Work expect us to look like models

[Coldpop]

I've started a job in a clothing store where staff wear their own clothes.. or so I thought. No. We have to wear the clothes that work sell and we only get 70% discount. We have to have everything from work, top bottoms and shoes. We also have to wear stuff from the current season, so every 3 months we are expected to buy more tops bottoms shoes as we can no longer wear what isn't being sold in store. I'm on a 18 hour contract, barely over minimum wage. I can't afford this! I'm a mum with a mortgage. Clothes in my family have to last us till they need replacing. I also think it's very wasteful to have to constantly buy clothing. At the least to be able to buy the cheapest stuff from work it will cost me about £80- 100 every 3 months. It's not exactly a cheap store. There's posters up all over the staff room telling us to inspire customers with our outfit choices, that we have to be stylish at all times!. Im used to dressing smart for work.. but Im going to feel mugged every 3 months that I have to part with my wages to be an advert for my employer. I've just started, I've had no wages but I've been asked to sort my outfit choices as soon as possible. Don't know what to do. Is this the norm in retail now?

I remember having a Saturday job with Laura Ashley in the 70s. Even as Saturday staff we were allowed to have a free outfit every 3 months which was to be worn at work although I think they did change this. I think expecting someone on minimum wage or a part time contract to purchase new clothes every three months is appalling and just shows how low paid workers are viewed in the UK today.

I had no idea this was the norm, and I think it is unreasonable.

If a retailer requires its workers to wear their brand, I think they should provide it.

I am probably better off than the OP but I doubt I spend £80 every 3 months (I tend to use ebay and charity shops). To do so to enable a PT job at minimum wage seems very unfair.

OP could you look at jobs in other types of retail, not clothing? Which won't have this requirement, snd nay also provide a uniform?

£80 every three months absolutely is a lot of money/downright unaffordable to a lot of people.

Personally I think if stores want to impose this type of dress code they should provide an allowance as well as the discount, as pps have said some stores do. Even then, it seems awfully wasteful of clothing, but then so much in retail is about waste, sadly.

I was chatting to someone who works in Hobbs. They have a similar policy (I think it's long been the norm in most fashion retailers, it's certainly what I remember from friends who had Saturday jobs as teenagers) but they're restricted as to what styles they can wear, it has to be classed as workwear, so they don't get the huge discount on all the lovely party frocks. That's the bit I think is unfair, they should give you a 75% discount across the whole range.

River island goes up to a size 28 now

I agree having to update everything every three months is unreasonable, particularly the shoes. I think shoe shops such Clarks provide four free pair of shoes a year. I would see if you can get away with not buying at least the shoes every three months. They might not notice or say anything and if they do hand in your notice because it's ridiculous.

I can't believe retailers still get away with this. Staff should be given trousers / skirt and a top.

If you are low wages the cost of buying compulsary work clothes cannot take you below minimum wage. DS1 got an unexpected £50 bonus to account for the black shoes and trousers he needed for work

Très it like a uniform. If only 18 hours per week, just buy one outfit and wear the same every shift, shoes don’t change unless someone picks up on it. Try to buy bland unpattened stuff which you might get to wear across different seasons, or wear a cardigan new in winter over a summer top.

It's probably illegal to make you spend money on what is effectively a uniform before they have even paid you too.

I used to work for LK Bennett and we were given basic black clothes at the start of each season (nowhere near enough if you were full time to see you through 5 days a week) and expected to buy a full price pair of heels at 70% off each season. We weren't allowed to wear flats. Any uniform top ups had to be purchased.

Jigsaw gives a uniform allowance based on hours worked, twice per season. So a full timer might get something like £350 in August and then another £250 in October to see them through AW. They also had a staff discount of 50% off nearly everything.

LKB was much more about being glamorous, Jigsaw was more celebratory of individual style. But they did go through a phase in the Peter Ruis years of wanting everyone to look like models who worked in Whistles and had an active recruitment policy around this (unofficially)

Is this actually official company policy ( i.e is it in your contract or the employee handbook), or just something the store manager wants? Because if it's just an unofficial store manager rule, you can request that you only change outfits every 6 months explaining the dent on your finances. If it's a contractual obligation, then it may be worth still asking the store manager for an exception or then finding another job. I suspect companies do this because they know these jobs are sought after by people who would love to change their outfits every 3 months and don't care for the expense. I used to work in the head office of a fashion retailer and even the commercial buying teams would be so competitive and bitchy about outfit choices, that if you weren't always on trend, you'd be judged. It wasn't an official policy, just the culture and a lot of fashion brands attract that sort of person I suppose.

OK I don't want to miss the point of the thread but what shop are you working in that one or two outfits cos £260-£320 working 18 hours a week you wouldn't need more than one pair of pants and two tops surely?

Sounds normal to me. My daughter worked in clothes retail for a few years and had a large discount in order to buy clothes to wear at work. Some seasons it was a struggle to find something she liked, but the clothes were very nice.

I take he wasn't on 18hrs a week at minimum wage then 🙄

£80 every three months updating your wardrobe isn't excessive

It bliddy is!

Particularly the way the price of everything is rocketing at the moment, and even more particularly for someone on P/T hours.

I doubt I spent £80 per year on clothes!

Reiss? Ralph Lauren? Hobbs? Whistles? Me and Em? There are so many where just a top is £100+. And don't forget it includes shops from the store as well.

It's the norm in any clothes shop. Staff in Joules and White Stuff always wear their clothing and Cath Kidston staff used to. Perhaps look for a different kind of retail job if it doesn't suit? There will be lots of seasonal vacancies coming up from September. M&S and John Lewis staff wear actual uniforms so they won't have this issue.

*shoes

Can you work somewhere else?

I've worked in retail and never had to do this - only place I've seen it is in places like Reiss where all the employees are dressed like they're a a nightclub.

Zara gives you a uniform. Jojo Maman Bebe gives you a uniform. Selfridges gives you a uniform.

It makes sense that you wear the retailers clothes, but having to change every 3 months seems ridiculous.

Expected to wear a suit is not the same as this
Firstly you can buy a suit from primark, or second hand. You can borrow your mates/dads/brothers suit. And you aren't being asked to replace it every 3 months. You have options.

Again paying for a uniform you aren't expected to replace it every 3 months

It may not be OPs style, or clothes she needs. £80 every 3 months maybe reasonable if we take into account coats, jumpers, socks pants. But the store may not sell the clothes OP needs and OP should have the option of saying no workwear for a bit if she can't afford it. Or buying cheap/second hand workwear

This is not reasonable i, especially if it takes you beneath minimum wage. It doesn't matter if its the done thing or other stores do it, its not reasonable to expect your employees to spend money they don't have on clothes they don't necessarily need. A voucher for 'uniform' every season would be more reasonable if they want employees to wear their clothes

Also its clearly not the norm in clothes shops as the majority of retail employees on this thread say they get a uniform or uniform budget

It maybe common, but clearly plenty of shops manage not to do this

True but not in every store, and it may be that staff are restricted to clothing in the store as the discount usually has to be applied by the manager.