From the outside looking in, many business owners struggle to see the benefits of uniform rental. Doesn’t it make more sense to just buy your employee uniforms? Isn’t a one-time cost better than a weekly fee? Well, not quite, because even when you purchase uniforms outright there are weekly costs: cleaning, repairs, and replacement. So which makes more sense again: renting or buying? Let’s look at the Return on Investment.
Calculating Return on Investment: Why Uniform Rental Makes Sense
As a business owner, everything comes down to money and your potential return on investment.
The Benefits
The benefits of uniforms remain the same whether you buy them or rent them. There’s a reason why more than 32 million Americans currently wear a uniform to work each and every day. In the business word, image is everything. It all comes down to perception. If your employees are dressed in clean, fresh uniforms, the perception is one of professionalism, organization, reliability, and consistency.
- 55% of a stranger’s first impression is determined by physical appearance: clothes, according to “Why first impressions are so persistent,” a University of Western Ontario study published in Science Daily.
- 55% of workers believe someone wearing a uniform is more productive, according to “Ipsos Global @dvisory Reuters / Ipsos Poll Workplace Attire July 2010.”
- 60% of potential customers agree that uniformed employees come across as better-trained and more knowledgeable, according to “Ipsos Global @dvisory Reuters / Ipsos Poll Workplace Attire July 2010.”
- Employees with high morale are 89% more likely put in extra effort and extra hours at work, according to a study by Bright Horizons.
The Costs
This is where buying vs. renting really clashes.
- Clothing: It all comes down to Initial Cost vs Weekly Fee. When you buy your uniforms outright, you will pay a one-time fee (or so you think). When you rent your uniforms, you pay a weekly fee. But this fee covers a lot more than just your uniforms…
- Cleaning: With uniform rental, laundering is covered as part of your contract. Your uniform rental company will pick up your uniforms, launder them, and drop off clean uniforms on a weekly basis. When you purchase your uniforms outright, you can either trust your employees to clean their own uniforms (no guarantees), or handle everything in house. The latter means paying for equipment, cleaning supplies, and labor, which can all add up fairly quickly.
- Repairs and replacement: With uniform rental, repairs and replacement (as part of normal wear and tear) are covered as part of your contract. When you purchase your uniforms outright, you will have to handle repairs yourself, or watch as your employees walk around in tattered uniforms.
- Changing Workforce: With uniform rental, you can adjust your contract on a weekly basis. When you purchase your uniforms outright, you will need to buy a new uniform for every new employee. And if you are in an industry with high turnover, this can significantly add to your uniform costs.
As you can see, that “one-time fee” for purchasing your uniforms outright really isn’t so cost-effective after all. Before you know it, the cost of purchasing uniforms has surpassed the cost of uniform rental, cutting into your return on investment.
Uniform Rental with Lord Baltimore
For a Flat Weekly Fee, Lord Baltimore will pick up and deliver your uniforms on a weekly basis, as well as handle cleaning, maintenance and repairs, and replacements as part of your contract. While other uniform rental companies offer you high tech solutions that speed up their processes, improving their bottom line, Lord Baltimore offers proven, dependable solutions that will help your business succeed. This is why we are confident our ability to provide you with service above and beyond uniform rental industry standards.
Our high level of customer service, coupled with our affordable prices has made us the go-to linen provider throughout Maryland, Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Southern Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
To learn more about how Uniform Rental can help improve your business, please contact Joe Bateman at Lord Baltimore by calling 800-292-1224 or visit LordBaltimoreUniform.com. We also handle towel rental for gyms and salons; apron, towels, uniforms and mats for restaurants; and uniform, shop towel, fender cover and mat rental for manufacturing and automotive industries.
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