lesson learned
Supermarket summer school uniforms are the same quality as high-street alternatives but are three times CHEAPER, test finds
Channel 5's Shop Smart, Save Money tested the likes of Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Next, Asda and John Lewis
BUYING a school uniform that will last the term can be tough – especially with the wear and tear that comes with kids playing outside in the summer.
But Channel 5 put high street school gear to the test to see which is the best value for money and had the most long-lasting quality.
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On Shop Smart, Save Money, they tested the likes of Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Next, Asda and John Lewis – and there was a clear winner.
The school uniform items that were put to the test were polo shirts, shorts and gingham dresses.
They were marked for abrasion (mimicked general wear and tear), piling (wear and tear at the armpits, thighs and elbows) and tensile strength (how far can the fabric stretch).
Points were given to the winner of each test, with half points given if it was a draw.
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- School shirts, £4.50 for three from Sainsbury's -
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- School shirts, £10 for three from M&S -
First up were the polo shirts, and the winner was Sainsbury’s, who sell packs of three for £4.50.
Their shirts performed better in the abrasion and tensile strength tests than rival M&S, who sells similar multipacks of three for over double, at £10.
Sainsbury’s was given a score of 2.5 out of three, with M&S lagging behind with 0.5.
HOW THE TESTS WERE PERFORMED
- Abrasion: Shirts were put through wash cycles from as little as 20,000 to over 60,000.
- Piling: Uniforms were tested to see how they lasted when rubbed in areas typically affected by piling, like thighs, armpits and elbows. They completed more than 40,000 cycles to see which items lasted the longest.
- Tensile strength: They tested how much a fabric stretches and the force it takes to break. Items were warped in both directions five times each.
- A point was awarded to the winner of each individual test; in the cases of a draw, half a point was given to each.
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- Shorts, £6 from Next -
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- Shorts, £3 from Morrisons -
Next up for comparison was shorts, with a £3 Morrisons option going against a £6 Next pair.
Despite Next’s shorts costing double, they both fared the same in every category of test, and had similar levels of damage, so both received 1.5 points.
Finally a £5 gingham dress from Asda was pitted against a £16 option from John Lewis.
The Asda dress won the abrasion test, with the John Lewis dress, which is three times the cost, being less damaged in the piling test.
Both performed similarly in the tensile strength test meaning they also scored 1.5 points each.
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- Gingham dress, £5 from Asda -
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- Gingham dress, £16 from John Lewis -
HOW THE SCHOOL UNIFORMS FARED IN THE TEST
SAINSBURY'S
Price: £4.50 for three
Abrasion - won
Pilling - draw
Tensile strength - won
Total score: 2.5
M&S
Price: £10 for three
Abrasion - lost
Pilling - draw
Tensile strength - lost
Total score: 0.5
MORISSON'S
Price: £6 for two
Abrasion - draw
Pilling - draw
Tensile strength - draw
Total score: 1.5
NEXT
Price: £6 for one
Abrasion - draw
Pilling - draw
Tensile strength - draw
Total score: 1.5
ASDA
Price: £5 for one
Abrasion - won
Pilling - lost
Tensile strength - draw
Total score: 1.5
JOHN LEWIS
Price: £16 for one
Abrasion - lost
Pilling - won
Tensile strength - draw
Total score: 1.5
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
We previously shared our top picks for school uniforms from Asda.
And here is where to buy the cheapest school uniform from just £7.50.
Could YOU claim up to £150 towards your kid’s school uniform from your council? Find out if you qualify