Landscape Uniforms Rent vs. Purchase
The main thing to take into consideration when Renting Landscape Uniforms
- Promote your brand
- Increase customer loyalty
- Ease any security issues for landscapers on job sites
- It makes your workers look and feels professional.
Who Pays For the Uniform?
- In Washington, the employer is responsible when the uniform is mandatory.
- The issue can be skirted in the food service industry if the employer requires the employee to wear a plain white shirt or black pants.
The big decision is to rent vs. purchase
Rental contracts are generally ironclad and last for at least five years. If the rental cost is $9.00 per week, this amounts to $450.00 per year. Multiple that by the length of the contract can get somewhat costly. Then purchasing becomes a real option.
Uniform shirts bought by the employer will generally cost about $24.00. Above all, it is recommended to have the employee take the uniform home and wash it. This could amount to big savings for the employer.
Some thoughts regarding renting are
- What set-up charges are there for new employees?
- What if an employee doesn’t bring his uniform in to be washed? You will pay for the service when an employee forgets to bring a uniform in for laundering.
- Are there extra charges for big-sized employees?
- How much extra for a rush order?
- What are the extra charges for changing styles?
- Do you get new uniforms or recycled ones from another company?
- How extensive is the selection to choose from
- Cintas is expensive
- How often and what cost to change styles or colors?
Purchasing your uniform has benefits.
- The supplier can do rush orders in 48 hours or less.
- DTG printing allows orders to be decorated as low as one piece.
- You can change styles anytime
- Choose a different uniform each day of the week
- Include your employees in the decision process
- No more laundry bills
- Northwest Custom Apparel has your apparel to outfit your landscapers.
Contracts Are Difficult to Terminate
Uniform Rental contracts are brutal and difficult, if possible, to terminate. Above all, the length of these contracts is generally five years. Once signed, the business owner has made a definite financial commitment.
I was at a customer of our office this morning, and he was terminating his contract for uniform rentals with a major rental company. For this reason, he was so upset with the service and how they would hold him liable for fulfilling the contract terms. As a result, during the life of the contract, he experienced the following problems.
- The sizes ordered never matched the sizes delivered.
- Names we misspelled on the uniforms.
- Being charged for damaged uniforms.
He was distraught whenever he complained to the route driver; he responded, “talk to your sales representative.” He never knew his sales rep because turnover was so frequent that the company made the route driver into a sales rep.
This business owner was smart and documented every instance where the rental company created a problem. The complaints accumulated so much that the rental company realized they had a severe problem and agreed to release him from his contract.
Because Northwest Custom Apparel was friends with the owner, he called us and asked what options were available. In conclusion, our response suggested that he purchase his uniforms and require his employees to wash them at home.
Additional Benefits to Purchasing Your Uniforms
A one-time charge for the uniform (pants and shirt)
• The uniform will last more than a year with regular washing and wear.
• The ability to change styles frequently.
• Outfitting a new employee in a matter of days.
• The price includes embroidery
• The average pant and shirt would cost around $45.00 compared to the expensive weekly rental costs.
As a result of all this Northwest Custom Apparel has one happy customer.
