Tips for finding High-Quality Scrubs at Affordable Prices

Are you tired of paying high prices for scrubs, or a uniform that you go to work with? In today’s economic climate, most would agree, see and feel that the price of all consumer goods including the price of scrubs and apparel have gone up tremendously.

Most of your typical household staples like milk, bread, eggs and olive oil have increased by over 35% over the past few years, even at big brand stores like Costco. Gasoline is rarely below $1.50 per litre, and the price for a basic vehicle is over $60,000 when it’s all said and done with taxes, fees, delivery charges and those small hidden fees that come up just at the time of purchase.  

Stagnation in household incomes and the increase in taxes on everything on top of those higher prices have reduced the amount of disposable income for any discretionary items for most Canadians.

Most Canadians have now been left with tough choices that look to stretch every dollar in an effort to bring the most value to any purchase they may want and more importantly need, including those working in the medical field looking for scrubs that are needed as their entire to earn their living.

Medical uniforms or what most call scrubs are worn by a variety of individuals within the medical field, from nurses, dentists and animal health clinicians to Personal Support Workers, medical assistants and doctors. Scrubs are more of a need than a want for a variety of reasons as it pertains to work apparel for medical professionals.

Scrubs offer a professional look that help identify the role of medical professionals within the medical field setting and at the same time offer the individual wearer the flexibility and comfort to perform their vital and oftentimes critical duties at work.

Most modern scrubs come in a variety of styles, colours and brands that are as unique as the individuals that wear them. Some of the higher quality scrub brands have evolved into providing apparel that fit like athleisurewear while maintaining a professional and tailored look for those that work within the healthcare industry.


Many of these brands have earned their spot on the price to value spectrum as their designs, materials of construction and overall market demand has placed these brands into top tiers in terms of price. To put it nicely, and as most would agree, any higher quality product that is in demand will usually cost more. Like it or not, this is capitalism and economics at play.  

Unfortunately, what was once a simple outfit that would clearly identify oneself in a role within the medical profession has now become just another place where consumer desires can be satisfied in a plethora of brands. Once upon a time, there was little choice in scrubs as they were all designed with simple styles, basic colours, and not too many options on sizing, almost a one size fits all outfit.

Today, with endless options to get that perfect fit, feel and look, an increase in the overall price of the scrub set has become inevitable.  More times than not, like in any other similar setting, the scrubs a medical professional wear is in fact a reflection of their professional status.

Are cheap or inexpensive scrubs worth it? Like most people, the author of this article included, I would think that most people look for a “deal” and there are several ones out there, however through experience, it is buyer beware as sometimes things that may look too good to be true, usually are!

The same can apply to scrubs as there are several inexpensive scrubs on the market, but many times than not, the quality is just not there and one must consider them to be more of a disposable outfit rather than a quality buy.
"
When you do the math, one can easily conclude that one can purchase quite a few “cheap” scrub sets, but that they will only last only until that third wash as opposed to obtaining a higher quality outfit that can last wash after wash.

To quote a well-known cliché, and this applies to scrubs as well is that good ain’t cheap and more times than not, cheap ain’t good.  This is usually due to the differences in quality as most of the higher quality scrub brands have better materials of construction, and fabrics that don’t wrinkle, ball up and lose shape, are pre-shrunk, and have long lasting colours that do not fade and that can be worn wash after wash without showing any wear.

Can we break that old cliché and perhaps compromise on something like good can be less expensive and less expensive is in fact good? Well, I can tell you that there are exceptions where one can find higher quality brand name scrubs at a lower price, hence bringing the consumer overall value or the “deal” we all want.  The remainder of this blog will explain how? and what to look for. 

How to acquire high quality scrubs at an inexpensive price?

At this point in the article, let’s assume that there is an understanding that all scrubs, or any apparel for that matter, are not created equally.  If you are not too concerned about the feel and look, you can get some pretty cheap scrubs online but do not be surprised at the low quality and more times than not, poor fit. Consider these more of a “disposable scrub” where you can wear them a few times before they prematurely wear.

If you are tempted to get these “cheaper” scrubs, as there is nothing wrong with it depending on their intended use, make sure you get an oversized set as you do not want to run small and risk any tears or break in seams when bending over or moving around.  

Now if you are looking to get higher quality scrubs, because in the long run they are better and give you a lower overall total cost of wear (basically they last longer so you don’t have to buy as many sets per year) at lower pricing, this becomes another discussion altogether. 

There are ways to get your hands on high-quality scrubs at discount pricing, but finding these gems become more challenging while availability becomes scarce while trying to find your perfect fit.

What are the best tips to land yourself a great set of high-quality scrubs at affordable prices?

The first place to look is on the discount racks at your local scrub retail store, like BodyMoves Scrubs Boutique.  At the end of every season, items are put on clearance to make room for new inventory. New inventory is comprises of newer “seasonal” colours, collection or designs that are brought in to coincide with new trends, fashions and consumer demands.

Many items on these clearance racks have “outgoing” colours (you can be the judge of what colours you like!) collections and designs, with some products being phased out altogether. Many of the items on these racks are your tried-and-true trusted brand name products at discounts of up to 70% off retail. These products on clearance are an excellent buy for any value conscious consumer. The only challenge is usually in finding the correct size.

If one lands on the correct size from the clearance rack, it should be an automatic buy as these high-quality scrubs at these discount prices do not usually last.

Another way to acquire higher quality scrubs at a discount price is through promotional events and seasonal sales, like Boxing Day and Black Friday Sales. Don’t be fooled, all retailers do the same thing as trying to clear inventory to make room for the new season.

Some retailers like BodyMoves Scrubs Boutique however, offer incentives for shopping local and hence have specific sales on specific brands that are at time incentivized by their partner wholesalers.  Additional discounts may be given to bulk or group orders where an entire office can get great savings on high-quality scrubs and as a reward, have individual discounts applied for being a part of that office or association.

The last way to obtain higher quality scrubs at a cheap price would be to look on your local marketplace or buy-sell digital platform sites.  What you will find here is that many folks purchase scrubs online, only to be disappointed that they got their incorrect fit, feel and more times than not, size.

The hassle to return becomes too much and when they find these scrubs in the back of their closet a year after purchase, end up trying to recover some cash for this purchase. If you know your size, you can pick up these second hand, relatively new, brand name scrubs at a discount.  Again, these finds are far and few in between, but they are an option.

In conclusion and as a recap, cheap scrubs are usually just that, cheap as it relates to price and quality.  For the value conscious consumer, there are ways to obtain the more desirable high-quality scrubs that can last for years and in the long run keep you outfitted for your role at a much lower total cost. However, a little patience and luck are required. For those that are not too fussed on seasonal colours and bogus trends, you can pick up end of the season outfits at a discounted price, this is where patience is required. 

On the other hand, you may need a bit of luck as most common sizes have already been sold and only a few stragglers may be left on the rack, so if it in fact fits and feels good, more times than not, you will be getting a great deal on your scrubs. 

The appeal at shopping at a local scrub retailer like BodyMoves Scrubs Boutique is that you can actually try on scrubs to make sure you get that perfect fit and feel before you decide to purchase. If you are lucky enough to get your perfect fit and feel scrubs off the clearance rack, you get up to a 70% discount, thus getting a great deal on great high-quality brand name scrubs.