Professional Choice Uniforms Blog

As our catalog and website will tell you, we have been around since 1989.  The evolution of the medical uniform industry has really shaped how we operate as a manufacturer and as a supplier.  Besides the obvious changes in colour and style trends, we have been working on becoming more receptive to customer feedback – and have been using this information to design and manufacture our new products.

We will be posting updates to keep you in the loop in regard to the changes we are making, and the direction we are going.  Our catalog was recently redesigned to make it easier to browse through our products.  The descriptions and the renderings of the different styles have been put together – to create a better understanding of what each product will offer you.  Products on our website have also had their descriptions changed to mirror the catalog – so that you can comfortably shop either online, or by phoning in your order.

All of us here – from the owner, management and our support staff are all very conscious of our spending – and we feel that our customer base is likely the same way!  With that in mind, we spend countless hours sourcing durable, long-lasting fabrics, and we have our fabric dyed to exceed the expectation required of garments which are washed daily.  We don’t want you to wear out your scrubs, and we make sure that proper quality control measures are in place to catch problems before they arise.

As part of our branding project, we will soon have a stronger online presence, which will be there to give you insight as to our regular operations and the tasks we perform to ensure that our customers are satisfied.   We recently attended a seminar about small business development in this changing market we are in, and were asked:   “What disappoints our customer the most about us?”  – This question really sticks out to us, as the answer gives us an opportunity to improve and grow as a company, and as people.  Having said that, we encourage and greatly respect any feedback provided to us.  If we have disappointed you recently, or in the past, please get in touch and let us know.

Thank you for your continued business, and for thinking of us first when you are purchasing your uniforms.

Brock Abel
General Manager
Professional Choice Uniforms

Hashtags: #scrubs #uniforms #identity #branding #customer #appreciation

Well, we’re do for a makeover.  Coming soon – Our newest catalog – A whole new look and feel to our paper catalog, to compliment a handful of great new styles.   With all of the changes we have gone through as a manufacturer, we are proud of all of our products we provide you with, and we decided to upgrade our look!  Check your mailboxes sometime early/mid September, and tell us what you think!  We’ve said it before, but most of the changes to our products, website, ordering system, and more – come from feedback from our customers.  We strive to provide quick, helpful, informative service when you speak to us on the phone – we understand that we cater to a busy customer base.  As many of you have seen & used our online ordering through http://www.professionaluniform.com , we’re now available 24/7 through there.  If you have questions but don’t have time to call us; just email!  We usually get back to you within a couple of hours (except for weekends).

Check back here on our blog, or on our Facebook page for more updates to come in the next couple of weeks.  We will put out preview photos of our new products, and we are very excited to have them available soon!

If you have been waiting on a backorder for our ever-so-popular Silky Soft 777/888 Body Flex Scrubs, great news! – Almost all of the colours will be reloaded and ready to ship next week.
If there is anything that we can do to make your uniform purchasing experience either, please let us know.

If your school, facility, clinic or hospital still allows wrist watches – Chances are they will soon be prohibited!  To curb the spread of bacteria and infection, most institutions will no longer allow the use of wrist watches.  We are aware of this, and have 23 different options for pin on lapel watches.

Easy to read, and designed to be pinned on to your lapel or pocket, our watches come in 5 different styles and an assortment of colours.

Need a grad gift for that special someone?  All of our watches come nicely packaged in this gift tin.

Click to check them out, or find out more information.

It’s that time of year again!  Now that it’s officially summer (so they tell us in Victoria!), we are doing our annual scrubs clearance sale.  Just like before, racks upon racks of clearance products will be available for you to browse and try on.  The best deals will be when you buy multiples, and a sampling of these deals is posted below:

• Select Scrub Sets –  SAVE 48% – 2 sets for $30.00
• Assorted Discontinued Scrub Sets – SAVE 66% – 3 sets for $30.00
• Select Pant Separates – SAVE 48% – 2 for $20.00
• Assorted Solid colour tops  – SAVE 63% – 3 for $20.00

Styles only available in store.
Availability subject to change.
Offers valid only on products in stock.
Cash or Debit ONLY.
Promotional prices and incentives only apply in store, and do not apply to mail/online orders. 

If you have questions, please call us locally at 250-370-2004.

Owner ‘outraged’ NSNU uniform contract went to N.B.

Topics :

Nova Scotia Nurses , Capital District Health Authority , NDP , Nova Scotia , Windsor , New Brunswick

A small business owner in downtown Windsor is baffled by Capital Health’s decision to award a $500,000 medical uniform contract to a company in New Brunswick.

Heather Donohue, of HENS uniforms, says business started slowing at her shop on Gerrish Street in April 2011, when it became clear a new uniform policy was in the works that would require members of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union (NSNU) to buy new scrubs.

What wasn’t clear for months, however, was what those new scrubs would look like — and who would supply them.

“Nobody knew what they were going to be able to wear… so they just stopped buying,” Donohue said in an interview from her shop.

She said the uniform contract negotiations made it difficult to order stock for RNs, LPNs and nurse practitioners. By December, she had noted a 90 per cent decline in the sale of medical scrubs from the previous year.

To cope with the lost revenue, Donohue says she had to layoff one full-time employee, and demoted another worker to a casual position.

When the nurses union voted in favour of its members wearing black and white uniforms at the end of October, the Capital District Health Authority, issued a call for bids on behalf of all of the health districts in the province for a three-year supply contract worth $500,000 annually.

Midway through the tender process, Donohue withdrew her bid.

“I found it difficult to be competitive on price for several reasons: we pay more tax, we pay high fuel costs, we pay outrageous power costs,” she said, speaking as a small business owner in Nova Scotia.

Donohue says can accept that she was unable to contend with larger businesses in the tender process; what she’s struggling to comprehend is why the project went to tender in the first place.

“It was unnecessary to go out to tender on this project. They could have very easily written the policy that says, ‘This is how you have to look — black pants, white shirt, it has to be a uniform — here’s your $100, go buy.’”

Instead, each NSNU member will be granted a $100 allowance for purchasing scrubs from Maritime Laundry and Textile Products in Riverview, N.B.

“As a taxpayer, to watch my money leave the province at no benefit to the Province of Nova Scotia, I was outraged.”

In a letter addressed to Hants West MLA Chuck Porter, Donohue said she wants answers.

“I would like to invite representatives from Capital Health, the Minister of Health and Wellness and the NSNU to visit my store. I would like them to look me in the eye and justify their decisions. I would like them to personally see what they’ve done,” she wrote.

Porter, a Progressive Conservative MLA, says he’ll be pushing for answers from the NDP when the legislature reconvenes in the spring.

“My opinion is that spending taxpayers’ money outside of the province does nothing to help the local economy in Nova Scotia,” Porter said.

“I have no idea what they were thinking, whatsoever. It is absolutely the wrong direction. There is no question about that. This is disgraceful, in my opinion.”

Porter says the NDP missed a perfect opportunity to support small businesses throughout the province.

“They could have given the nurses $100 each… and said go purchase your uniforms locally.”

Capital Health spokesman John Gillis said the contract was awarded to a company that offered the best price, and had the ability to meet the supply needs of about 5,000 people.

“The value of the contract was expected to be about $500,000 regardless of the supplier based on the allowance of $100 per nurse. By having one vendor, the province was able to obtain the best possible pricing for the uniforms based on the volume of uniforms purchased,” Gillis wrote in an email to The Hants Journal.

“As a taxpayer, to watch my money leave the province at no benefit to the Province of Nova Scotia, I was outraged.” – Heather Donohue

Gillis noted that staff will be able to purchase up to four full uniforms, depending on the style selected, and some of the work will be sub-contracted to a company in Cape Breton.

In his explanation of why the uniform contract went to tender, Gillis said, “The district health authorities have been working together to combine their purchasing power in order to reduce costs, be more efficient and make the best possible use of taxpayer dollars funding the health care system. In the first year of operating a Group Purchasing Organization, the districts saw approximately $5 million in savings.”

As for business at HENS, Donohue says her goose isn’t cooked yet.

“From a business perspective, it is a struggle… but I’ll make it. I’ll readjust and reevaluate and diversify yet again,” she said.

She has opened a consignment section for old scrubs NSNU members can no longer use to help the nurses sell their old uniforms. Damaged scrubs will be recycled and used to make caps for chemotherapy patients, and quilts to donate to hospital fundraisers.

Donohue says support from CCAs, vets, dentists and chefs has kept her afloat in the slow period, but she hopes to see her old friends with the NSNU back at HENS soon.

“I really hope that the RNs that are involved are still able to shop from my store. I’ve bought for them. It’s hanging here; I hope they can buy it.”

Click the link Below for the original article.  Sourced and quoted  from “The Hants Journal”.

http://www.hantsjournal.ca/Business/2012-02-07/article-2888049/HENS-takes-hit-in-tender-process/1

Happy new year to all of our existing, and new customers!!

We have increased our shipping charges for 2012.
Please see below for the changes:

1 – 8 Items – $9.00     (was previously $8.15)

9-18 Items – $15.00      (was previously $13.00)

19+ Items – $25.00     (was previously $22.00)

These changes are to reflect the increased cost of shipping, which has been gradually rising over the last few years.
This is our first increase to our shipping charges since 2007.

We look forward to serving you this year!

Finally our #550 Pant, #402 Top, #405 Top, and #407 Top are in stock!  5 Colours, all in our new Poly/Cotton/Spandex fabric.  These look great!! Check them out on our website by Clicking Here.

So as we all have heard, Canada Post has locked out their employees and we are in a postal halt!  To any of our customers in BC, we have partnered with Total Delivery Systems to continue shipping through BC.  However, outside of BC, our alternate shipping provider is DHL.  For smaller orders, it simply does not make sense to use DHL as their costs are much higher than Canada Post’s.  Having said that, we expect that the postal service will be governed back to work next week, and there will not be any further issues shipping orders.  If you have any concerns about your order, or about an order you are placing now, feel free to phone us and speak with us.  Otherwise, we will continue business as usual, and will make sure you receive your purchase as soon as possible!

We’ve lowered prices even further on some of our Scrub Sets!  Sets from $10.00, and up.  Check it out!

Click HERE to see our Sale Section