Clive Mark or Early Years

[Manon]

Any views as to which is the best to go to for uniform? Or are they pretty much of a muchness? CHB is our destination if it makes a difference.

Thank you!

[um]

I have personally found Clive Mark a nightmare for CHB and CHG uniform.
I've also given up trying to get my younger dc primary uniform from them and have resorted to generic plain jumpers, etc, as that's also allowed.I did pop in last week to buy a pair of grey trousers in age 10 for dc4 and it says something about a uniform shop that they had absolutely none in stock in any design.
They have very few CHG items in particular in stock and when you order things, they take payment immediately but it then can take up to 4 months of chasing up (yes, it took just over 4 months for a skirt) and many phone calls to actually get the item.
If you do order things in advance, please keep a very careful note of your receipt and the phone number to chase them up on!
The staff are very friendly but they just don't have the stock.

Although I can walk to Clive Marks, I tend to drive to Early Years now for CHB and CHG uniform.

[JamesDean]

We have no choice and have to go to Early Years - real pain but parking has always been easy

JD

[kenyancowgirl]

Although, to be fair to them JD, for both my DS's I have only ever been to Early Years once - right at the beginning for the full kit out. After that we can just call them and they deliver, free of charge, into school every Tuesday - I just order the next size or next but one size - if it doesn't fit, they send another one the following week. No real effort on my part!!

[ToadMum]

I have personally found Clive Mark a nightmare for CHB and CHG uniform.
I've also given up trying to get my younger dc primary uniform from them and have resorted to generic plain jumpers, etc, as that's also allowed.I did pop in last week to buy a pair of grey trousers in age 10 for dc4 and it says something about a uniform shop that they had absolutely none in stock in any design.
They have very few CHG items in particular in stock and when you order things, they take payment immediately but it then can take up to 4 months of chasing up (yes, it took just over 4 months for a skirt) and many phone calls to actually get the item.
If you do order things in advance, please keep a very careful note of your receipt and the phone number to chase them up on!
The staff are very friendly but they just don't have the stock.

Although I can walk to Clive Marks, I tend to drive to Early Years now for CHB and CHG uniform.

Are the items required for these schools something very esoteric, only available from one factory in New Zealand which manufactures its goods according to the phases of the moon? Or are they items made by one of the mainstream companies, merely requiring a bit of machine embroidery to add the school's logo somewhere along the way?

If the latter, I would be very suspicious of the financial health of a supplier which takes money up front but apparently cannot themselves obtain the goods to supply you with for such a long time.

[JamesDean]

Although, to be fair to them JD, for both my DS's I have only ever been to Early Years once - right at the beginning for the full kit out. After that we can just call them and they deliver, free of charge, into school every Tuesday - I just order the next size or next but one size - if it doesn't fit, they send another one the following week. No real effort on my part!!

Unfortunately my experience of delivery to school has not been so successful, KCG, with things being lost and never arriving! Hence my journeys to Shirley ...

JD

[booellesmum]

I ordered a pack of cream blouses 30" from Clive Marks last year. They had 28" and 32" in stock but no 30". After months of waiting and chasing up I was finally told that the manufacturer they use only produces shirts in bulk. Clive Marks wouldn't order at that time of year in bulk just to get my one packet of blouses so I was waiting for them to do a bulk order ready for the next school year. In the end I cancelled and got some from Gogna.
Having said that everything else from them has been fine and they have sent skirts off to be altered when they didn't have the right length in stock.

[mike1880]

We used Early Years for CHB and KEHS, iirc it's possible to order online as well. We never had any problems with delivery to school. The only issue I remember is that it gets absolutely heaving towards the start of term, I turned up one day to pick something trivial and they had a bouncer on the door - I had to wait for someone to leave before I was allowed in

[sky111]

Who is making the profit on the mark up of the 100% polyester CHB house jersey at £27.95? Looks and feel cheap compared to FW jersey.

[mike1880]

Just buy a plain black one from any supermarket. There are only a few items of sports kit that need to be CHB specific.