Shopping around for rental uniforms can be mind-numbing. A typical shopping experience could expose you to prices that vary by hundreds of dollars per week. It can leave you scratching your head, wondering how one company could charge $200 while another charges just $50. Rest assured that uniform rental is one industry in which you truly get what you pay for.
Uniform providers cannot charge their customers the rack rate for uniforms every week, explains Utah-based Alsco. Charging rack rate would make uniform rental unaffordable. So providers have to charge enough to cover their weekly costs and put some profit in their bank accounts.
Like any service, customers are paying a bill commensurate with the level of service they desire. Alsco says that when you rent new uniforms, you are paying for the following:
Uniform Quality
Whether you are talking hospital uniforms or industrial workwear, quality comes at a price. Higher-quality garments cost the provider more at the time of purchase. As a result, the rental price is higher as well. Providers have to be able to cover the cost of purchasing uniforms over the life of each piece of clothing.
Customizations
Should you require customizations, the work involved in those customizations is added to the rental price. Customization involves things like embroidery, patches, and so forth. The nice thing about customizations is that they can really make a difference in terms of uniqueness without substantially increasing rental price.
Laundering
It is not uncommon for business owners to forget about laundering when they are comparing linen rental with purchasing their own. Or they are considering the cost of laundering, which leads them to require employees to launder the uniforms at home. When you rent, the provider handles the laundering.
There are some advantages to this arrangement. First of all, it is in the linen provider’s best interests to make sure garments are laundered in such a way as to minimize wear and tear. The more life they can get out of the garments, the less money they spend purchasing replacements. Employees tasked with laundering uniforms themselves have no incentive to protect the clothing.
Second, renting linens from a company that provides laundering services virtually guarantees clean and fresh uniforms on a regular cycle. You never have to worry that workers show up for their shifts in uniforms that are dirty and wrinkled.
Replacement
Next is garment replacement. When you purchase your own uniforms, you are also responsible for replacing garments that are worn out or damaged beyond repair. Renting is completely different. Your rental price is good for the entire length of the contract regardless of whether or not garments have to be replaced. When replacement is necessary, the provider handles it automatically.
In cases where damaged articles can be repaired, mending takes place at the provider’s plant. Once again, this is something the employer doesn’t have to worry about. All mending takes place before garments are sent back out the door for delivery.
Delivery Service
Last but not least, renting uniforms means having them delivered right to your business on a regular schedule. There is no more convenient way to ensure your employees have the uniforms they need, when they need them. If any changes are required, you simply contact your provider. They can add new uniforms, take away uniforms, or adjust the delivery schedule to accommodate changes in your operations.
Renting uniforms means paying for everything you would otherwise pay for separately. You are paying for the uniforms themselves along with laundering, mending, replacement, and so on. It is well worth it for most companies.
