Two ways to outfit a team: one big order the company places, or a company store where each employee orders for themselves. Both are right for someone. Picking the wrong one is how a business ends up with a closet of unworn hoodies or a manager chasing sizes by text. Here's the honest decision guide for a business.
What each one is
A bulk order is one purchase: you send the logo, a size list and a count; we print, sort by employee, deliver in one box and invoice the company. Somebody on your side collected the sizes.
A company store is a private online page for your organization: four to eight approved garments in your colors and logo. You share one link; each employee picks their own garment and size and either pays at checkout or uses the allowance you set. We print, sort by employee and deliver. The store can stay open all year. Details on the company stores page.
Pick a bulk order when…
- Everyone gets the same thing. One crew tee, one color, no options. There's nothing to choose.
- The company pays and the roster is fixed. Twelve people whose sizes the office manager already knows.
- It's an event. The volunteer day, the trade show, the anniversary tee — one date, one run.
- Speed matters more than fit. A bulk order skips the store window; if artwork is approved, production starts.
Pick a company store when…
- Employees pay for any of it. The moment a manager is collecting money for the optional hoodie, a store is better for everyone.
- There are options. Polo or tee, fitted or standard, quarter-zip or vest. A store lets each person choose without a spreadsheet.
- You hire during the year. The new hire in March orders from the same link and gets the same shirt. No "wait until we have ten."
- You have more than one location. Each manager orders for their site; each box arrives sorted for that site.
- You want an allowance, not a blank check. Two polos and a quarter-zip per person on the company; anything extra on the employee.
The mixed approach most businesses land on
Bulk-order the required kit the company pays for — the crew tees, the manager polos. Open a store for everything optional — the hoodie, the hat, the second polo, the branded quarter-zip staff actually want. Same logo file, same delivery, two ways to pay, and the manager is out of the money entirely. Pair it with a quarterly restock for the required kit and the whole thing runs itself.
Three things people get wrong
- "A store is for big companies." The opposite. A twelve-person business has twelve sizes to get right and no HR department to do it. Small teams are where a store saves the most time.
- "A store takes longer." About two weeks longer than a bulk order — the window the store is open — unless it's always-on, in which case it's faster, because the order for the new hire doesn't wait for a batch.
- "Bulk is cheaper." For the identical garment, sometimes. But the bulk order's real cost is the leftovers, the size sheet and the reorder nobody gets around to.
Not sure which fits? Tell us headcount, whether the company or the employee pays, and how often you hire. One person answers. Request a quote →