, in order to dress for the occasion.  Executives, hotel concierges, dignitaries, enormous numbers of corporate individuals in our country wear elegant attire made offshore.  Very few could dress to meet the public if it were up to what’s left of stateside American uniform manufacturing.  The same holds true for industrial, public safety, hospitality wear, medical apparel, and athletic wear.  Even school uniforms are made overseas—what ever happened to motherhood, Uncle Sam, and apple pie?  With the exception of very few companies, and even fewer genres (such as the band uniform business), most garments today are no longer made in this country.

Yes, there are very fine tailors—but fewer of them.  There are excellent cut and sew operations, but so sparse that those which are of value are backlogged with work for weeks and weeks in terms of turnaround time.  There are small companies here and there—maybe ten or twenty at most in the entire country—who still do custom uniforms to specification, for groups such as Shrines, fancy parades, designer restaurants and hotels.  There are a few costumers.  There are those small factories which are affiliated with single garment operations, such as aprons, shirts, certain dress military or fraternal order uniforms.  They keep going.  But even for them, it’s difficult.

Almost everyone who manufactures in the United States today does private label, because it’s another way to survive—making something for someone else, as well as under one’s own name.   It’s a daily struggle, and while some are doing better than others, the apparel business—which has never been easy—is now harder than ever.

It’s not just the manufacturers themselves, but suppliers that are choking, too.  Since so much weaving and dyeing of cloth, production of notions such as thread, buttons, shoulder pads, etc., all come from offshore now; because the machines are also made offshore; because labor and goods are so much cheaper there; why pay customs and freight to bring all of this into the country when it could be utilized where the garments are now being made? 

Relatively speaking, there is so little production here in the ‘States, it’s easier to job goods onto the Mainland in much smaller quantities, rather than to stock giant amounts hoping that some American manufacturer will snap it all up.  American uniform suppliers, as well as American uniform manufacturers are dying on the vine.    

There are two real wrenches in the garment business in this country:  The first is that there is no real labor pool anymore.  Certainly, there are pockets here and there.  But very few Americans know how to sew today.  The two groups who do most of the actual work are either Hispanic or Asian immigrants.  Truth be known, as they become more integrated into our society, they, too, go on to do other things.  Hiring is murder. 

The second wrench is that the cost of production is so high.  Americans demand American wages and so far, others around the world work for much less, and as a result, merchandise is made for much less overseas.  These two issues alone are killing us as we try to compete in our own marketplace.  Our own bigger manufacturers go offshore, making it even harder for those who are smaller and take pride in putting that little red, white, and blue flag inside their garments.

As the trend for uniforms to be made offshore continues, the one small glimmer of light in all of this is that eventually trade balances.  Water seeks its own level.  As the dollar drops, people begin to think about the United States: Suddenly, it’s cheaper to buy merchandise made here than in China or Central America.  As other countries become more prosperous due to American dollars pumping their own economies, their wages and standards of living increase, as well.  Things begin to even out.  The real question is, can American uniform manufacturers and suppliers stay afloat long enough until some sort of prosperity returns?

Excalibur Hotel Casino: Interview for Made to Measure

Jason Patrick Ross/Shutterstock.com

Excalibur Hotel Casino is a family-oriented resort located in Las Vegas. Part of Mandalay properties, this 4,032-room hotel has been operating since 1990.  Its focus combines the Middle Ages, King Arthur, and Robin Hood.  In addition to over 124,000 square feet of gambling casinos, there are 6 restaurants, swimming pools and sports facilities, shops, family entertainment areas, a wedding chapel, and an arena for jousting tournaments.  Marge Duquette-Castellanos, veteran of the uniform business, is Wardrobe manager.

H&A: This resort is huge!  As head of Wardrobe, what are your responsibilities?

Marge:  I hire and manage the personnel who work in Wardrobe.  This includes laundry, alterations, linens, employee lockers and showers, and the uniforms.  We can have 20 projects going on at once: Vendor notebooks; uniform samples; purchase-order ledgers, the inventory system; tracking each garment; flagging low stock…  I also search out new uniforms for the hotel.

H&A: How does that work?

Marge: A director of a department will tell me what he/she is looking for.  We come up with a basic idea and I’ll either sketch it or find something similar to show.  We submit the concept to several vendors (we have no favorites and encourage competition); they return live samples or their own sketches to us.  We build from there—the best ideas, best prices.  I take these back to the director, we eliminate certain ones, and go with a final sample.

We test the garments, putting them on employees.  Random members of our staff wear them, launder them 25 times, and dry-clean them 20 times more for aging.  Employees give us input in terms of comfort, function, and aesthetics.  (It’s very important employees feel good about what they’re wearing.  If they are pleased and comfortable, these same employees will have pride in themselves, enjoying their relationships with our clientele). 

Once we’re all settled on what we want, the department head and the general manager of the hotel OK it, and we go into final production.

H&A: Are all of your uniforms custom?

Marge: No.  Actually, the original uniforms were much more costumed.  They were uncomfortable, hot, perishable, very difficult to clean or alter, and the employees were miserable.  They cost a fortune to maintain. 

H&A: You abandoned them and went with ready-to-wear.

Marge: So much so that a lot of the hotel’s charm was abandoned.

H&A: Is that what you’re wearing now?

Marge: Nope.  We’ve reverted to uniforms that are once again reflective of the hotel’s theme.  However, we’ve compromised by using ready-to-wear garments that are easily customized.

H&A: How’s that?

Marge:  Take shirts: If I order custom, they will take 8-12 weeks to produce.  By the time they arrive, several people have quit, and we probably need different sizes.  Or, if I order similar shirts in stock-items, they arrive in a few days.  Then, we send them to our alteration department: We change a collar, add a stripe, re-make a cuff, or whatever it takes to give the proper look.  It’s faster and cheaper to go with a stock item, and it allows us to maintain our theme without the cost, maintenance, and lag-time of a custom garment.

H&A: What’s the percentage of your ready-to-wear merchandise?

Marge: We still have mostly custom but gradually, we hope to change over.

H&A: You mentioned your alteration department.

Marge: Yes.  I have 3 fulltime girls who do everything.  They even make some of our simpler uniforms in-house, and I’m hoping we do more of this.  My girls alter employees’ uniforms, stitch up tears, do terrific stock-item customizations, and re-design for employee special needs.  (One aspect of ready-to-wear that’s challenging is its limitation in style and color.  Our alteration department solves that problem.)

H&A: What is the procedure for an employee acquiring a uniform?

Marge: He or she goes to Human Resources, submitting a resume and references.  Everything okayed, there is an interview with the particular department where he’ll be working.  Once completed, it’s off to Wardrobe.  

H&A: Does he get issued a uniform at that point?

Marge:  Sort of.  We have a staff of 35 people—12 in laundry, 3 in alterations, and 23 managing the carousels, turnstiles, conveyors, scanners, lockers, and clothing slots.  The employee comes to our counter where our processor (who’s been doing this for years and has developed an eye for accurate sizing) hands the new employee a uniform for his area.  It’s off to the fitting room, and then over to alterations.

H&A: Then he takes his finished uniform and goes home?

Marge: After the uniform is suited to him, he is given a locker bag—a garment bag with a lock.  Every morning, that employee comes to the counter, announces his bag and slot numbers.  Our 7 conveyors house individual slots for each employee.  From there, his bag is taken with a freshly cleaned uniform, is scanned and given to the employee.  He puts his own clothes in the bag and puts on the uniform.  When his shift is over, he returns to Wardrobe and once again is issued his locker bag from the conveyor slot.  He replaces the uniform in the bag, takes his own clothing, and the dirty uniform goes to the laundry.

H&A: You mention scanning.

Marge: Yes.  We have 53,130 uniforms in this hotel.  There are over 350 different types, as well as different kinds of uniforms—housekeeping, engineering, the kitchen staff, waitstaff, front-desk.  There are court jesters, knights, courtiers.  We even have genuine suits of armor on display that have to be polished and buffed! 

Our scanners are just like the grocery stores’.  Every single item is given a bar code, and before the item goes anywhere—even in here within the walls of Wardrobe--it is scanned.

H&A: What does that do?

Marge: It eliminates any question of inventory because we always know exactly how many garments and of which size, we have.  Also, because everything is always scanned, we never have to worry where an item is.  If it goes to the laundry, the dry-cleaner, alterations, it’s scanned.  If it leaves Wardrobe with an employee, it’s scanned.

H&A: There are no problems with loss, theft, or low stock?

Marge: Very little.  No one is allowed within Wardrobe unless a Wardrobe person accompanies her.  The area is totally enclosed; only cashier-windows and counters are open to non-Wardrobe personnel.  There’s really no way to get anything in or out of the department.  As for low stock, since we always know exactly what we have, we know if there’s a shortage.

H&A: Computers.

Marge:  Exactly.  Everything is kept on computer.  Everyone in wardrobe is computer literate.

H&A: Do you have a customized inventory program for Excalibur?

Marge: Not really.  The program is used by many of the Mandalay properties.  It’s wonderful and lets us know exactly what’s going on at all times.

H&A: Are there any changes you would make?

Marge: Only that the software be user-friendlier.  My wish list is a program for pattern-assisted designs.  Imagine doing patterns for our own designs right here, in-house.  There would never be a question of copyright, or the enormous cost of making patterns, adjusting them, and so forth.

H&A: Everything is right here, on property.

Marge: I wish it were.  We still have our dry-cleaning done off-site.  Some of the garments can’t be laundered, and we don’t have a dry-cleaning facility at this time.  Also, our contractors for embroidery, silk-screening, and rental uniforms are located elsewhere.

H&A: I thought you owned all of your uniforms. 

Marge:  At this point, sadly, no.  We rent our kitchen and engineering uniforms, and the supplies that come with them—bar-mops, towels, you know.  It’s easier to get everything from one supplier; they have the industrial Laundromats that can get the heavy grease out of those garments. 

H&A: Considering Las Vegas is a one-industry town, I imagine there is a well-established cleaning and uniform-rental business to support it.

Marge: That’s right.  However, we bar-code and scan these uniforms, too.

H&A: I am totally impressed with all that you do.  What kinds of skills do you need for this job?

Marge:  There are no schools for wardrobe mistresses.  There are several of us in town, and we try to get together—we support and learn from one another.  (We’re all women, coincidentally, and we call ourselves “The Rag-mates.”)  I think skills for being a wife and mother of 2 children have helped a lot!  Certainly, my background in uniforms, sales and marketing has been invaluable. 

I also think it’s important to know about people.  Our staff represents a huge diversity in population, and folks in Wardrobe are employees helping other employees.  Wardrobe employees need to treat house-employees like guests—customers--at all times.  

H&A: I bet you love what you do.

Marge: I’ll tell you, there are days when I feel I’m buried under a mountain of paper and clothes…  It’s an exciting job, though, and no 2 days are alike.  For me, being in charge of Wardrobe is like a dream come true.

Sonnenalp Hotels: Interview with Made To Measure Magazine

Dennis Pepin/Shutterstock.com

The Faessler family of Bavaria has owned the 5-star Sonnenalp Resort Hotels since 1919.  20 years ago, Karl and his son, Johannes, came to the Vail Valley Ski Resort in Colorado.   Now, Johannes and his wife, Rosana, oversee their 3 hotels in this area, including golf courses, spas and pools, hiking, authentic cuisine, alpine décor, and specially chosen uniforms.  Prices vary: $175-$1700/night; quality must remain excellent.

Linda Marquez, uniform mistress for the corporation, is a quiet, attractive woman in her mid-50’s. Originally from a small town in Illinois, she came to Colorado with a high school diploma and a desire to work hard helping others. After several years attending patients in a state home, Linda decided to take a job in housekeeping. She ended up in Vail, where she has commuted daily for the last 14 years. Her official title is “Seamstress,” but she does much more, skillfully managing uniform disbursement for all of the Sonnenalp resorts in Vail.

MTM: How did you come to this position? What were your qualifications?

Linda: I needed a job, and this one was available. I had worked as a housekeeper in other hotels, so I knew what folks had to do; I had experience as a housekeeping clerk and I understood about what it took to manage people and how important it was to have a clean uniform. I could sew. I’m an organized person. I oversee the uniform, linen, laundry, and storage rooms, so I have to be.

MTM: You’ve been here ever since?

Linda: Yes. I also think it’s important to have good people skills. I deal with employees every day. Sometimes, I feel like I’m a mother to a zillion kids. Everybody needs things right away; I have to calm them down and help them out. I know how to iron and use the big presses. There’s always a stain or a button missing--something has to be cleaned or fixed.

MTM: Did you need any management training for the job?

Linda: I use a computer, and I make lists. I have to take inventory, of course, and make sure that there’s enough uniforms in stock. I have to plan ahead because some of our vendors only re-stock us once a year, but we’re on a monthly budget. I decide what I need, and give my information to the Executive Housekeeper, who places the orders with the suppliers. I think it’s mostly common sense.

MTM: I’m amazed that you are so humble about managing 3 different operations and doing as many things as you do!

Linda: All of the employees wear the same uniforms throughout the various hotels. The uniforms differ with specific job descriptions, but all waiters wear the same, all housekeepers wear the same, etc., even though there are different buildings, décor, and staffs.

MTM: Still, it’s a big responsibility and takes a huge amount of planning. How many employees are there?

Linda: About 300. That’s 2 uniforms per employee, which is about 600 uniforms. It varies from season to season. Our heaviest load of help is during the ski season. There isn’t a lot of continuity because many of the employees are either here from Europe on a visa, or they’re students. There are only a few of us who have been here a long time.

MTM: So how does it work—with “only” 300 employees who come and go?

Linda: We take a deposit out of the employee’s paycheck when he/she comes to work. I inspect each uniform after its weekly laundering—some are washed, some are dry-cleaned. If something’s wrong, the uniform has to be replaced.

I have a tackle box of buttons, and I save pockets. I’ve salvaged entire garments because of a single changed pocket. Our buttons are custom-made from elk horns; they can’t be purchased anywhere, so I hoard them for when one needs replacing. If a uniform is lost, or an employee quits and doesn’t return the uniform, however, he/she pays for it out of the final paycheck. No uniform, no paycheck. I have a file I keep on employees; every month, I submit it to Payroll; we work very closely together and steadily, things are getting better.


MTM: Do you have problems with theft?

Linda: Yes, although not so much. We have lockers and locker rooms, but some employees would go into other people’s lockers and steal their uniforms, so now everyone takes them home. Our uniform room wasn’t secure. Folks would come in to get linens and help themselves to a few shirts on the nearby shelves. Now, I have locked cabinets and gates, I'm sorry to say.


MTM: What actually do your people wear? Does one vendor provide everything?

Linda: The maintenance people get denim jeans and shirts from a department store. We get their embroidered patches from another vendor. We have a supplier which provides us with our stewarding uniforms; we use 2 companies for our chefs—one for embroidery, one for garments; we have a company in Germany which does our banquet and front desk outfits—alpine jackets, vests, skirts. Blouses and jumpers, also from Germany, are for housekeeping. Engineering makes our name badges—we bought a little machine. The men buy their own black pants, white shirts, and accessories.


MTM: Why so many vendors? And you buy retail?

Linda: I don’t make all the decisions where to buy. That’s up to the Housekeeper and the Faesslers. We go where we know we can get good service, quality merchandise at a good price. If a department store has good, economical merchandise in stock, why not buy it? Sometimes they’re backordered; sometimes the uniform suppliers are backordered. When either of them discontinues a style, I have a time trying to replace them!  

We can get different things from different companies. We like what each one has to offer, so we vary. We haven’t been able to find anyone suitable in this country who can make our alpine uniforms.


MTM: Is that a problem?

Linda: Yes. We tried to have the Americans make them for us once, but it wasn’t the same shade, cloth, quality, sizing or fit as the Europeans’. So, we import the uniforms from Bavaria once a year. I make an order in the Spring, and the uniforms arrive in the Fall.


MTM: Do you mind the custom uniform vs. ready-to-wear?

Linda: Not at all. It is a long time to wait, but part of that is because it’s overseas. We know what the schedule is, and we follow it. Our uniforms must be exact or it spoils the look of the hotels. The American companies had nothing to offer and their quality was poor.


MTM: What’s your laundry routine?

Linda: We send our wool and German made items to the dry-cleaners, the employees do their own blouses, black pants, and the rest we do here. We maintain a full service laundry.


MTM: Do you ever think about a rental service that will clean your uniforms for you?

Linda: No. We like being able to have what we want, and I can do everything right here.


MTM: How do you size your uniforms?

Linda: To tell you the truth, I don’t know how European and American sizes compare, so I just look at the person and start with that. Most things fit pretty well without alterations. I may have to hem a skirt or pair of pants now and then. That’s about it. I always keep a full set of try-on stock sizes for every garment issued.


MTM: What do you do with specially sized people?

Linda: If a person is tiny, I remake a small size to a smaller size. I always order extra, smaller sizes for that reason. If a person is larger, I fit him/her in a bigger size. I’m careful to keep large sizes on hand. Pregnant women fit in larger sized garments. Dirndl skirts are designed to be full, anyway.


MTM: Do the employees like their uniforms? Is it difficult for the housekeeping staff to work in full-length skirts and long sleeved blouses?

Linda: I think they like them. We have minimal complaints, and certainly no one has quit because he/she didn’t like the uniform.


MTM: What about maintenance?

Linda: When an employee is hired, he/she is told what has to be done regarding uniform care. The manager of each department is responsible for the appearance of his/her employees. If I see a garment that is not appropriate, I immediately phone that manager. Employees are to come to work clean, prepared to greet the public. Department managers have their own uniform specifications that must be met. If a person is dirty, he/she is sent to me immediately.


MTM: The Sonnenalp spans 2 continents and has been in business for 80 years. Do you have any final comments, as to the success of these marvelous hotels?

Linda: Our uniforms set us apart from the other resorts. We’re different, even here in Vail, where it’s like an alpine village. Every area in our hotels has its own unique uniform that brings color, style, and atmosphere.

This is a family-owned business, and I feel like I’m part of the family. I’ve been treated really well. That counts for a lot, and I believe that treatment is passed on to our customers.

Rainforest Cafe: Interview for Made to Measure Magazine

ARENA Creative/Shutterstock.com

 8:30 p.m.: Charly Robinson—senior vice-president of operations—manages a few reflective moments about his corporation, its direction, and the significance of uniforms as part of the larger picture. 

A native of Indiana, 43-year old Robinson intended to become an engineer.  He worked his way through college in the hotel-restaurant business, and graduated from Purdue University with a degree in restaurant & hotel management instead.  Married with 2 children, he and his family live in Minneapolis (Rainforest corporate headquarters).

H&A: What exactly is the Rainforest Café? 

Charly:  It’s a restaurant with a supporting retail outlet.  We pride ourselves in serving a diverse menu, which caters to adult and family dining at moderate prices.   Our theme is ecology and environment.

H&A: Whose idea was this? 

Charly: 25 years ago, Steven Schusler, a bird-lover and ecology fan, decided a special way to promote awareness and appreciation of the environment would be to re-create that environment as a restaurant.  He wanted people to sit and enjoy the beauty of our world.  He tried to market this concept of wildlife, and even turned his home into a rainforest.  He would invite people over, hoping they’d like his idea.  In 1994, Lyle Berman, our C.E.O., went to Steve’s house and they agreed on the Rainforest Café.

H&A: Did you turn the house into the first restaurant?

Charly: No.  We decided to open here in Minneapolis--the Mall of America.  We started with 150 seats and retail space for promotion of environmental awareness. 

H&A: Where are you located now?

Charly: We have thirty 300-seat restaurants, with 6 more scheduled to open in 1999.  22 are domestic, under our direct corporate control.  The additional 8 are more like international franchises because of customs, cultures, and laws unique to individual countries.

H&A: That’s terrific!

Charly: We’re doing well, growing, and are publicly traded on the NASDAQ.

H&A: Do you get funding from environmental agencies?

Charly: No.  We have our own Rainforest Foundation that focuses on education and land purchases for environmental use.  Our main goal is to educate people about the rainforest.  We’re not trying to preach, but to teach—children and families--about wildlife and endangered species.  We want to bring people more than a dining experience.

H&A: Do your employees support this philosophy?

Charly: Our mission is to pass on, through families and children, a passion for life and a concern for its survival.  All of our employees are instilled with this idea.  We encourage them to believe in something, as individuals.  I think they have a higher consciousness about our world.

 

Remember, we’re a food company.  We carry our thinking into the dining business by putting out a higher quality product.

H&A: How does this  “higher consciousness” impact your choice of uniforms?

Charly: Uniforms are a very important part of our concept.  They are part of the visual definition of who we are, and part of the machinery of the restaurant.

H&A: “The machinery?”  You still think like an engineer!

Charly: Yes.  A person has to have a product that allows for quick, efficient movement.  It can’t get in the way, has to wear well all day long, be easily cleanable, comfortable, and give its wearer a sense of pride about him/herself.  You have to think—are the pockets easy to get into?  Will a person with special needs—maternity, larger body, disabilities—look as good in this uniform as everyone else?

H&A: What do your people wear?

Charly:  In the front of the house, they wear safari shirts, hats, slacks or shorts, and fanny packs.  We provide the shirts and each individual provides the rest.  In the kitchen, we provide a basic black & white checked chef pant and white chef coat.  Anyone who wants to wear something different purchases his/her own garment.

H&A: Isn’t that kind of a hodge-podge?

Charly: No.  We have very specific guidelines about what our employees wear.  By law, anything with a logo has to be purchased by the corporation.  Other garments may be purchased by the employees.  We set limits on fabrics, colors, styles.  We have a definite look, standards we want to project; a uniform must fit into that projection.  For example, in the kitchen, a chef doesn’t have to wear black & white checked pants.  He/she can wear whatever color or pattern is preferable.  It can be the balloon pants or the slimmer ones.  But they have to be chef pants.  No khakis.

H&A: Have your employees always worn the same uniform?

Charly: We used to have them in polo shirts.  After a while, we decided the safari shirts were more attractive, and people felt special when they wore them.  We didn’t change just to change.  We wanted to look different from other restaurants, and we wanted something that complimented our employees.

H&A: How do you handle sizing?

Charly:  We use a unisex garment, which makes it easy.  For maternity, the safari shirt can be worn outside, instead of tucked in.  Each unit or restaurant has a stock room, and new employees try on the sizes.  We don’t allow anyone on the floor who is not in uniform, looking his/her best.  That’s a good reason for keeping a full range of sizes and clean garments on hand.

H&A: You chose to purchase rather than to rent?

Charly: Renting was never a consideration for us.  With our international restaurants, it isn’t an option.  Domestically, we handle each unit according to state laws and what works best for that unit.  But we always buy.   Handling 200-300 employees per restaurant and keeping track of that volume for rentals is impossible. 

H&A: What about cleaning?

Charly: Again, it’s up to the individual units.  We give them as much independence as we can.  What works well for one city may not for another.  The employees are responsible for their uniforms.  That’s why it’s important to have a garment that holds up well.

H&A: How do you keep track of them?

Charly: Each employee is issued a uniform when hired.  Then, there’s a hold on the last paycheck until it’s returned.

H&A: Do they all come back?

Charly: About 70%.  The rest of them—it isn’t worth the hassle.  It costs us more to track down the clothing than buy new.

H&A: Is there theft?

Charly: It’s never been a problem.  We keep the uniforms in the stock room and the director of purchasing inventories them.  Remember, most of the uniform belongs to the individual.

H&A: What about vendors?  Do you prefer “one-stop shopping?”

Charly:  We do what works.  When we had the polo shirts for the front of the house, we had one vendor.  When we went to the safari shirt, it didn’t work anymore, so now we continue to purchase all of our supplies and kitchen-wear from that vendor, but we have gone to a smaller custom manufacturer for our shirts.

H&A: Is a custom garment a problem?

Charly: No.  We figured out exactly what we wanted, and we found a manufacturer.  Disney, a partner, helped us with that.  We get 4-6 weeks’ delivery on the merchandise, and our director of purchasing here in Minneapolis gets orders from each unit manager.  Our units have the garments drop-shipped to their locations as per need.  We expect our local purchasing people to be proactive, not waiting until the last minute to do the ordering.

H&A: You seem to have given a lot of thought to uniforms.

Charly: Uniforms are very important for us.  Timing is critical.  We’re a director-of- operations driven company, and we pay each unit director good money to run the individual unit.  We provide the trust, support, and responsibility to do the job.  How each individual drives the unit is up to him/her.  Company standards must be met, however.  Every employee must be in a cleaned, ironed uniform, attractively and appropriately attired.

H&A: How is your corporate hierarchy organized?  You pay so much attention to efficiency.

Charly:  The uniform focus starts with the vice president, the director of operations.

H&A: That’s you.

Charly: That’s me.  Then, we go to the vice-president of food and beverage, who handles procurement. From him, to the director of purchasing who is in charge of ordering.  Each unit has a director of operations who oversees the local unit, and that director has a purchasing person whom is directly responsible for uniforms.  It sounds like a lot of people, but it really isn’t.  It’s important the job be done right.

H&A: Earlier, you mentioned the competition.  How do you evaluate it?

Charly: All of our people eat out a lot.  We’re always looking to see what’s up in every aspect of the restaurant business.  Price is important to us, but it’s never our primary concern.  We want to be coordinated with our environment, and we want to be synonymous with high quality fashion, food, and atmosphere.  Our employees feel proud to work here.  We definitely don’t want to look like everybody else.

H&A: You’ve given your organization a huge amount of thought, time, and energy.  That’s obvious.  Is there anything else that you want to add?

Charly: Yes.  We feel our uniforms are a very important part of our restaurant concept.  Unfortunately, uniform manufacturers haven’t kept up with the current trends in fashion and clothing.  They haven’t been as creative within their industry as they could be.  It’s the same old thing everywhere.  Uniforms need to keep up with the styles.  A successful company always wants to go to the next level.

H&A: If you had to pick someone to handle your job dealing specifically with uniforms, what would be the necessary qualifications?

Charly: I’d want someone who is familiar with and knowledgeable about body shapes, movement of bodies and how they work; the look and feel of the operation; the laws of the state for each specific operation; handling and distributing stock.  Uniforms are like anything else—it’s a process, just like food.  You need to know what you need--how much and when, and stay ahead of the game.

H&A: Final advice?

Charly: Do you mean are there valuable life lessons to be learned?  I don’t think so.  It’s a learning curve from where you start—you, the company, and how it works.  I just want to make sure I always introduce everyone to everyone else so there’s a connection.  New people like to be in control, and do things their way.  One of the things they do first is fire the old people and change old ways of doing things.  That’s not always healthy—to change for change’s sake.  If people know each other, and can support each other, the transition is usually more productive for everyone.