Pros and cons....Uniforms for a more professionial looking plumber.

[master plumber mark]

A lot of the big advertisers in the Yellow Pages
in our town seem to feel a total uniform for their
employees is the best way to go.... perhaps they
are right......

A couple of them even have a shoulder patch of the American Flag ,
I suppose it makes them look "professional"

They usually make the employee pay half the expence
for the cleaning and repairs to the clothes.....
usually they keep a spare pair in their trucks too...

--------------------------------------------------------------------
being a small company

I have just always had a more laid back atitude about
this and always supplied work shirts for my grunts
and accepted neat looking Jeans ....

Perhaps I am wrong about this,
because its hard to get
the grunts to even dress themselves half way decent
every day for work.....
perhaps forceing them into a clean looking uniform
is worth the expence....


another side benefit of uniforms I just thought of....

I wont have to look at
the crack of their butts every morning too!!!

No, somehow I AM SURE that they will still
find a way to expose their braines for the world to see.


The expence isnt all that much for a company of 5
possibly 150 per month....
.


I was just wondering what others did here and if it
was worth it or not

[Cookie]

I think uniforms are dorky, but, so are looking at people's brains, lol. ;)

[Cass]

There is a company near me that dispatches it guys in white uniforms they look so good but they also empty the customers wallets every time they pull up to a house.

I think in general the average person likes uniforms, I think it gives a more "professional look" which has nothing to do with their abilities.

I think if you have clean well marked trucks and are uniformed it can't hurt.

Many companys are going to picture ID cards and I think any company not doing a background check on someone they will employ is asking for trouble.

[Cookie]

I think the picture ID's are a great idea. I think uniforms that would look like the UPS drivers would be nice. :)
Those white uniforms got to be a real hard thing to keep clean while doing plumbing.

OR...a one piece black leather suit? :)
Even thought of a new name for your company--Snazzy Plumbers.

[leejosepho]

I have just always had a more laid back attitude about this and always supplied work shirts ... and accepted neat looking Jeans ....

Either working or as a customer, that is my own preference. I am skeptical of blue-collars with not even a single smudge or some kind of indication they are inclined to really "jump in" and do whatever might be necessary even at the expense of pretty clothing! Even a service writer at the auto shop needs a spot of grease on his shoulder so you can know he actually at least took a real look.

[kordts]

I wera navy blue Skiller pants with the built in kneepads and navy blue shorts sleeve work shirts. Since it's been hot out, I bought some Carhartt sleeveless t-shirts. I wear suspenders so there is no "plumber's crack." The pants are lot cooler than denim jeans and nobody has complained about my armpits. I have a helper who is tattoed and ponytailed. He only works by himself on remodels or construction. He does not go on service calls, unless it's with me.

[master plumber mark]

Kordes,..... a tattooed , pony tailed ...hairey armpit showing ...helper...


Now are the Tatoos pretty, or mean looking ones??


that sight just makes me want to open my door
and let him into my house to work right next
to my daughters bedroom.....LOL.



Beleive it or not.......
Once years ago I did have a hillbilley kid come into work
one time with the front of his pants torn open so bad that
you could actually see his .... testicles...

he claimed it was the only clean pair he had to wear......


I told him that woman folk in these parts find it offensive
to see a mans testicles hanging out of his pants .....

and sent the dummie home to change....

the labor pool is getting pretty shallow, dont you think??

[GrumpyPlumber]

"Image is everything" was a HUGE marketing tool....in the 80's.
Personal experience has led me to believe that when H.O.'s see a clean, neat uniform, they associate that with the "big box" store mentality, and they're paying a larger amount for the advertizing, with some young guy a few years out of high school who was "trained" in a ten hour course.

[Pewterpower]

Image is still everything.
I don't think a plumber needs to look like the Good Humour ice cream man, nor the Maytag repair man, but........
Someone who is wearing a company shirt, with a logo, tucked into a decent pair of pants, looks a hellofa lot more trustworthy than Tommy Lee knocking on my door.
Think about the people who knock on doors nowadays.......Newspaper guys, landscape guys, security system guys........all trying to sell you something. But when a thug looking dude knocks on your door, you speak to him through a locked door, or you don't eevn answer the door at all.
Image always will be everything.

[FloridaOrange]

I think a uniform may be a little overboard. Company tees/polo shirts and clean appearance is all I expect. My buddy that does my in-house plumbing uses those little paper type booties (?) over his shoes when he's inside the house which I definitely appreciate. I could care less if he's in jeans or shorts but the wife appreciates the fact that he does not track anything through the house.

[Cookie]

Really funny stuff here, MMark.

[GrumpyPlumber]

Image is still everything.
I don't think a plumber needs to look like the Good Humour ice cream man, nor the Maytag repair man, but........
Someone who is wearing a company shirt, with a logo, tucked into a decent pair of pants, looks a hellofa lot more trustworthy than Tommy Lee knocking on my door.
Think about the people who knock on doors nowadays.......Newspaper guys, landscape guys, security system guys........all trying to sell you something. But when a thug looking dude knocks on your door, you speak to him through a locked door, or you don't eevn answer the door at all.
Image always will be everything.


On second thought...right.
But an image that comes off as superficial, colorful or attempting to appeal to the senses is outdated.
I often bid against other local companies. One job I got, the customer came straight out and told me "We decided on you because the other guy seemed like a car salesman. We also know you do the work yourself and we felt more comfortable knowing that."
I'd done the estimate in jeans and a tee shirt. (clean though, no ponytail, or tattoo's)

[Cookie]

I agree image is important, but sometimes reading the book by its cover can be very deceiving. For instance, I had to have my Jeep looked at yesterday and the mechanics were very seedy looking. They turned out to be so nice, smart and funny that when finished even my son commented on how he was very surprised. Remember Ted Bundy? Clean cut, nice looking and very deceiving. I would rather have a workman look like he has been working. But, not with body parts showing, lol.

[GrumpyPlumber]

I agree image is important, but sometimes reading the book by its cover can be very deceiving. For instance, I had to have my Jeep looked at yesterday and the mechanics were very seedy looking. They turned out to be so nice, smart and funny that when finished even my son commented on how he was very surprised. Remember Ted Bundy? Clean cut, nice looking and very deceiving. I would rather have a workman look like he has been working. But, not with body parts showing, lol.


Let me add...I keep deoderant & cologne in the glovie.
(Even I have the sense to know if I have an estimate for 6pm after a long summer day, well it ain't good.)

[Cookie]

Grumpy, wrong thing in the glovie. Better off with fresh n' ups. Along with the little hammer to break open a window incase we are stupid enough to drive into a river you will find a box of fresh n' ups. Also a small sewing kit. :) Kleenex tissues, sunglasses, and mascara. Oh, car registration and insurance card somewhere. I think.

[GrumpyPlumber]

Grumpy, wrong thing in the glovie. Better off with fresh n' ups. Along with the little hammer to break open a window incase we are stupid enough to drive into a river you will find a box of fresh n' ups. Also a small sewing kit. :) Kleenex tissues, sunglasses, and mascara. Oh, car registration and insurance card somewhere. I think.

For the better half, there are two rules in my truck...Don't touch the radio...stay outta the glovie!
She has the same two rules for me in her car.
Developing a mental image of Jeff Foxworthy saying "You know you're a woman when...."

[Pewterpower]

another side benefit of uniforms I just thought of....

I wont have to look at
the crack of their butts every morning too!!!


Perhaps you're hiring the wrong type of plumber?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/pkovac/misc%20junk/Plumberscrack3.gif

[GrumpyPlumber]

Perhaps you're hiring the wrong type of plumber?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/pkovac/misc%20junk/Plumberscrack3.gif

Gee thanks!
The mrs saw that!
er...topic....was there a topic?
I think there's a leak in my sink...Pewter...got that number?

[Cookie]

http://www.geocities.com/tomhanks00/11.jpg


This is the plumber I want to hire. ;)

[Pewterpower]

That is who I hired to help me change the blinker fliud in my car when the turn signal wouldn't work. :D

[Cookie]

ha ha ha I aint blonde.

[master plumber mark]

Cookie....I too keep a bottle of old spice and a
bottle of listerine in my truck......

Old spice to cut the odor off me after about 2pm..
it sort of gives me a "manly lift" ..and keeps up my
moral to end the day on.......

and the listerine is to cut that "dog dooo dooo " breath of
mine down ....in consideration for next customer I get face
to face with in their bathroom..or under a kitchen sink....

perhaps I should stop chewing on and
smokeing Cigars all day long.???


what do ya think???

[Pewterpower]

FWIW- I have cologne and toothpaste/toothbrush and some dental pick/flossie things in my vehicle, too. I tried once to keep a canister of baby wipes in the car, but they always dried up too quickly and became useless. Also tried Purell, but the alcohol dried out my hands like crazy and made all my callouses 10 times worse...

[GrumpyPlumber]

Cookie....I too keep a bottle of old spice and a
bottle of listerine in my truck......

Old spice to cut the odor off me after about 2pm..
it sort of gives me a "manly lift" ..and keeps up my
moral to end the day on.......

and the listerine is to cut that "dog crap " breath of
mine down ....in consideration for next customer I get face
to face with in their bathroom..or under a kitchen sink....

perhaps I should stop chewing on and
smokeing Cigars all day long.???


what do ya think???

OLD SPICE!!!
What about Brut??
lol...I have a mental image of you Mark.

[got_nailed]

I did get me a case of shirts one time. I found a deal where if I would let them put there company name under mine I would get them at $2.00 each. So I got a box of 50. They lasted pretty well but I would only do it if I found a steal on them.

I keep a few changes of close, tooth past and tooth brush, brut, and a few odds and ends.

[kordts]

You should have seen my helper at the poolhouse job we just did. All the lifeguards are high school seniors, no guys, just hotties. I am 43, permanently tousled salt and pepper hair, glasses , bacon belly and a nice double chin. I was there to work, the girls just ignored me, and went about there business of pulling down bottoms or tops to show each other tan lines or whatever. A couple of times I would come around the corner and have to avert my eyes. My 30 year old helper was asking the girls if he could take their picture. The dummy told me that one the way home. I had to tell him that was unacceptable, I wasn't going to lose any sweet high school work because he was going around creeping the girls out. At least he was wearing a clean Slayer t-shirt.

[Dunbar Plumbing]

Black T-shirts with logos on the shirt sleeves, front pocket and the back.

Black shorts or black sweat pants with the company name running down one leg.

Boots in good shape and always the foot condoms when walking inside the home other than concrete.

Hair trimmed a few times a month, clean shaven, always extra "clean" work shirts on the truck when things go wrong.

No tattoos, no smoking, always chewing gum. Always wear a hat with the company name and website on the back.

You are the walking image of your business. You either respect it or you take it for granted.

The sharper you look the more likely you're able to perform without your customer questioning your reasoning on all aspects of your work from beginning to finish.

You show up in old jeans, old truck and breath of stale coffee or last night's beer,

You just landed me in their driveway the next time they need a plumber. :D

[Cookie]

Old spice, Brut they are good. But there are 2 that are great. One is Boss by Hugo Boss and the other is an aftershave balm, Bjan Wicked by Bijan. Get both, lol. But, don't use at the same time for they conflict in scents. I like the woodsy scents too. Pi by Givenchy is woodsy and nice. I probably like that one best really.

Kordts so true in what you said about the man asking for pictures, bad deal. That could be real problems.

Rugged change the sweats to track pants, nice stripe down the side. Matching jacket. Or black jeans, nice with a black T. Neat picture Rugged that is cute.

Consultation charges: 100 bucks a hour. :D

[Dunbar Plumbing]

Rugged change the sweats to track pants, :D


Sorry, I still have a fat man image going. Need to streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch when I bend over to pick up things. Been wearing Hugo Boss for 2 years now and wimmen love that smell. Oooooooh that smell, the smell that is around you!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/DUNBAR/fat_man.jpg

[master plumber mark]

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/CLASS/130-195.jpg (http://affiliates.allposters.com/link/redirect.asp?item=847570&AID=45944632&PSTID=1&LTID=2&lang=1)



the three stooges is what I have dealt with for years....

[Cookie]

Rugged that is a terrible picture, I don't want my icecream tonite and will run another mile on the treadmill. Yes, that cologne has a nice scent that is the why women love it.

MMark, that is funny. I work with 3 people we call them that. Of course only ethically to their faces, :D They make our day.

[GrumpyPlumber]

My sweety got me Ralph Lauren "Silver" for the truck.
Smells good, kinda like cedar

[Cookie]

Cedar is good. I like cedar it is woodsy.

[Cass]

Talk about dressing up, I know a guy who hunts deer in a suite jacket and tie, I am dead serious.

[Cookie]

ha ha ha ha, I would love to see that.

[GrumpyPlumber]

Talk about dressing up, I know a guy who hunts deer in a suite jacket and tie, I am dead serious.

At least he's got proper ettiquette

[leejosepho]

Does he tip his hat and beg pardon prior to shooting?

[Pewterpower]

That reminds me of My Cousin Vinny when he was worried if these pants looked alright for deer hunting. :)

[GrumpyPlumber]

That reminds me of My Cousin Vinny when he was worried if these pants looked alright for deer hunting. :)

"Da two yoots"

[Cookie]

What a great movie. "I am wearing this ridiculous suit, your honor, for you, cause I know how much you hate the black leather." Good movie.