Expenses having a habit of creeping up out of nowhere when running a business these days, with so many examples being anything but predictable. Even in certain examples like work uniforms that should be pretty obvious, it’s common to find yourself staring down the barrel of a pretty hefty expense the likes of which can put a real strain on things at the worst possible time.
The good news in this instances however is that according to the uniform embroidery experts at RS Farmah, uniform costs are something that can indeed be brought well and truly under control by any proactive business. In terms of both short and long-term savings alike, there’s much that can be done to avoid overspending and ensure that this investment at least is one that will pay dividends going forward.
Here’s a look at just a few key examples to illustrate the point:
1 – Shop From One Source
First and foremost, it’s almost always good practice in the business world to build links with one specific supplier in order to take care of one respective requirement from top to bottom. In the case of work uniforms for example, this would mean buying everything that’s needed from the same place and/or relying on one provider to take care of customisation. The reason for this is the way in which bulk orders are almost always offered at preferential rates, as are repeat orders requested further down the line. It also makes it a hell of a lot easier when you only have one third party provider to deal with.
2 – Keep it Simple
There will always be those who assume it’s wholly necessary to be as loud, brash and complicated as possible when it comes to things like branding and marketing, when in reality the opposite is often the case. The same also applies to uniforms as when you think of the world’s most memorable brands, they’re often instantly identifiable from either a single letter or a choice of two, maybe three colours. Not only will simple design choices as far as your uniform choices go make your brand more memorable, but the less time and work that has to be invested in making them, the cheaper they’ll be to boot!
3 – Consider Partial Customisation
One tried and tested approach for keeping costs down when sourcing uniforms is to forego the idea of creating a full top to toe look and instead looking at something much simpler. For example, instead of having a full three-piece look put together in accordance with your brand’s unique specifications, why not instead go for a simpler, more elegant embroidered emblem on a series of polo shirts? Not only will the latter save you a small fortune in uniform costs, but chances are it could well come out looking better than any other option on the table.
4 – Buy Well the First Time
Chances are that when you begin looking for the right service provider to do business with you’ll come across a range of options and various different pricing levels. The thing here is that while there’s no sense in paying over the odds or more than the market average for uniforms, you can’t expect to get good quality products for next to nothing. It’s always tempting to go for the lower-end examples just for the sake of saving money, but over the long term this is something you’ll regret. The reason being that you’ll end up replacing the uniforms so often that chances are it would have been cheaper to buy quality items in the first place. So, you’ll be spending more for lower-end products, what’s the point?
5 – Price Promises
Last but not least, the very last thing you want to have to deal with is the prospect of having a large and important order filled only to then find out further down the line that you have been well and truly ripped out. It can and does happen, as there will always be those that exist for no reason other than to capitalise at the expense of their customers. This can of course be a tricky one to nail…as in determining the best and worst providers ahead of time…but you can look after your own interests and your investment by only ever dealing with those that offer concrete price promises and satisfaction guarantees across the board. The peace of mind alone you’ll take home as a result is too valuable to put a price on.
