We rounded up the best stores to buy school uniforms for your kids and teens!
Although school uniforms make it easy in the mornings for your kids to pick out what to wear to school each day, they sometimes are a pain to get the exact ones that your school requires. Luckily many stores are now carrying a wider range of the most popular school uniform styles whether it be for girls or boys, teens or tweens, and for various body types. Also, check out our list of Tax Free Holidays to see if your state has one. These are the best days to stock up on school supplies and uniforms!
We have picked out the top 10 most affordable places to buy school uniforms. These stores not only have great prices and quality, but a wide range to choose from for chinos, skirts, shorts, button-downs, jumpers, polos, socks, hair accessories, shoes, and even backpacks!
Old Navy/Gap/Gap Factory
Old Navy and Gap Factory are two of the more popular places to buy school uniforms. The brand is a pretty mid-level where they aren’t super expensive and still are good quality. They have sales all the time, so you really just have to keep looking daily if you are wanting to grab some uniforms from these stores. Often times you can get free shipping too. I would recommend signing up for their emails so you can be in the know when they have a big sale going on and free shipping. One word of advice though is they sure do send out a lot of emails each day, so beware. You may need to set up a filter in your inbox so that you don’t get overloaded!
Both stores have extended sizing available for kids, which can be really helpful when you have older kids needing school uniforms too. They carry everything you could need in basic colors and styles.
Shop Old Navy and Gap Factory Uniforms
JCPenney
JCPenney is another great place for affordable school uniforms. You’ll find numerous school uniform options here like French Toast, IZOD, Therabouts, and more. Their polos come in 16 colors so hopefully they have one that you need for your specific school requirements. I feel like JCPenney’s brands are more durable than the ones that you will find at Old Navy or Walmart and should last the whole year.
Keep your eye out for mailers and check each day for promo codes, especially leading up to back-to-school shopping. JCPenney has lots of styles like polos, long sleeve shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, tops, blazers, and many other options as well. If you sign up for the JCP Rewards, you’ll receive coupons and reward certificates.
Shop JCPenney uniforms
Target
Target’s uniform section is quite vast – with a lot of variety for cute and affordable school uniforms. By far the most popular uniforms at Target are going to be Cat & Jack. The best part about buying this Target brand is they guarantee they will last for a whole year or your money back! And keep in mind when you use your Target Red Card you can save 5% on your purchases and get free shipping. These savings could definitely add up!
The best time to purchase school uniforms from Target is when a sale or Target Circle offer is going on. You get a percentage off and it’s such a nice savings. Keep your eye on the weekly ads and plan accordingly. I would recommend shopping early as sizes sell out quickly and we don’t usually see them restock.
Shop Target uniforms
The Children’s Place
The Children’s Place offers a variety of uniforms and shipping is always free! I feel like the quality isn’t as good at The Children’s Place as it is at other similar retailers. And I have also heard from reviews that their clothing shrinks quite a bit when you wash and dry them. I would probably pick up some items here when they are marked down and ship for free, but as far as the staples that you want to last all year, this may not be the best place. I could be wrong, so let me know if you have had a different experience with them.
One perk for The Children’s Place is they also offer extended sizing. Since their clothing does seem to shrink a lot, I would recommend going up a size or two in the shirts so that they fit for longer throughout the year. They also have shoes, accessories, cardigans, chino pants, shorts, and lots more. Not tons of colors to choose from here, but a lot of different styles.
Shop The Children’s Place Uniforms
Walmart
Okay, let’s see, who does not shop at Walmart? It’s a huge superstore that already is known for affordable rates for all the items. You can check out our Complete Walmart Shopping Guide here.
Since you probably shop at Walmart quite often, it is a great place to grab school uniforms. You can always keep your eye on the racks and grab a few things when you see the prices rollback. It’s a great store with nice prices, nice quality and pretty much a one-stop shop. I have heard good things about the quality of the polo shirts from Walmart that are from the brand George. They have lots of different quantity packs you can grab online, so it may be good to figure out sizing then go home and do your shopping online. If you have Walmart + you can also score free shipping!
Walmart is a great place to buy uniforms also because while you’re out there shopping for other numerous things, you can easily pick out the shoes and other matching school items, and other school supplies as well. Everything is available in one place instead of visiting different stores.
Shop Walmart Uniforms
Macy’s
If you’re looking for name-brand school uniforms with higher quality threads at affordable rates then look no further. Macy’s has got to be the best option for you!
Macy’s offers a variety of quality school uniforms with name brands including Polo Ralph Lauren, Epic Threads, Tommy Hilfiger, and others. The uniforms are higher quality and will last a longer time and have high durability, no matter how many times you wash them.
If you like uniforms at Macy’s, it’s highly likely that you will be able to score some great deals and opt for store pick up to save on shipping costs. Or if your shopping cart is above the threshold you can get them shipped to your home. They always have a back-to-school sale and lots of active promo codes, so I’m pretty sure you will be able to find good prices.
Shop Macy’s uniforms
Amazon
One of the most popular places to buy anything you could possibly want is Amazon. It probably wouldn’t be my first choice for school uniforms because I feel like department stores are going to have better pricing, but if you are in a pinch and need something fast, Amazon is a great place to look. Amazon may have some hard-to-find items that are not in stock at your preferred department store or a certain color of sock you need for the dress code. It’s also a great place for accessories like belts, underwear, backpacks, etc. Be sure to watch out for some 3rd party sellers that aren’t sold and shipped by Amazon, just to be safe. You can’t always count on those items as much as you can on those sold directly from Amazon.
Amazon usually has free return options as well, so if you’re not satisfied with your purchase, you can always send it back (if it has the option), and purchase a new one from another store.
Shop Amazon Uniforms
H&M
Most people may be surprised to know that H&M carries school uniforms as well and at affordable prices! Most of the H&M school uniforms go from casual to formal. This means you can find all sorts of school uniform options here whether you’re looking for track pants for gym class or dress shirts.
There’s usually a sale during the summer for school uniforms, but you can also rely on coupon codes when the sale’s not on yet. With codes, you can get 20 – 25% off, which is great when you have to buy a whole year’s worth of uniforms! Another idea is to download the H&M app as they often will add coupons to your app you can use online and in-store.
Shop H&M Uniforms
Kohl’s
Kohl’s is one of those places that can be hit or miss. Kohl’s sometimes will have a great sale and pricing will look really good, but then the next day you look and they have raised the prices drastically and offer free shipping instead. My advice would be to shop when there are 30-40% off codes and then opt for store pick-up. This way you don’t feel like you have to purchase a certain amount to get free shipping or you don’t have to pay shipping costs if free shipping isn’t available.
Be wary of Kohl’s though because of the price fluctuations that often happen there. Visit the site often so you know what the low price typically is for what you need, then you will know when to grab it when it’s on sale. They also have many plus-size uniforms if that is something you are looking for.
If you are a Kohl’s card member, they love to throw extra promo codes and free shipping your way, so using the credit card on uniforms would be a smart move for extra savings. Keep track of your Kohl’s Cash and mark them on the calendar so you can be sure to use it before it has expired.
Shop Kohl’s Uniforms
Land’s End
Land’s End is one many don’t think about often because their brand is not sold at many retailers. However, the Land’s End site is very helpful because they have a database of many schools and you can locate your school and see exactly what styles and colors are approved for your child. This makes it much easier to narrow down what you need as you will see the exact color red or blue that is approved and cuts back on many returns. Land’s End is a reputable brand with great quality. Prices are going to be higher than at Walmart or The Children’s Place however they will probably last longer.
Shop Lands’ End Uniforms
Best of luck to parents trying to shop for the right pants, shorts, shirts, and shoes that are required for your child’s school. It can be overwhelming, however, I recommend that when you find something your kids like and are comfortable in, buy a bunch of them when they go on sale. Stock up on maybe 1-2 sizes in case they grow throughout the year. Also, grab shorts for the warmer months and long pants for the cool ones if your dress code allows it. Reviews will be your best friend, so get familiar with those, and if you are new to a school with uniforms, ask other parents in a group forum or in person where they have the best luck finding their school uniforms.
When the school year is over and your uniforms are still in great shape, check out our list of Craigslist Alternatives For Selling Your Used Stuff. If you still have plenty of summer left, we have a list of The Best Summer Reading Programs and 100 Fun Things To Do With The Kids!
Have a great school year!
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