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Uniform Police?


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Thanks, Twocubdad, for calling me a gentleman.

 

Actually, National has no desire to put Nationally owned Scout Shops in every council. The national stores are located in major metropolitan areas -- high volume. The closest to us are in Milwaukee and Chicago.

 

We also have two official Scouting distributors in our Council -- retail establishments that carry Scouting merchandise that is part of their inventory through an agreement with National Supply. They carry far more uniforms than we have available in our small Scout Shop. We sell mostly badges and books. Distributors are not allowed to sell badges.

 

We do have an excellent relationship with the national scout shop in Milwaukee and they send us stuff within 24 hours if we need it. We also keep maps to their store in our trading post because it's only about 30 minutes away from our office.

 

DS

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Our local situation is apparently different. All the retail distributors have dropped their Scout department. I knew one of the store owners and she said she gave it up because BSA dictated both the wholesale and retail prices and the margins were too low, and because of the BSAs return policies, she ended up being stuck with everything that was returned to her, unless it was defective.

 

Unfortunately, our council (or maybe I should say our SE) has a poor relationship with the surrounding national stores. When the national stores first opened, they ate our council store's lunch. Better location, service, hours of operaton and selection will do it every time. Of course the natural response to competition is to improve you own game, right? F'git abattit! Instead we got policies requiring that all our advancement be purchased through the council shop and a lot of blather about how we're taking dollars out of the council.

 

I'm sure national has a business model for opening a local store and it doesn't include covering every location where a council hangs three shirts and a stack of handbooks. But from my limited experince, in the locations where they do operate stores, they are a great improvement.

 

 

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I'm not sure how we got to here.

Still.

We have a small Scout Store in our Scout Service Center. The Lady who runs it is one of the most helpful and for some reason one of the most popular people in that building.

As well as the store she looks after a lot of other stuff.

Maybe I'm a little odd, but I have never really cared too much about the look of the uniform. I like to know that it is clean and in good shape. However it isn't something that I wear for its' looks.

Not being an odd size, I can as a rule wear anything off the peg. However this past year or so here in my part of the world we have had a increase in the power of gravity. That or our donuts have smaller holes? In any case I have become a lover of the elastic band in the back.

It is true that I have been heard to moan and groan about the cost of some of the uniform parts. Mostly when I have to fork out money for OJ's uniforms. One day he will stop growing!!

Still I moan and groan when I fork out for soccer boots and other trendy gear.

When I hear myself doing this. I try to remember how important the trendy gear was when I 15.

I think how proud I am of him being the school captain of the soccer team.

I try to think how much cheaper a Scout uniform is then all the bad stuff that he could be spending money on.

When I look at it this way I soon settle my hash.

Eamonn

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Ed, you post as if the BSA has never altered the uniform in response to the volunteers and that is an inaccurate picture and you know it.

 

The uniform pants have changed several times in just the last 10 years. Do you honestly think that they will never change again. The uniform has been in a constant state of change for over 90-years. I think the majority of scouters are like Eamonn when it comes to the uniform. We do not wear it for style or function or even comfort. We wear it as a symbol of who we are and the program we believe in. Most of the times when you are in uniform it is only for a couple of hours.

 

Given time we will probably see an entirly new uniform and then a million or so of you can find something new to complain about. Because Ed when you deal in numbers this large you can never please everyone.

 

Bob White

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Although you can never please everybody, you can please more people if you offer more options. Of course, you have to be motivated to do so, and it's hard to motivate a seller who has no competitors. Here, it seems to me that BSA is missing an opportunity to sell more pants to adults, and to promote more complete uniforming.

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" But at least I can try on the short sleeve version and then order in the proper size, the long sleeved one from the catalogue - KNOWING that it will fit correctly."

 

Not necessarily true. I have a long sleeved shirt and a short sleeved shirt. The long sleeved shirt fits like a sack and the short sleeved is getting snug. Yeah, I know "Lose weight and both will fit like sacks."

 

 

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Nay, not a kilt. I'm for wearing of trews in the BSA tartan with two front pockets and two back pockets. The front pockets should be of the set in variety.

 

I find cargo pockets useless for me, I just don't like stuff banging on my knees.

 

(This message has been edited by Fat Old Guy)

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