Matching together work-appropriate outfits to wear Monday to Friday tends to be a rather stressful and expensive process for the most of us- let alone the investments we make for our weekend clothing attire too. Although having the freedom to choose what we want to wear at work every day is an exciting concept, those who do this will know that the novelty of such wears down eventually- and the financial burden soon takes its toll on our annual free spending. Even more so than what you might think too.
From a business owners’ perspective, you might not have even considered how much of your employees’ incomes are going towards buying office attire. As a business owner, you have the responsibility to ensure your staff are healthy and happy at work- and relieving the financial burden of buying office outfits can go a long way to help show your support.
With this said, here at Jermyn Street Design- suppliers of staff uniforms, we have compared the cost of four clothing stores on the market and calculated how much on average it costs to buy an entire work wardrobe per year in the UK- and just how much money business owners could be saving their staff by opting for a work uniform.
Shirts, Tops, & Blouses
Depending on where you prefer to shop, the price range differs. For those that prefer to shop at the likes of M&S, men’s T-shirt’s are priced on average at £18 for three tees, this being the same price for three bought at Topman.
For women’s office attire, the average cost of three blouses from Boohoo stands at £36. As for clothing store rival Topshop, staff will find the average cost for three blouses’ is £89.97. For an alternative to blouses, the average price of three tops stand at £25.50 in M&S and £29.97 in H&M.
Jackets & Winter Wear
With the colder months approaching, your staff are likely to be investing additional sums of their income on warm wear for the office.
For those formal business meetings your staff have approaching, they could find the average cost of purchasing a men’s smart jacket/blazer to suit the occasion costs them an average of £69 in M&S. As for a more informal alternative for men, two casual jacket’s costs an average of £53.25 when comparing all four stores together.
When it comes to women’s workwear, employees can expect to pay £70 for two casual jacket’s from M&S and £50 at Boohoo. Our data also finds that smart women’s jacket don’t come cheap either, with Topshop charging on average £110 for two jackets and M&S charging £70.
Trousers & Skirts
Regardless of the season, trousers are the ultimate go-to work attire for many employees- and finding a pair that is both office appropriate and comfortable comes at a financial expense.
For men, three pairs of dark smart trousers are valued at £76.50 in M&S and £74.97 in Topman. For women’s trouser choices, the price of three pairs of smart trousers are £66 in Topshop and £43.20 in Boohoo.
Since many opt for a skirt to wear to work instead, these cost on average £105 for three in Topshop and £53.97 for three in H&M.
Shoes
To add the final finishing touch to every work outfit, shoes are what is needed. Whether these be boots, heels, or smart shoes, all add an extra cost to the workwear shopping list.
For the likes of men’s smart shoes, these are valued at around £30 for a pair in Topman and £35 in M&S. As for a more casual choice of footwear, the price of three pairs of casual shoes stand at £90 in Topman and £75 in M&S.
Heels are a popular go-to for a sophisticated contribution to any office outfit. For two pairs of heels in Topshop, this will cost employees on average £52. As for a single pair of boots for a flatter alternative, these are valued at £65 in M&S and £35 in Boohoo.
The Receipt Summary
When broken down, the prices of different clothing garments don’t seem too much of a financial strain. However, this adds up to quite the hefty sum. To show the true extent of such, we have created the following tables.
| For Men | Quantity | M&S | Boohoo | Topman | H&M |
| White T-Shirt | 3 | £18 | £10.50 | £18 | £11.97 |
| Dark T- Shirt | 3 | £18 | £10.50 | £18 | £11.97 |
| Sweat Shirt/Hoodie | 3 | £58.50 | £25.20 | £44.97 | £29.97 |
| Slim Fit Jeans | 3 | £67.50 | £42 | £74.97 | £53.97 |
| Dress Shirt | 3 | £27 | £37.80 | £44.97 | £53.97 |
| Over Shirt | 3 | £58.50 | £42 | £36 | £59.97 |
| Dark Smart Trousers | 3 | £76.50 | £42 | £74.97 | £44.97 |
| Casual Jacket – Denim/Bomber | 2 | £79 | £49 | £35 | £49.98 |
| Smart Jacket/ Blazer | 1 | £69 | £55 | £49 | £49.99 |
| Casual Shoes | 3 | £75 | £53 | £90 | £59.97 |
| Smart Shoes | 1 | £35 | £14 | £30 | £24.99 |
| TOTAL | £582 | £380.50 | £516 | £451.72 |
| For Women | Quantity | M&S | Boohoo | Topshop | H&M |
| Blouse | 3 | £45 | £36 | £89.97 | £38.97 |
| Top | 3 | £25.50 | £24 | £30 | £29.97 |
| Cardigan | 3 | £58.50 | £48 | £89.97 | £41.97 |
| Sweater | 3 | £45 | £36 | £89.97 | £38.97 |
| Dress | 3 | £88.50 | £43.20 | £89.97 | £59.97 |
| Smart Trousers | 3 | £22.50 | £43.20 | £66 | £38.97 |
| Jeans | 3 | £58.50 | £36 | £89.97 | £44.97 |
| Skirt | 3 | £45 | £30 | £105 | £53.97 |
| Casual Jacket | 2 | £70 | £50 | £70 | £39.98 |
| Smart Jacket | 2 | £70 | £48 | £110 | £49.98 |
| Heels | 2 | £45.00 | £32 | £52 | £33.98 |
| Casual Shoes | 2 | £78.00 | £80 | £96 | £33.98 |
| Boots | 1 | £65 | £35 | £35.99 | £24.99 |
| TOTAL | £717 | £541 | £1,014.84 | £530.67 |
As shown above, your employees could be spending over £1,000 of their wages on a work wardrobe alone- and that’s only based off an average too! For many staff, their workwear spending will greatly exceed this amount. Put into perspective, that unnecessary expenditure could be going towards the likes of a gym membership, or a weekend away with the family, or even a new car.
As the end of 2020 approaches, welcome your staff with a new company uniform in 2021 and encourage them to spend their extra cash on something other than work for a change.