Comment

Comment by Robb McCalmon on June 9, 2011 at 6:22pm

We just went from shirt/tie required, to company logo button down shirts with name tags and slacks. Works great we give our sales people the option of either shirt/tie or company shirt. I feel a nice button down shirt or polo shirt with company logo and slacks is the way to go in our area.

Comment by Tom Gorham on June 8, 2011 at 10:09pm

Our sales staff wear polos with our logo on them during the summer (provided by the dealer) and shirt and ties the rest of the year.  Managers must wear shirt and ties all year.  Seems to work.

Comment by Ric McCoy on June 8, 2011 at 8:04pm

I've worked in the shirt & tie no matter what the weather store, as well as the casual polo or button down as long it has a company logo, you're good to go year round. I actually missed the shirt & tie. I personally felt "more professional" with a pressed shirt & tie on. As a GM, I allowed a company polo to be worn by the SP from May 1st to October 31st. The dealership purchased two (2) shirts for each SP. If they wanted more, they could purchase as many as they wanted. November 1 thru April 30 we were all in ties. An old Clint McGhee quote: "a good salesman will go up in flames, a poor salesman will melt."

Comment by Jim Richter on June 8, 2011 at 4:13pm

I have visited hundreds of stores over the last 5 years and the answer is: there is no set answer. It varies by market, by owner, by season, and by franchise line. The common denominator is that everyone be professional in appearance and easily identified as an employee.

Comment by Terry A Powell on June 8, 2011 at 2:22pm

Thanks d.e. Great feedback! Thanks to everyone for your input.

tp

Comment by Phil Cohen on June 8, 2011 at 2:12pm

Name tags mandatory I can certainly agree.  In the warm weather months in the north on weekends only a nice brand specific with logo polo shirt and dress slacks with proper shoes to match.  I believe the casual look even puts the customers more at ease.  I work for a Lexus single point store in Cleveland, Ohio.

Comment by Mo Johnson on June 8, 2011 at 1:58pm

Legally, there are a few things to consider. For example, if there is a burn risk in the workplace, like a hot engine, then the employee is required to wear protective clothing. Likewise, technicians are required to wear hearing protection, eye protection, gloves, face masks, etc. depending on risks they may encounter with various job functions.

 

OSHA has been known to cite workplaces for entanglement hazards if employees are wearing loose clothing, and PPE also includes proper footwear. Although I am not aware of any citations for employees wearing flip-flops in a showroom, I'm not sure I would want to test that limit.

 

Beyond that, I think it is up to the dealership to decide if a dress code is inline with their brand image.

Comment by Craig Darling on June 8, 2011 at 1:52pm

Years ago... I found myself thinking the same thing.  Believe it or not, I found an answer.  Your uniform guy.

My sales people were looking a little shabby as they were mostly new to the business and short on cash.  Talking to the uniform guy from service, I looked at their catalog and picked some nice oxford shirts in various colors and slacks to match.... Now all of my people looked like they worked there and were always neat and pressed... the cost at the time was about 5 dollars a pay period. 

Another thing that happened at the time, our dealer said.... no more ties period.  "Take off the ties and sell", was his statement.  We did, year around.  Guess what?  Two years later we were the number one Chevrolet dealer in the country.... 1265 new cars in December that year.... clothing matters, image matters... but NO shorts.... I have ugly legs!

Comment by Jim Bell on June 8, 2011 at 1:51pm

I work at a Honda dealership. We have to wear shirts and ties. We are allowed to take our ties off at 90 degrees. We have tried several times to change this and go to polos in the summer, but we have been shot down. I have worked at a dealer in the past with polos year round and it was great. In the winter, as long as we looked 'professional', we were good.

Comment by Michael Baker on June 8, 2011 at 1:46pm

A standard dress code is a must for coordinative identification for customers vs. random wear. Bobby has a good narrative of two scenerios. Would only add the Tennis shoes and Shorts should be ironed/clean shoes of one or two colors to match a combo color for shorts for males and females alike. Ever go into a retail industrial outlet and try and find a dept. worker? Easier when uniform in dress code. Yes, name tags essential to be customer centric

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