By Diane Crosby

There are worlds of differences between uniform stores and non-uniform law enforcement retail shops. I don’t pretend to know the ins and outs of the uniform business, because we have never seriously delved into that side of the trade. Selling standard uniforms requires an advanced amount of specialized expertise and entails alterations, embellishments, and sizing. Kudos to those who do that work!

We consider our retail store uniform-adjacent. While we do not sell standard duty uniforms, we do stock a vast array of products which relate to the uniform industry, as well as more casual duty clothing. Our products support the individuals who wear uniforms and clothe those who dress in polos and khakis. Most of what we offer is considered ready-to-wear, although we do some basic hemming, embroidery, and transfer printing.

For those in a business such as ours, your importance to law enforcement, military and other service personnel should not be understated. There is a vast need for items such as insignia, footwear, gloves, caps, outerwear, wallets, safety vests, badges, name plates, ties, gear bags, duty belts and all the pouches and holsters that adorn them. There are shops that do not sell uniforms but focus on weaponry. Some, like ours, only offer knives, batons and pepper spray as weapons but do carry holsters for a variety of guns. None of these are uniforms per se, but they are certainly uniform-adjacent!

It is important for a non-uniform shop, however, to understand the uniform industry and its trends. While not on your regular rotation, you can occasionally attend a convention such as the NAUMD (National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors). You may find some useful vendors who display there. Primarily, you can network with uniform distributors to learn about their concerns and issues to better understand the products you need to complement theirs.

Having a working relationship with uniform shops in your area can be a win-win situation for your store and those shops. Often, we refer customers we cannot help to a uniform store nearby. Likewise, they send customers to us when they do not carry items the customer requires. We have even functioned as a measuring center for distant uniform businesses after receiving training on measurement procedures.

It is also a wise move to learn about your regular customers’ uniform needs since so many of the items that go with those uniforms can be sold in your store. Keep open the lines of communication with the departments you serve to learn when styles are changing and what you can do to help supply what they need. For instance, if you know your local police department has hired a new chief, meet that person and offer your services. Often a new head will prefer an updated look, such as silver rather than gold insignia. You can be the one to supply new items. The more you communicate with chiefs, sheriffs and those in charge of buying, the more chances you will have to be on the selling end of uniform accessories.

Since we do work closely with departments, we are the ones they come to when they decide to change their officers from standard uniforms to a professional polo or battle dress uniform style shirt and multi-pocket pants. We can order these from several manufacturers and often have exactly what they need on the rack. We visit the ANME show, SHOT show, Off-Price show and even gift shows to get ideas on the products our customers might need or want. We are an idea shop for many of the departments we sell to. When they see our mannequins dressed for law enforcement, they see the possibilities for their own staff.

As a non-uniform store, we also feel completely free to stock gift-type items related to our target professions, such as decals, jewelry, toys, decorations and much more. We dedicate a small portion of our store shelves to these products, whichs help us with our bottom line while supporting a sense of pride in the jobs our customers do. These are not items you would often find in a standard uniform space, but they fit right in our retail store.

Another advantage to being a uniform-adjacent store is the vast majority of our items can be purchased by the general public, which allows us to have an open-door policy. If a product identifies the individual as law enforcement, we restrict it to those with appropriate identification. Our shelves and racks, though, are full of clothing, gear and gifts anyone can purchase. Among the most popular non-uniform items sold to the public are flashlights and knives.

If we are somewhat involved in assisting uniform sales, why wouldn’t we jump full-scale into the business? It is not just that we prefer to stay in our lane, though that is true. Selling uniforms is an entirely different animal than retail sales. My husband/business partner estimated that it would take five or more years of arduous work to learn the uniform business. Margins are thin, and there is much competition. It takes volume to make ends meet. Uniform sales would require additional skilled staff, inventory and space. We have opted to do what we do best, leaving the uniforms to those with a lifetime of experience. It is the business model we prefer.

It can be tempting to leap into the uniform business when observing the volumes of clothing going out of the door of a uniform store. Until you are willing to make the investment required, both in capital and education, you may want to refrain from diving in prematurely. In the meantime, focus on your customers and what they need that you can supply. The more you listen and assist customers, the more goodwill you will build for the future, whatever that may be!

 

Diane and Wiley Crosby own Red Dog Outfitters in Forsyth, Georgia. They have been in their “retail lane” for 24 years and are happy there!