How to Offer Premium Scrubs Without Doubling Your Uniform Stipend
Premium scrub brands have changed what clinicians expect from the scrubs they wear. More staff now ask for the fit, stretch, and fabric they’ve seen from leading direct-to-consumer brands. For the people managing the uniform budget, the question is how to meet those expectations without the stipend climbing every year.
A managed uniform program makes that possible. When your store offers a mix of brands at different price points, your team gets premium options and your budget stays steady.
Why Single-Brand Programs Get Expensive
Some leading direct-to-consumer scrubs brands have built a strong following through big marketing budgets and appeal to individual clinicians. Healthcare organizations have a different job, which is outfitting an entire team on a set budget. When a program offers only one brand, every employee shops at that brand’s price point.
Here’s how the math works out:
The average scrub set costs about $75.
The average stipend employers give is about $225, enough to cover three sets.
A single item from a leading direct-to-consumer brand averages about $75. At that price, an organization offering only that brand would need a $450 stipend for staff to get the same three sets.
That’s double the typical stipend for the same number of scrubs.
Premium Brands That Meet the Same Standard for Less
Several popular brands offer premium scrubs with technical performance and style that meet or exceed what clinicians expect from the top direct-to-consumer names, at lower price points. Here are three of them.
Jaanuu UltraLAST™
4-way stretch fabric with antimicrobial Silvadur™ technology that resists wrinkles and fading
Designed using physiological data for a consistent fit
Modern necklines and tailored silhouettes, so style and performance carry equal weight
Healing Hands® Quest
Premium lyocell-blend fabric that drapes well, stays lightweight, wicks moisture, and offers 4-way stretch
Combines the ease of everyday workwear with tailoring inspired by ready-to-wear fashion
Cherokee® FORM
360° stretch technology with a super-smooth fabric and power-mesh panels
Built for healthcare professionals who want a refined look and full performance in the same set
Give Your Team Good, Better, and Best Options
A single-brand program gives employees one brand and one price range. A managed program lets you offer a full assortment across price points, from dependable everyday scrubs to premium lines like the ones above.
Uniform Stores offers a Value Collection and a Premium Collection, both drawn from 20+ leading scrub brands. Employees can use their company-provided stipend to cover the cost of their scrubs, or put their own money toward premium items if they want to upgrade.
Each employee picks the scrubs they like best, and the program costs the organization the same no matter which ones they choose. If you offer both collections, ask employees to buy their tops and bottoms from the same one so the colors match exactly.
Set a Stipend Amount You Can Count On
With a managed program, you lock in a specific spend per employee. Staff can still buy more with their own funds, but the organization’s cost doesn’t go over the stipend you set.
Uniform Stores builds the stipend right into your store and renews it automatically on the schedule you choose, whether that’s annual, semi-annual, or each employee’s hire date anniversary. Your account is billed at the end of each month only for the stipend amounts employees redeem.
Keep a Consistent Look Across Your Team
Direct-to-consumer brands focus on each clinician’s individual look. A managed program focuses on a unified look that ties your team to your organization, using approved colors and logos, plus embroidery that can differ by role.
Employees only see the colors and logos they’re approved to buy, so they can choose any brand or style without going off-brand. Stipend rules, multiple logos, and requirements that vary by location all live inside the store. A single-brand retail site isn’t set up to manage those things for an organization.
Premium Scrubs and a Steady Budget Can Go Together
You don’t have to choose between scrubs your team is excited to wear and a program you can afford. With the right assortment and a set stipend, employees get the premium options they want and your budget stays predictable.
Book a free demo to see how a Uniform Stores program could work for your team.
