Cheap uniforms come at a price
September in the UK always feels like ‘back to school’ time, despite the fact that I’m at work, have not just had six weeks off and have not been at school for quite some time.
Still, the late summer bank holiday has been and gone, colleagues are back from their vacations and the autumn term is upon us.
This puts me in mind of uniform prices, and just as GCSE and A level results rise every year, it seems the cost of a school outfit declines.
Stories abound on the BBC, Telegraph and elsewhere, presumably on the back of research by consumer campaigner Which?.
The report revealed shirts can be purchased for a quid and jumpers for two quid. Off the back of that, experts say that rising cotton and wool prices mean such year-on-year price drops are unsustainable. Isn’t that obvious?
Not only are they simply running out of pennies to take out of the total cost, with prices like that you don’t need any research to realise that someone, somewhere is paying for this.
So should the fact that “kitting out your child in school uniform is cheaper than ever” really be celebrated? I think not.
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It is because suppliers are in perfect competition. That uniform being made in the developing or under-developed countries tend to drag price down. Added to these is the limited selection on sizes.
Perhaps those on low incomes with kids to feed (and clothe) see it a little differently?