Top 10 Ways the National Chains Make Money From You.

Typically, 1 in 3 companies will switch to a local uniform and linen company after using a national chain. Local uniform and linen companies are able to provide personalized service for your businesses uniform needs in a way national chain cannot. If you have been using a national linen chain for your business uniforms, there may be extra unnecessary costs that are costing you money and putting it in the pocket of the national chain.

1. They have multiple prices which increases every year.
2. They sometimes have their annual price increase after only after 11 months, not 12 months.
3. They overstock you so you pay for inventory that never gets used. (The route person gets paid a commission, so their pay goes up.)
4. Their garment maintenance programs are costly and don’t cover everything.
5. They look for garments they can replace so they can charge you high rates for damage, such as tears, rips, stains, and more.
6. They want your employees to quit so they can charge you their high rates for lost garments the former employee may have taken with you.
7. They want your employees to quit or you to hire new employees so they can charge high rates for garment preparation, name, and emblems for your new uniforms.
8. If you have questions or concerns about your uniforms and linens, it takes longer for a national chain to contact you and address your concerns.
9. They may only change the mats “as needed”. They still charge you whether they change them or not.
10. They love setting you up on paper and chemical programs so they can charge you weekly. You have no way of knowing if they actually do the service each week.

*Each of these items may not apply to all of the national chains.