Uniforms for Seasonal Employees Without Overbuying

Seasonal staff need to look like they work there from their first shift, and the business needs to avoid ending the season with a box of unused shirts in the wrong sizes. The answer is to order per hire, in their size, as they are hired. Start here: t-shirt maker with no minimum.

What seasonal staff actually need

• Two shirts each for a season of a few weeks. Three if they work five days a week for two months or more.
• One warm layer for winter holiday staff who work doors, parking lots, loading docks or outdoor markets.
• A hat for summer outdoor staff. It is one size, it is cheap, and it makes a team look matched even if shirts vary.

Use one-size pieces where you can

Sizing is the hardest part of seasonal uniforms, because you do not know who you will hire. Hats, beanies and aprons avoid it. A team in their own dark clothes with a matching embroidered beanie or cap and an apron looks like a uniformed team. Then shirts can be ordered once you know each person's size.

Order per hire

When someone accepts the job, ask their size on the same form as their paperwork and order that day. Every piece is made to order and ships in about 5 to 9 business days, so plan on shirts arriving in their first or second week. For a start date that cannot slip, order a few days earlier, or give a hat and apron on day one and the shirts when they land.

Should seasonal staff keep the shirts?

Most businesses let them. Collecting worn shirts back is awkward, and a used shirt rarely fits the next hire. A seasonal worker wearing your shirt around town in January is free advertising. If budget matters, the cost of two tees at $24.99 each is small next to a few hours of training time.

A different look for seasonal staff?

Some stores give seasonal staff a different color so customers and managers can tell who is new. It helps on a busy floor: the regular staff in navy, the holiday team in grey, same logo. Others keep everyone identical so customers trust any shirt they see. Both work. Pick one and stay with it.

Timing for the holiday season

Retail and delivery businesses usually hire in October and November. Order a sample in your chosen colors now, then order per hire as they come in. December carrier volume slows deliveries, so do not leave the last batch to mid-December.

Budget per seasonal hire

Two classic tees ($24.99 each) and a dad hat ($24.99) is about $75 per person before shipping. Add a hoodie ($39.99) for outdoor winter staff. Compared with uniform rental, there is no contract and nothing to return. More on avoiding rentals in uniform programs without a rental contract.

Related reading

The retail store uniforms post covers floor, delivery and warehouse roles. For turnover-heavy teams, ordering around staff turnover has more ideas.

Is there really no minimum?

None. One piece is a real order at normal pricing, with no small-order surcharge and no setup or digitizing fee. Every piece is made to order and ships in about 5 to 9 business days, and that window is the same for one piece or a few hundred. On eligible garments, volume pricing applies automatically once you order enough of the same item, usually starting around 25 pieces.

See the merch in real life

Real garments, printed and embroidered to order.