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Topic: Uniforms

Ron Davis
Film Handler

Posts: 23
From: Morgantown WV, USA
Registered: Jan 2007

posted 09-19-2007 01:31 PM

Greetings all!

Our staff have 2 different styles of uniforms and they are both showing their age. Ownership would like us to invest in some new ones, but they suggest going with the old style "vest and shirt" type with our logo embroidered on it. Does anyone have any ideas where I could go for something like that?

Thanks much!

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Wyatt Copeland
Film Handler

Posts: 74
From: Gettysburg, PA, USA
Registered: Aug 2007

posted 09-19-2007 02:52 PM

Hahahaha I remember my days of wearing the Maroon vest, proudly bearing the R/C shield. Not sure on how nice they are, but I know
Six Star Uniforms has uniform vests.

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Luci Reeve
Film Handler

Posts: 50
From: Telluride, CO, USA
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 09-19-2007 04:26 PM

I liked the things I got from Sullivan Uniforms online.

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Aaron Mehocic
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 804
From: New Castle, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-22-2007 03:44 PM

We issue a royal blue polo shirt with an embroidered black collar and logo above the left breast. This works best since our demographic does not often demand sophistication and our workers don't have to worry about extra care other than wash-and-hang.

I have worn many different style uniforms over the years that tended to be more a statement of the manager's tastes than called for by the company. Everything from simple black slacks and white dress shirt (with tie) to gaudy pin-striped vests and teal bow ties. Polos have been the uniform since 1997 and they have worked out the best.

A former manager who wanted to open his own theater once told me that his uniforms would be older coat-like pieces like ushers wore in the movie palace of the 1930's - eppalets and all. He even wanted some type of badge or pin to be placed on the uniform for every year of service the employee worked - a bar for 1-4 years, a star for years 5-10, at 10 years one star surrounded by a gold wreath, etc etc... Needless to say, he never got his own theater.

Oh, and one more uniform anecdote. An old operator from the union days once told me that back in 70's he and his wife were interested in purchasing a local drive-in that had closed. He told me that if they were to re-open the males would wear tuxedos and the women would be in ball gowns! I wryly commented to him "Not really conducive to cleaning the popper, huh Jim".

He said nothing.

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Ramin Hashemi
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 129
From: Houston TX
Registered: Sep 2004

posted 10-02-2007 03:24 PM

We use standard Polo shirts from Lands End or whatever, with our Logo on the left breast. Red for staff, Blue for management.

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Jack Theakston
Master Film Handler

Posts: 411
From: New York, USA
Registered: Sep 2007

posted 10-02-2007 05:28 PM

quote: Aaron Mehocic
A former manager who wanted to open his own theater once told me that his uniforms would be older coat-like pieces like ushers wore in the movie palace of the 1930's - eppalets and all. He even wanted some type of badge or pin to be placed on the uniform for every year of service the employee worked - a bar for 1-4 years, a star for years 5-10, at 10 years one star surrounded by a gold wreath, etc etc... Needless to say, he never got his own theater.

While I don't think that this would be all that economical or comfortable (particularly during summer months for smaller theaters that sometimes skimp on the A/C in the lobby), I don't see why having a little extra class involved with the staff's uniform is such a bad idea.

If more managers thought with that sort of goal of class in mind, many theaters would be running far more elegantly and would probably receive in return patronage from people who recognize good taste.

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 10-02-2007 07:48 PM

I think what he was implying that the uniforms weren't the only thing he wanted to go all-out splurging on. If the uniforms were the only thing, then he'd probably be able to get a theater; but the fact that the guy didn't get one probably means he simply had lofty goals of all sorts.

I'm just guessing that the uniforms weren't the only thing that helped the guy not get the business.

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Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1172
From: Boulder Creek, CA.
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 10-03-2007 11:46 AM

I've always been a fan of the uniform...The snazzier the better!
With the exception of neck ties though...I could do without them some days, though I do appreciate a nice silk tie.

My current employers only uniform is dark pants and a uniform polo.
I'd love to get a little fancier than that but they apparently had a revolt when they started with the polos...Folks quitting over it!
I just can't imagine why...

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 10-03-2007 12:02 PM

Me neither. Our General Manager only asks that the stage crew wear black pants and he provides a black polo shirt that has our logo on the breast pocket side on the front and the words BROOKLYN CENTER - STAFF on the back, so the crew can easily be recognized by people backstage, and also when they walk out on stage to move a piano or such, there is some sort of uniformity and they don't look like a rag-a-muffin bunch from an orphanage.

They whined and moaned and bitched about it -- you would think they were being asked to put on straight jackets. Our sound engineer out-and-out refuses to wear the shirts. Thing is, he is so good and we pay so little (non-profit is the excuse) that the GM relents. To this day he hasn't worn them. He says something about "What are we, fast food employees?" His garb of choice instead is sweat-shirts.

Quite frankly, it baffles me, cause I LOVE the shirts -- top of the list why they work for me -- makes dressing choice totally easy. Plus, I like being identified with the place where I work, given that I put my blood sweat and tears into it for the better part of my adult life.

Everyone's different I guess.

As for our ushers, they wear simple reversible satin vests, black one side, maroon on the other, and no matter which side they wear, the other color shows on the trim and neck, so it gives some contrast. Our logo is over the breast. They are over white shirts and bow-ties with black slacks. Fairly lack luster as performing arts center's go -- no jackets with gold doo-dads, but nice enough. I guess if we had the $$ I would tend like more fancy than less. I guess the uniform reflects what you aspire to.

In other words, patrons probably would be stunned, possibly with brain damage if the found ushers in full regalia with all the gold threaded trimming in a place like.....this:

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Sean McKinnon
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1712
From: Peabody Massachusetts
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 10-03-2007 12:30 PM

I always liked plain black slacks, black shoes, white dress shirt, a tie of the employees choice (as long as its appropriate) and a black vest. This way the theatre only has to supply the vest and they can keep them on site and hand them out and collect them each shift so that they dont disappear therefore keeping uniform costs real low. The only costs are the inital order (a few of each size of mens and womens cuts) and occasional dry cleaning. Very economical!

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 10-03-2007 12:52 PM

The maroon goes well with the rust on the backs of the seats in the picture. [thumbsup]

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Mike Sellars
Film Handler

Posts: 34
From: Robertsdale, AL., USA
Registered: Oct 2006

posted 10-04-2007 06:58 PM

Our current staff uniform is black slacks, black shoes, green (staff) or maroon (supervisor) company-supplied polo shirts.. projectionists wear the same but black polos (ninja action!). Our manager uniform, however, is slacks, dress shirt, tie, sport coat.... I feel this is ridiculous, at least for my location... we are a beach town! Managers should be able to wear Hawaiian shirts with no tie or coat at least!!!

[Razz]

Mike

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Mike Spaeth
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1129
From: Marietta, GA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-05-2007 02:40 AM

Polo/slacks here.

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Aaron Mehocic
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 804
From: New Castle, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-05-2007 07:35 PM

quote: Chris Slycord
I think what he was implying that the uniforms weren't the only thing he wanted to go all-out splurging on. If the uniforms were the only thing, then he'd probably be able to get a theater; but the fact that the guy didn't get one probably means he simply had lofty goals of all sorts.

Thats right. At the time he wasn't married and lived about 75 miles from any close family, so he spent most of his free time daydreaming about his own place. He drafted his own floor plans, drew artist conceptions of the exterior, box, concession, even the booth. It was all state-of-the-art, mid-1990's equipment in which he spared no expense. And I got to tell you - some of his ideas were damned good simply because he actually worked in theaters instead of just attended a movie every now and then. But, no bank wanted to even talk to him simply because he had no collateral for a loan that big.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-05-2007 09:14 PM

We provide our employees with two "Roxy" T-shirts. (Solid color with our logo.) I threatened to go polo a couple of years ago and got a big thumbs-down from everyone, so t-shirts it is. As long as their pants are clean and neat, they can wear whatever they want to, except we discourage the boys from wearing shorts. We get our shirts 12 at a time from some uniform place in Billings.

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