You're Wasting Money on Workwear (And It's Not the Brands You Think)

Procurement manager at a 40-person utility contractor. I've managed our PPE and workwear budget (roughly $150,000 annually) for 9 years, negotiated with 30+ vendors, and tracked every order in our cost system. So when I say most companies waste a chunk of their safety budget, that's not an opinion. It's an audit trail.

Most PPE budgets don't fail on price. They fail on fit, service, and the hidden cost of replacing gear that falls apart.

This was accurate as of Q1 2025. Your market may be different, so verify before you order.

The Helly-Hansen workwear hoodie is worth every dollar

Let's start with a purchase I once fought: the Helly-Hansen workwear hoodie. Our foreman asked for six of them in 2023. I looked up the price—around $75 (maybe $78, I don't remember the exact line item)—and balked. A hoodie for that price? But I signed off because he said it would cut down on requests for separate rain shells.

He was right. The hoodie has a Cordura-reinforced elbow and a three-piece hood that doesn't flap over your eyes. In light rain, it works as a raincoat. And because it's actually comfortable, the crew wears it. It sounds trivial, but gear that gets worn is the only gear that protects you. We bought eight more in 2024. The list price was still around $75 as of January 2025.

Use the Helly-Hansen police discount if you qualify

Another thing about Helly-Hansen: they offer a police discount for law enforcement, military, and first responders. I know a few small agencies that didn't use it for years because nobody in the purchasing office thought to ask. The discount is advertised on their site—often around 15% off, though the exact terms change. As of early 2025, it was still active. If you're buying for a public safety team, that's real money.

It's not 'taking advantage.' It's using a program the vendor chose to offer. I've seen small police departments save a few hundred dollars on an order just by making the discount code the default in their purchase order. That's the kind of win I care about.

Ariat work boots: good, but not always necessary

Now for the boots. Ariat work boots are a favorite with our crews, and I respect the quality. The bad thing is when someone writes 'Ariat' on the spec sheet without thinking about the hazard.

I learned that the hard way in 2023. We ordered a budget boot for ten guys working on flat concrete. Saved us $1,800. Then one tech wore them on a steel beam with a film of grease. The boot's sole didn't grip, and he took a fall. No serious injury, but the medical evaluation, lost days, and the reorder cost us over four times the alleged savings. Never expected that $1,800 savings to turn into a $4,600 loss.

Now our policy is simple: choose footwear based on the surface and the ANSI/ASTM F2413 rating, not the brand name. If a job needs a logger heel or a composite toe, buy the right boot. If it doesn't, don't pay for cool.

Never underestimate bifocal safety glasses

One purchase I'm genuinely proud of is adding bifocal safety glasses to our vending program. About half our field staff are over 45. Reading a label on a chemical drum while wearing readers under safety glasses is not practical. So they'd take the glasses off. Not great.

We stock bifocal safety glasses in +1.5 to +2.5 strengths. They cost $8 to $15 a pair and meet the ANSI Z87.1 impact standard. The change cut our eye-near-miss reports by about a third in the following quarter. That's not a statistic I'm guessing at; it's in our safety log.

What does a dog raincoat have to do with B2B buying?

When you work in procurement long enough, you get questions that don't seem serious. Someone once asked me, 'How do you measure a dog for a raincoat?' They were a small business owner trying to order a waterproof cover for a canine officer in a police department. They were not joking, and the question wasn't the right one. The real question was: 'Will you respect my order even though it's tiny?'

That's why I do a little internal victory dance when a supplier treats a $300 order with the same care as a $30,000 one. In my first year buying PPE, I called a distributor about a small order—two raincoats and a pair of boots. The rep laughed and told me to call 'when you're a real company.' Six years later, that company's biggest competitor got about $180,000 of our annual business. Vendor selection is a long game.

Small orders aren't a nuisance. They're a trial period. If you take care of the two-raincoat customer, you might be first in line when they order a full crew's worth of gear.

I know some buyers think this is all sentimental. It's not. The same total cost-of-ownership logic that tells you to buy a hoodie with a good hood applies to relationships. Every time a supplier skimps on service for a small order, they're adding hidden cost—the cost of switching later. Every time they answer a silly question about raincoats without mocking the caller, they're building real value.

So here's my blunt opinion: stop buying based on brand loyalty and start buying based on service, standards, and fit. The right Helly-Hansen hoodie for one job might be overkill for another. The Ariat boot might be perfect on uneven ground and pointless on dry concrete. The bifocal safety glasses are a must-have for older eyes. And the customer asking a 'dumb' question? You'd better answer it, because that's the buyer you want in five years.

That's the view from my spreadsheet. As of Q2 2025, prices change, vendors change, and standards update. Check your own totals before you sign off.