Eamonn 61 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 The mailman came today with my new Boy Scouts of America Official Retail Catalog. I have always been a proponent of uniform. To this end I have ensured that OJ has always worn a full Scout uniform yes even the pants. Now that he is a member of both the troop and the crew he has been after me to buy him a Venturing uniform. I thought that this would be no big deal. We are not poor and can afford a few of life's little extras. I really have no idea what clothes cost. I tend to buy what I need when I see it on sale. Most of my shirts cost under $20.00 and pants cost about $30.00. I am not a great fan of Wal-Mart or K-Mart, nore of a Sears type guy. So I open the catalog. A Venturing shirt:$31.40. I can live with that, maybe a little more then I would pay, but as I say I tend to buy my shirts when they are on sale. Venturing Pants:$65.65. Now this seems to be out of line. I know that pants don't cost $65.65. But then I got to the socks I just bought a pair of super duper Timberland socks that have all sorts of things going for them. Wicking and all that good stuff. I paid $4.50. Venturing Socks $13.50 a pair. That is so far out of line that it isn't funny. Venturing is for an age group where a lot of the youth are buying their own clothes and a pair of socks costing $13.50 is just not right. I am aware that Venturing does not have to wear the official uniform, but I can't help feeling that these prices are out of line. I bought a pair of Columbia pants at Gander Mountain that were priced at $29.00. I got them with 30% off. At these prices I wonder how many people will buy? Eamonn Link to post Share on other sites
dsteele 20 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Eamonn: I don't disagree that uniform parts (particularly Venturing uniform parts) are expensive by normal retail standards. The Venturing stuff -- pants, sox, etc. seem particularly well-made and hearty. In fact, I had to drag my venturing shorts behind my car for three weeks and bury them under my front lawn for three seasons before they were soft enough to bend at the thigh, but that's a slight exaggeration. However, take a look at the labels on the price comparisons you made. You'll find that most of them were only assembled in the United States (the fabric and parts came from other parts of the world.) National Supply will only buy and sell 100% American made products produced by Union Labor. It's an economic axiom of sorts -- limit your supply and you raise your cost. Higher costs means you sell at higher prices. And the profit margin on uniform parts is below retail margins. National supply makes money on recognition items and accessories, but not much on the uniforms. DS DS Link to post Share on other sites
eisely 13 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Learned something new... I was not aware that the uniforms are all assembled in the US by union labor. I really don't mind all that much, given what the uniform is supposed to represent. Is any reader of this now surprised at the cost of the uniforms? Link to post Share on other sites
Fat Old Guy 11 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 " was not aware that the uniforms are all assembled in the US by union labor." It's too bad that the quality isn't there. Link to post Share on other sites
Proud Eagle 13 Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 That is the problem with most competitive contracts. If all it is based on is the lowest bid someone will produce a low bid counting on the fact they can cut corners on quality. The same thing shows up all over the place. School construction, power plant repairs, home remodelling... it doesn't matter, there are always ways to cut corners and not get caught until it is too late. The union label also seems to meen less these days than it once did as far as product quality goes. Now if BSA were smart it would have made the various uniforms using the same design and only changed very small things from one to the other. In that way they could have economies of scale. Venturing pants could easily be made for less money if they shared a patern with Boy Scout pants and the material and thread colors were all that changed from one to the other. Though taking that just a bit farther it would be even better if BSA only produced one patern/color combination in any given size. Link to post Share on other sites
Eamonn 61 Posted January 7, 2004 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 I would think for $13.50 a pair Mrs Bush would have had to have a part in making these socks. That is $1.30 a toe. Maybe I need to jump down turn around pick a bale of cotton, jump down turn around pick a bale a day - Better make that two bales so I can afford the socks. Eamonn Link to post Share on other sites
ManyIrons 10 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Have you seen the new price for the Wool Jac-Shirt? It's jumped to $150+ -- about a 1/3 increase (depending on the size) over last year's price. I've seen comparable items at other retailers for roughly the same price, but I'm not going to be laying out that kind of dough anytime soon. Well, at least not on me -- there's Valentine's Day (only 38 days away fellas!) and Mrs. ManyIrons has a birthday in March. Link to post Share on other sites
hops_scout 9 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Sweet!! That means only 41 days until my birthday;) Thanks for counting that out ManyIrons.:) I got our catalog yesterday as well as a new Campmor catalog:) So what do you guys think of the new catalog? I hope to get me a coil bound FieldBook for my birthday as well as maybe some t-shirts and such.(This message has been edited by hops_scout) Link to post Share on other sites
andrewcanoe 10 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I HAD been hoping to get a Red wool jac with the money my folks gave for christmas but I'm not sure I want to spend that much money on a coat I wouldn't wear every day. Are they that great? I know they are a staple with the "old guard scouters" in this council but I wonder if I'll ever get enough wear out of it, I'm already close to 40 and only have 4 or 5 decades left on this earth. I should have bought it back when I was a scout and I would have had it 1/2 worn in by now. Link to post Share on other sites
dsteele 20 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Andrewcanoe: Thanks for the softball. Yes, the red wool jak-shirt is well worth the money, even at your advanced age of nearly 40 the same age as I am -- nearly. I bought my first red wool jacket at Philmont when I was 13 years old. Gave it to my little brother (in Big Brothers Big Sisters) when I had outgrown it at the age of 30. I bought another one -- I forget the price -- but it was a bit too small. My non-scout-father-in-law admired it and he was a bit smaller than me, so I gave it to him for Christmas. He wore it until his death some ten years laster. I bought my third one ten years ago (my father-in-law died last year) a year ago and still wear it on days when the temperature is between 35 and 55 degrees with my uniform. I've used them as pillows, towels, blankets, etc. They are good jackets. I also know of a couple of well rounded, long-term volunteers who were told to buy one when they were recuited . . . and told that they couldn't quit until it wore out. They're still involved in the program. What's wrong with me after wearing out two and still going, I don't konw. But I suggest that you buy one and can't quit until it wears out. Outgrowing it doesn't count. DS Link to post Share on other sites
Fat Old Guy 11 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Red Jackets, very pricey. The price just went up to $150+. Other Woolrich Jac Shirts run about $60 to $70. I got mine on ebay for $35. Looks like new. Link to post Share on other sites
Eamonn 61 Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 Let me see Red Wool Jacket or eleven pair of Venturing socks with maybe an odd one so that I could have a spare the next time the dryer eats one? Go for the jacket!! Eamonn Link to post Share on other sites
ManyIrons 10 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Eamonn I agree, it would take way too long to make a jac-shirt out of all those socks Link to post Share on other sites
Eamonn 61 Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 Maybe not if you "Toe the line." Sorry it was too easy. Eamonn Link to post Share on other sites
ManyIrons 10 Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 One could even say it was "sew" easy! Darn it! I wish I had thought of that one! Link to post Share on other sites
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