Avoid Last Minute School Uniform Shopping

February 13, 2018

With the new school year due to start in 2 days’ time, the Consumer Council of Fiji is urging parents to avoid last minute shopping for their children’s school stationaries and uniforms. As far as school uniforms are concerned, the recent fire which affected the operations of one of the largest suppliers of school uniforms for most schools, Lotus Garments National Uniforms, simply means parents need to arrange uniforms immediately. Lotus has been the preferred supplier of uniforms for most schools according to their past advertisements.

In a recent survey done by the Council, it has been established that there are few major suppliers who have stepped in to the sudden vacuum created by unforeseen removal of Lotus Garments National Uniforms from the marketplace. Suppliers such as CK’s Easy Buy, M. Bhagwan and Hare Ram Traders are producing the bulk required to fulfil the market demand and solely relying on them and few others could lead to delays and disappointments. It was also found that there are number of shops selling common uniforms such as white shirts and khaki pants.

Parents are therefore encouraged to get their focus on children’s school attire first and ensure that prior to Monday 15 January, 2018 the uniforms are ready. If parents opt for stitching then they must engage tailors who can deliver on time and with quality work. Parents must ensure uniforms are stitched according to the patterns or the designs set by the respective schools so that the colour, and other intricate aspects of the uniform complies with the particular school’s requirements.

Furthermore, the Council wishes to advise parents to do an inventory check on last year’s school items before going out shopping. This includes last year’s uniforms, bags and shoes as some of these may still be in good condition which can be reused in the new school year. The same applies to school stationaries such as rulers, rubbers, pencils and so on. If these items can be reused than there is no need to purchase new ones.

Parents must also start engaging their children regarding their financial circumstances so that children don’t influence school shopping with their list of ‘wants’. Focus should be on the school needs and parents need to draw up their list with an allocated budget in order to avoid overspending.

The Council urges consumers to be responsible shoppers by also comparing prices of items while doing the back to school shopping this weekend.