Today, an increasing number of schools have begun to enforce a strict uniform policy. The new uniform policy is meant to make it easier for parents to get their kids dressed up for school and ensure that a child’s financial status does not cause problems for other children. However, shopping for a school uniform can be both stressful and difficult depending on what type of uniform policy your child’s school has enforced. There are some schools that will stress that you buy your child’s uniform from a particular retailer but this often always means that they are receiving a kickback, something for which you’re paying extra. The best thing to do if you want to save money is to search for and buy your children’s school uniforms online.
Internet helps you save money
The internet can help you save some money off every purchase. The best thing about the internet is that it gives you an opportunity to compare prices offered by competing uniform vendors. Also sites like eBay allows you to find used and often cheap school uniform. Free uniforms or cheap ones can also be found by posting an ad on websites like Freecycle and craigslist or even joining an online uniform exchange program. Since, children grow fast when they are below ten years old there is no point trying to buy the best quality uniform. You’ll also find that used uniforms for kids that age are in relatively mint condition.
Never shop in the fall
Shopping either online or offline for school uniforms in the fall means that you’ll be spending a lot more money because its expensive during that time of the year. This is because retailers know that parents are shopping for uniforms for their kids and so the prices are raised and the chances of a discount are few. So, by avoiding a purchase during the fall and opting to purchase in winter or spring you can stand to save around 75% for the next school year.
Check the online store’s return policy
The really strange thing about the majority of online stores that sell school uniforms is that they have a rather strict return policy. The return policy does not cover if the uniform is either too large or too small for your child, it just covers defects and damage during shipping. This is why before you opt to purchase from a particular online seller make sure to check their return policy. Ideally, you should be able to return a defective uniform or one in which the size in incorrect.
Double check the size
Now because many online school uniform stores will not accept if you return a size that you ordered because it was small you need to take every measure to ensure that the size is right. The important measurement points is the neck, arm length, waist and length of the pant. Once you have these noted down, take a look at the size map that most sellers will post to make sure that the size is right. An inch longer or half an inch wider is fine because it will give your kid some wiggle room but not any smaller.
Colors need to be chosen wisely
When shopping for school uniforms online you can save more money by choosing the fabrics and colors more wisely. If the school offers a choice between a dark and light color, blue, or tan, its best to sick with a darker tone. Now because your monitor may not always display colors precisely as they are take note of the pantone color code of the dress, and match it with what the school will allow. Usually schools will allow darker colors as opposed to lighter ones. Also the added benefit of darker colors is that stains do not show up easily on the fabric.
Also choosing between a lighter and heavier fabric will dictate what you pay. Lighter fabrics are cheaper as compared to heavier fabrics. Fabrics that have been especially treated to resist stains are a bit more expensive.
Always buy less
Less is a relative term so Lowes School Wear recommends that parents just buy a maximum of three uniforms for one school year. This will allow for the child to continuously be able to wear a clean uniform and it will compensate for any tears and stains that may ruin any one pair.
Mark has been a school district administrator for over twenty years. He is an education industry veteran and is the author of numerous guides and blogs. A lot of the work he does is to address various aspects of education in Australia which includes buying school uniforms online and offline.
