Buy Cheap School Uniforms at These 11 Stores and Save Big

It’s that time of year again when you search for cheap school uniforms to beat the back-to-school rush. I love the convenience of school uniforms, but I don’t love how expensive they can be, especially when there’s multiple kids. Fortunately, I found lots of ways to save on uniforms this school year.

With kids always outgrowing their clothes, it’s a constant cycle of buying new clothes and donating or selling the old ones. It can get expensive. Luckily, when it comes to school uniforms, the outfit is predictable so you know just what to buy. To help, I’ve found some great deals to ease your wallet during back-to-school shopping.

Since comparing prices is a drag, I’ve handled that part for you. All you have to do is stock up! Last year, I saw a lot of uniform sales in the spring and summer, which is the perfect time to buy before school starts.

For more money-saving tips, deals, and coupons, download The Krazy Coupon Lady app. And be sure to keep the KCL Back-to-School Deals page on regular rotation. Text SCHOOL or HOT DEALS to 57299 and be the first to know about the best deals each day.

 

1. Buy school uniforms as low as $5 in July and shoes for $2 at Old Navy in the spring.

Buying cheap school uniforms at Old Navy is easy with a percentage-off sale and a buy one, get one promotional code. You also get free shipping on orders of $50+ or free store pickup. Here’s a quick breakdown of deals from July 2022:

Uniform Essentials

Old Navy had 50% off polos, chino pants, shorts, skirts, and more. Styles were marked as low as:

• Uniform polos: $5, regularly $9.99
• Twill shorts: $7, regularly $16.99
• Uniform pants: $10, regularly $19.99

Shoes

In early March and April, Old Navy had a 50% off sale on kids shoes. Various styles were regularly $3.99 but discounted to $1.97.

Here are some other ways to save at Old Navy:

• Open an Old Navy credit card to save 30% on your first purchase (on top of the sale price and BOGO promo).
• Sign up for text alerts to save another $5 on an order of $35+.
• Earn $10 Super Cash for every $25 you spend by joining their SUPER CASH program.
• Opt for free store pickup to avoid shipping fees, or spend $50+ to get free shipping.

 

2. Save 40 – 50% when you buy school uniforms at The Children’s Place.

At The Children’s Place you can find steep online and in-store discounts on school uniforms, and their sales typically happen during summer. Take advantage of discounts up to and over 50% off school uniform separates and sets.

Here are some online and in-store deals I found in July 2022:

• Kids’ Uniform Pique Polo: $4.99 (reg. $10.95), 54% off
• The Children’s Place Uniform Performance Polo: $4.99 (reg. $8.21), 39% off (sold on Amazon)
• Toddler Uniform Ruffle Pique Polo: $5.99 (reg. $10.95), 45% off
• Toddler Uniform Pique Polo: $5.99 (reg. $9.95), 40% off

Here are some other ways to save at The Children’s Place:

• Pay with discounted gift cards from Sam’s Club and Raise.
• Sign up for their newsletter or text alerts to save 20%.
• Refer a friend to get another $10 off a $40 order.

 

3. Buy cheap school uniforms in bulk at Target.

Without a sale or Target Circle offer, the best way to grab cheap school uniforms at Target is to look at the clearance section and buy in multiples. Of course, you need to use your RedCard for everyday 5% savings, and you’ll get free shipping as a RedCard holder.

Some of the best sales in 2022 were bulk deals and required a coupon from the Target app. In July 2022 Target had a buy 2, get 1 free sale on Cat and Jack uniform shirts and shorts. You could even mix and match on select styles.

During the Target Deals Days sale in July, school uniforms were 50% off. Prices started at $2.99, online only. August wasn’t a bad time to buy cheap school uniforms either because Target marked polo shirts and chino pants for 30 – 40% off. I expect to see these same deals in 2023. Here are some current deals to take advantage of now.

Here are some other ways to save at Target:

• Open a RedCard and save 5% on every purchase and get free shipping.
• Download coupons as a Target Circle member.
• Get 5% off when it’s your birthday.

 

 

4. Stock up on 2-packs of short- and long-sleeve uniform shirts at Walmart for $10 – $12.

Although Walmart is known for their low prices, you can still find a way to save a few extra bucks on school uniforms for your kid(s) by taking advantage of the clearance and sale aisles. Honestly, we didn’t see any cheap school uniforms deals in 2022. I’m crossing my fingers for some deep discounts in 2023.

Here are other ways to save at Walmart:

• Join Walmart+ to get free shipping on any order with no minimum purchase amount. (You’ll get free grocery delivery too.)
• Buy a discounted Raise gift card and save another 2.5% on purchases.

 

5. Shop JCPenney for cheap school uniforms for as low as $7.99.

Don’t forget about department stores like JCPenney when shopping during back-to-school season. On top of regular sales, applying a promo code to your online purchase can save you as much as 25% extra.

Deals on kids’ polo shirts and shorts were a steal in August 2022:

• Izod Kids’ Shirt: $7.99 (reg. $20), 60% off
• Kids’ Uniform Shorts: $9.99 (reg. $26), 62% off

Here are other ways to save at JCPenney:

• Spend $75 to get free shipping on any order.
• Opt for a free ship to store on orders over $25.
• Extra discounts when you sign up for a JCP credit card.
• Sign up for JCP Rewards to get coupons and earn rewards certificates for cash.

 

 

6. Stop by Macy’s to grab name-brand uniform deals.

In my experience, school uniforms need to be washed constantly, so you may want to spend a little bit more for higher quality threads. In previous years, Macy’s had boys and girls Nautica uniform polos on sale. I’m hoping to see similar uniform deals in 2023 and will keep you posted when they drop.

• Nautica Big Boys’ Stretch Double Pique Polo, $12 (reg. $24), 50% off
• Nautica Little Girls’ School Uniform Picot-Trim Polo $12 (reg. $24), 50% off

Here are other ways to save at Macy’s:

• Use promo codes for extra savings.
• Join the Macy’s Star Rewards program to earn points that equate to cash.

 

7. Get discounted French Toast school uniforms on Amazon.

I’m not surprised to find school uniforms on Amazon since they sell just about everything. I’ve seen French Toast and The Children’s Place labels (along with other brands) for jumpers, polo shirts, skirts, pants, and cardigans.

As of writing this article, Amazon has a French Toast girls’ long-sleeve polo with picot collar for 48% off (regularly $22) and a 3-pack of Children’s Place boys’ short-sleeve polos for 44% off (regularly $24.99).

Here are other ways to save at Amazon:

• Become an Amazon Prime member to get free shipping. Without the membership, just spend $25 to get free shipping.
• Save 15% on select items with Amazon Subscribe & Save.

 

8. Snap up school uniform polos and pants at Sam’s Club.

Wholesale clubs can be a hit or miss for school uniforms, but they’re worth a look. Select stores have Izod, Eddie Bauer, and Arrow shorts, pants, and polo shirts for boys and girls.

While there aren’t many online items for sale as of writing this, Izod polos and Izod pants are available at Sam’s Club. I haven’t seen any deals on school uniforms at Costco since 2020, but I’ll keep an eye out for 2023.

Here are other ways to save at Sam’s Club:

• Join Sam’s Club online or at the Member Services desk inside the club.
• Sign up for a 24-hour guest membership to shop anything online without a membership card.

 

9. Get an assortment of school uniforms at Zulily.

There are some great bargains on school uniforms at Zulily, but you’ll need to pay for shipping on your first order. After that, shipping is free. And you can’t actually add anything to your “cart” without signing up.

The bright side is that when there are sales, there are some deep discounts (like 70% off). You’ll find a few brands and colors to choose from, along with shoes.

Here are other ways to save at Zulily:

• Sign up for a free Zulily account using your email so you can make purchases on Zulily.com and in the Zulily free app (iOS / Android). You’ll get Zulily sales straight to your inbox.
• Zulily emails all members a rundown of the day’s on-sale items at 9 a.m. ET.
• Look for Ready to Ship deals where all qualifying items get to your door much faster (one to three days, compared to five to 14 days).

 

10. Snag polos for as low as $5 at Kohl’s.

Aside from Target and Old Navy, Kohl’s is a big winner in the cheap school uniform category. In March and August 2022, I saw an assortment of kids’ polos, pants, skorts, hoodies, and more on sale for 50 – 70% off. On top of regular discounts, coupon codes for an extra 20% were abundant.

Here are other ways to save at Kohl’s:

• Spend $50 or more to get free shipping.
• Opt for free store pickup depending on your local availability.
• Become a Kohl’s cardholder (sign up here) to receive in-store rewards and a dollar-off or percent-off coupon.

 

11. Shop uniform tops and bottoms at discount stores.

The big retailers are all great resources for cheap school uniforms, but discount stores shouldn’t be overlooked for bargain deals. Check out these other stores for kids’ school uniforms:

Rainbow

Rainbow (aka Rainbow Shops) is a discount retailer that targets young women and teenagers, but I’ve seen styles for kids and adults. When it comes to cheap school uniforms, Rainbow is one of the cheapest around.

Shop online to find French Toast boys’ and girls’ uniform tops, pants, sweaters, shorts, joggers, ties, and jumpers. They’re typically available in long- and short-sleeve, different colors, and start in size 2T, up to size 16. Even though their regular starting prices are competitive at $4.99, clearance sales can easily knock off 50%. Their non-French Toast school uniforms aren’t too shabby in price either (I’ve seen 25% off).

Forman Mills

This New Jersey-based retail chain has expanded to Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Ohio. If you live in any of these states, Forman Mills’ kids’ school uniforms are sold in stores only.

I’ve shopped for uniform separates at Forman Mills, and the store regularly stocks jumpers, pants, polos, skirts, shirts, blouses, belts, socks, and sweaters. For example, in August 2022 kids’ uniform polo shirts for $6.98 each (or two for $13), while uniform pants were $10.98 each (or two for $20).

Many locations even have back-to-school events where there are raffles and backpack giveaways with $25+ purchase. There’s a “Sign Up and Save” promo that gives you 10% off of your purchase. Their rewards program discounts your purchase if you spend a minimum (i.e., get $5 off $25).

 

Other Ways to Save on Kids’ School Uniforms

School uniform exchange

Check with your child’s school to see if they have a uniform exchange program. This is my favorite way to score free uniforms each year. Many schools have an exchange program where you can bring any uniforms that no longer fit your child and exchange them for the desired size. Parents can also donate uniforms to help other students. If your child’s school doesn’t offer a uniform exchange program, consider starting one yourself or asking the PTA to create one.

Online swap

Use an online swap site like Just Between Friends. At Just Between Friends you can find swap events near you, which are typically held seasonally. I usually find school uniforms (as well as other clothing and items) for up to 90% off at these swap events. You can also sell your unwanted uniforms (and other items) at a Just Between Friends swap. Click here to find an event near you.

Think outside the uniform shop

Yes, there are still traditional uniform stores, but they’re grossly overpriced. And yes, retailers sell uniforms for a fraction of a uniform shop’s price, but there’s one more option. Don’t forget to check thrift stores, which often have gently used school uniforms that other children have outgrown.

Use Freecycle

Freecycle.org is a great website to score freebies — including school uniforms. You can place an ad stating that you’re looking for a school uniform or search through the posts to find uniform pieces. This is one of my favorite ways to shop for uniforms because I can pick up the uniform locally (for free!) instead of paying for any shipping and handling. Try Facebook Marketplace as well.