AIBU to think that school supplier is charging far too much for for uniform?

[shelsco]

DS2 starts secondary in September and the school has changed its uniform to one with a blazer, jumper, tie etc. DS1 is at the same school but until now has had the old uniform. I've just been online to price up the cost of a blazer and tie for each of them, 3 jumpers each and a P.E. kit for DS2 and its come to £169. I haven't ordered trousers or shirts yet as I was going to get them from supermarkets and obviously they'll need coats and shoes. I also have 2 younger children who are at the primary school but as they don't have to have the logoed stuff their clothes should be cheaper.
Is it just me, or does the cost of the secondary school uniform seem extortionate? I'm sure it didn't cost anything like as much last year for the uniform for 4 of them!
What does everyone else pay?

[Justforlaughs]

3DCs, two the same size - no chance of hand me downs (even if DS didn't wreck everything within a week or two!) and younger DS chose to go to a different (better) school! - no chance for hand me down their either. £13 for poloshirts, £22 for school jumpers, £37 for rugby/ pe tops, etc, etc. I think that last year I spent about £900 on uniform, including rugby boots, trainers etc. I don't care if it's getting too small, they will be wearing it again this year! (well, maybe not the boots! )

[ThreesyDoesIt]

xihha fussy daughter's that know what they want and are fussy about where I buy from as they don't like to have the same as everyone else.

[Xihha]

Ah, yeah, fussy daughters would explain it. I'm horrible so I would just choose it for them, which is probably why my daughter always asks Grandma to take her clothes and shoe shopping.

[meedja]

Have you tried the local charity shops? My 3 y/o starts nursery class in Sept, school charge £12 for logo-ed sweatshirt, Tesco charge £8 for the same, I picked up an identical, perfect one in the Sally Army shop for 25p.

[shelsco]

Yeah I have checked the charity shops but had no luck, I think as the uniform has only just changed last year there hasn't been time for it to get into the shops. DS3 is the same size as DS2 so I won't be doing much handing down either!
Looked at the Teso logo service as a cheaper option but our school isn't registered so that looks like a job for next year.

[trinitybleu]

25 years ago, my blazer cost £125, and we were supposed to have 2 ... god knows how much they are now.

[lljkk]

Bus fare for DD to attend this school will be > £500/yr so the uniform is seeming like a small issue to me.

[meditrina]

If they have a blazer and have to wear it, then you don't actually need logoed jumpers. The logo simply won't show.

You can either buy a plain jumper in the right colour, or use a base layer that doesn't show through the shirt, when the weather is cold.

(DSes go to a school which has a logoed jumper, the only one mentioned on the uniform list, but which is easily avoided by methods above).

[Dazza67]

School uniform is a little cheaper for skirts and blouses on this page on eBay

Charcoal Grey Kilt Skirt Girls School Uniform

[BarbarianMum]

I think £169 sounds OK. They getca lot of use out of it untilbthey start growing like mad.

[Trb17]

zombie thread