AIBU to wonder if people are too proud to buy second hand school uniform

[KittenFace]

Posting here for advice…

At a recent PTA meeting (primary school) I suggested a kind of a Uniform Bank, where parents can donate their DCs outgrown uniform to be sold at a greatly reduced price (i.e. 10p per item) for PTA funds.

It was not met with much enthusiasm, the general consensus was that people would be too proud to buy second hand. My argument was that it would be best for the environment, it would save waste, raise PTA funds and make uniform more accessible for those families who may be struggling. I know basic uniform items are fairly cheap, but if you have a big family of kids who (like mine) often come home with holes in their knees or the unremovable pasta sauce stains on their shirts, I’m sure something like this would be really useful. Especially for items with logos. I hate having to buy new trousers throughout the year, when they're harder to get hold of as limited sizes are stocked in the shops. It's especially infuriating towards the end of the school year!

My question is- would you use a uniform bank like this? Or does your school already have one? (if so I would love to hear all about it, and if it is a success)

Thanks Mumsnetters!

My daughter goes to ballet that uses a local private school hall and their second hand uniform shop does a roaring trade (it is open on a Saturday at the same time as her class). It’s interesting that there seems to be less interest in second hand in poorer areas.

I ran a second hand uniform community swap shop this summer. It went well with approx 40 families from many different schools coming along, loads of other people brought old uniform but had already bought the stuff for their children this year. It was all free and we've been asked to do it again at Christmas as well as next year. We had people attend for environmental reasons and for economic ones. It was a huge amount of work though, I had my washing machine on 3 times a day for almost a week. Then everything had to be checked for holes/marks, sorted and sized then put on hangers, it took hours.

My DCs school has a second hand uniform PTA shop but they sell things expensively and not in great condition so not many people buy them- £25 for a shiny and pulled blazer (costs £30 new).

Middle class areas love second hand uniform swaps. I thinks it's because you are helping cut waste save the environment rather than being thought of as too poor to buy it.

All my DC schools have a second hand inform sale. Funny enough at the primary school it was probably the wealthiest that were in there picking up the second hand bits. I am always a little bemused why those with less don’t do the same... my DS has a friend whose DM only bought new despite struggling for money

I think it's a good idea, but what I would do is grab the least worn items and make them into packs to be handed out at the teachers discretion. Teachers will know who will benefit.
Personally I dont think any of my DC uniform would be fit to be donated it's all covered in marker pen and looks terrible after a years use. I'm not even passing down jumpers and polo shirts from ds1 to ds1!

It’s very common in independent schools. The PTA mums were in on Wednesday sorting through all the new donations ready for a sale next week.

Agree that this is a stupid class thing. The financially comfortable, middle class Mums I know (of which I'm one) love a bargain and aren't remotely bothered by their DCs wearing faded, 2nd hand uniform. I'm off to do a charity shop traul this weekend with a friend who is a consultant on a very healthy salary, but she also loves a chazzer or eBay bargain.

we hold regular sales of uniform at our school at curriculum meetings, events, summer fair etc. It's always really popular and it's sold for reasonable prices i.e. 50p, £1 etc. - FWIW it's a village school in a pretty affluent area and bought by people with all different circumstances.

I am not a snob about second hand at all, however I wouldn’t buy second hand uniform. Mainly because it’s worn day in day out, I buy all new in September, shoes termly or when needed, and a top up in summer! Most stuff is too worn to be sold on.

We have one. I bought ALL my kids’ uniform from it apart from shoes and kitted our three kids for £14.50 in total. It’s brilliant. anyone who won’t buy second hand uniform is daft.

The only time I bought second hand uniform was when my ds had a month left of primary school and had ripped his jumper. I got one in perfect condition for 50p instead of the tenner charged for the new ones. I felt like an idiot for not buying the second hand stuff before.

But yes I do think many people are embarrassed... certainly at my dcs school. The second hand uniform sales are always very quiet.

Our PTA does this too. Things are generally 50p (its a primary and no blazers) The secondary my eldest attends also has a second hand shop and a fb page for it. You just message them to ask if they've got so -and -so in this size and they have a rummage (no idea who 'they' is!) and charge what they think is appropriate.
I think its a great idea. DS1 has grown out of his blazer after 1 year, but its fine for more wear. I'm keeping it for DS2 but if I didn't have a younger child I'd donate it to the school thrift shop or whatever its called.

Thanks for all of your responses, this has definitely given me some food for thought. I hate waste of any kind and the thought of the amount of perfectly good clothes going to waste makes me feel ill!

I'm generally not a snob about second hand kids stuff. But seeing the state my kids come home in every day, I would be skeptical about the condition of it all. I don't buy logo uniform either though. I refuse to spend £10 on a jumper when I can get two plain ones from Asda for £5.

It probably depends on the makeup of the school. We have this at our school - there are regular sales, but you can also ask in reception if desperate and someone will let you buy something. It's great, especially for jumpers which have to be logoed and have to be ordered from a company. I had to resort to the cupboard last year after my boy lost all of his jumpers in the space of a fortnight- it's a big school and they just never turned up. Our school has quite a large catchment and big diversity in family income and backgrounds. There are plenty of families who need this, and plenty of others who are able to donate. If your school is in a well off area I can see why it might not be needed.

My kids primary and secondary private schools had second hand sales . Very popular I think .

We have them. Always busy. Problem is they have hardly any girls blouses....I think they are indestructible so get passed from family to family directly l. Mine are about 6 years of use in and still looking fine!

At both my children's independent schools, secondhand uniform was a big thing and had been for years. I rarely bought new for my children. Why would you at an age when children shoot up and sometimes outgrow garments in seemingly a term?

When they left, I gave what we had left in reasonable condition to the secondhand shop and still occasionally receive cheques for small amounts, two and four years later. The secondhand shop also sold lost and unclaimed calculators and geometry sets, etc.

I ran the second hand uniform for a bit at DCs school (private). We took 25% of the sale proceeds, although quite a few parents just donated it. The Junior school had regular sales throughout the year and made about £2000 for the PTA. The senior school had just the one and made a similar amount. Having said that the uniform was expensive - especially the vast number of very very expensive PE kit items all massively logoed and over designed in multiple colours - so most parents were really pleased not to have to pay full whack for it.
It was a lot of work though - even with a brilliant team of helpers it took a couple of hours to set out and the same again to pack up and then I had to sort out the money for parents etc.

It may be that the parents who attend a PTFA meeting may not be representative of the parents as a whole.

Our school had a very basic second hand uniform sale with the clothes on a table outside the office before school a couple of mornings, a flat price per item and you just dropped the money to the office. The logoed stuff did sell, the other items that are generic were actually a bit overpriced, so didn't.

Most schools have a shop selling second hand uniform. It's sensible, children outgrow clothes so quickly.

My DD's private primary school did this. It was run by a member of the PTA, who was available two afternoons a week for half an hour after school, and also at Christmas/summer fairs. They ran it so that the donor got most of the sale price, with the PTA taking a commission. Or the donor could agree that the PTA could have everything!

I’ve always had the impression that middle
Class people are much more likely to buy second hand - people who are genuinely poorer may feel more need to “keep up appearances”? I mean I buy almost everything secondhand, and am open about it, but then we’re quite well off so I don’t need to worry that people will think I can’t afford new.

Maybe spin it mainly as an environmental thing. Fast fashion is the second biggest driver for climate change, so we should all be massively reducing the amount of new clothes we buy, reusing, repairing and passing on the clothes we already have.

If it’s presented as an environmental step rather than to save people money then maybe people wouldn’t feel embarrassed to use it?

I think the more affluent the school and area, the less bothered parents will be to buy second hand. They dont have anything to prove.
It wouldn't work in the deprived areas I have worked in, there is an importance of 'showing' you have money, even though you have none. This is where you will see children in 'chavvy' designer gear, it's always been the same. Years ago it was the amount of gold you put on your children.

We have one. Well used. Affluent area.