Call them scrubs or nursing uniforms, when it comes to replacing your soiled medical workwear, you usually need new ones pronto. I mean, who plans ahead for such things, amirite??
If your uniform selections are looking thin, and you just finished back-to-back shifts dumping emesis basins like you were bailing a doomed ship, soiling your last good uniform with who-knows-what, don’t freak out.
This is no time to lose it.
The solution is simple. You need at least one pair of decent scrubs in the right color, and you need them reasonably fast.
There are a few paths you’ll want to avoid solving this problem and one sure-fire path to fresh nurses scrub enlightenment you should hop on immediately. Please continue…
Beware the “uniforms warehouse”
While hitting the nearest warehouse uniform liquidator — huge selection, bargain deals — might sound like the most efficient use of your day off, there may be a few reasons to reconsider that idea.
For the record, there are a few actual businesses named “Uniform Warehouse” or some such variant. That’s not what we’re talking about in this case.
No offense intended to REAL businesses using this as the proper name of their business. We’re talking about the general concept of a large warehouse distributor of uniforms, the kind that may or may not be a permanent business, buuut probably isn’t.
They’re often clearinghouse for factory seconds, last season’s styles, and overstock discounts. Think T.J. Maxx, but with terrible lighting and mean employees.
In any case, you’d better be sure what they’re up to. If they are only in the business of selling out of their inventory and then moving on, you’ll have no recourse when you try to return or exchange your scrubs at a later date.
Also, don’t expect that the team in place will have your best interests at heart. They were hired on the fly to move inventory. These are not happy employees. They resent you for making them have to work there.
The problem with the “uniform store near me”
Better than a pop-up warehouse retailer, uniform stores have reputations to maintain. You will generally find nicer employees, even the occasional owner who works there, but niceness is not guaranteed.
Still, if you’re a savvy Googler, you can vet that information from home. In this day and age, one can weigh local retailers using a number of online tools, Facebook, Yelp, Google, and the rest.
These search tools come with their share of pros and cons.
On the pro side, you can compare and contrast stores based on their reviews. If you have endless time — you don’t — you can leaf through those reviews, picking the disgruntled customer from the thoughtful one to figure out which reviews have true merit.
Then you can compare and contrast the reviews to the final score in order to decide which stores most deserves your hard-earned Bitcoins. That’s a valuable use of your time, right?
On the con side… Whatever you find about their online reviews, it doesn’t mean they’re gonna have what you need, even if you’ve calculated with Jedi accuracy which is the best location to shop.
Stores deal with inventory issues all the time because they’re managing with limited storage space. When sizes and style run out, it takes time to replace them.
It’s a matter of Murphy’s Law that they will have every size of the style you need, except for the one you need… because you’re in a hurry.
There is, however, a better way…
Start with the best scrub brands
Before you search for the right retailer, consider which brand you prefer. The internet is awash with options on which scrubs are the best.
You likely have your own opinion. You may work someplace that only allows you to wear certain brands.
In any case, you should start first with the brand. This will eliminate many of the places you would otherwise waste your time shopping.
Lest you think this blog is leading you down the primrose path to “All Seasons Uniforms is the only best choice for you,” bear in mind that this recommendation might lead you away from us.
We carry two brands, Landau, and Fashion Seal, both of which we stand behind because year after year they stack up better than the rest. They suffer the fewest complaints if any.
If you need a brand other than Landau or Fashion Seal, don’t let us stop you from buying inferior scrubs. (Joking, joking…)
Scrub brands tend to build loyalties. Experienced nurses stick with their favorites like folks stick with shoe companies or underwear brands.
Comfort and confidence in your scrubs matter. We couldn’t agree more with that sentiment.
Why we like Landau scrubs
If you have the option or preference to wear Landau, consider yourself lucky. Few brands will combine professionalism with comfort and durability better than Landau.
They’ve been making scrubs for half a century.
If you have any doubts about the loyalty of nurses with their favorite scrubs, look no further than this snippet from the first line of Landau’s mission statement: “… to build long-term relationships with our customers…”
You can’t stay in business for half a century without building a loyal following, not in the tight-knit community of nurses.
These are the scrubs you can wear over and over, wash after wash, without worrying that you look like a hayseed. That saves you time and stress in the long run.
Not to mention, appearances matter to your career. The way you look to your fellow nurses matters as much if not more than the way you look to your patients.
But why we also love Fashion Seal scrubs
If “half a century” reads as impressive, consider that Fashion Seal is coming up on a century of scrubs in 2020. They’ve also been ranked by Forbes as a top 100 company for trustworthiness.
Despite the fact that Landau and Fashion Seal both have venerable origin stories, having both started small and built up over time, they aren’t the same brand. But, both are great workwear companies.
In fact, because we carry both, we’re able to offer a nice variety of scrubs.
Fashion Seal edges out Landau in one way that matters to buyers. They offer more variety, giving nurses more styles to choose from.
That matters, because who wants to look like everybody else? It’s hard enough to stand out amongst the sea of blue smocks at the hospital.
Fashion Seal gives you that slight style variance so you can match the rest of the team, but still demonstrate some individuality. You are, after all, a unique contributor. Your uniform should reflect that.
Between the two brands, most nurses will find something that works, something they can trust for years to come.
Buy from an online retailer because it’s 2018
You’re not dumb. If you’re not shopping online, you’re part of a shrinking minority, around 20 percent of Americans.
If you’re reading this, you’re likely in the larger piece of the pie. You understand online retail. You know what to expect. It’s common.
Why should shopping for new scrubs be any different? You shop, you sort, you add items to your cart. Then you check out. It takes minutes.
Even your payment information is already loaded in most cases. It couldn’t be easier.
Days later, if not sooner, your new nursing uniform arrives. You just saved time, money, and hassle. More importantly, you didn’t have to leave the house and deal with retailers, not even nice ones.
If you were really slick, you did it all with a beer in your hand because who can do that digging through racks of clothes at a store or warehouse?
What other reasons does one need to shop online?
What you should expect from online scrub retailers
Again, there are many online retailers for workwear. We know this fact better than anyone. It’s our business, one we’ve been in since before there was such a thing as online retail.
We haven’t been at it as long as Landau and Fashion Seal, but give us time. We’re getting there, building our own origin story.
We started with just a few simple uniforms way back in the 90s, a family business started with family money, and run on family sweat equity.
Makes for a great intro, huh? We’re still that family-run company.
If you run into a snag, which happens from time to time, you can anticipate we’ll be here to do everything we can to make it right.
You don’t have to find someone selling American values to find an online retailer that fits your needs. Shop around. See what’s out there.
Whether you’re searching for nurses uniforms or a new barn coat to wear over your uniform, we’re confident you’ll come back to All Seasons Uniforms for the best from Landau and Fashion Seal.
Find your ideal nurses uniform
About the Author
Nick Warrick
Nick Warrick is the Sales Manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with hundreds of clients across 20 different industries. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Information Technology, Nick revamped the company’s online presence, offering its customers a new uniform shopping experience.