Clothing Stores Help Line Topic

[Timmy!]

I figure a lot of us on here would have a few clothing stores questions. And I figure that an open topic on it would be helpful to teach one another on what you are entitled to, or what is what in the clothing system. ie under garment replacements each year entitlement. A Clothing Stores SME would be the best to answer any questions, either it be PM or on here for replies.


Your thoughts?

Vern, I know this is one of your bread and butter. Care to share your wisdom?

 

[c_canuk]

Here's one,

Why the flying F___ is clothing stores in the NCR closed on Wednesdays?

Unbelievable.

http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/caf-community-bases-wings-cfsu-ottawa/services.page#clothing-stores

 

[PMedMoe]

Closed? The link says appointments only.

That said, most Clothing Stores (and ORs, etc) close for at least one afternoon a week for stock taking, paper work, training, etc.  I don't see what the big deal is...

Heck, in TO the MIR was closed every Thursday afternoon...

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Here's one,

Why the flying F___ is clothing stores in the NCR closed on Wednesdays?

Unbelievable.

http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/caf-community-bases-wings-cfsu-ottawa/services.page#clothing-stores

Perfectly normal for them to do that....

IIRC even base clothing in Gagetown closes at least once a week....

Closed? The link says appointments only.

That said, most Clothing Stores (and ORs, etc) close for at least one afternoon a week for stock taking, paper work, training, etc.  I don't see what the big deal is...

Heck, in TO the MIR was closed every Thursday afternoon...

 

[BinRat55]

Perfectly normal for them to do that....

IIRC even base clothing in Gagetown closes at least once a week....

No, we don't close here in Gagetown. However, our hours are 0730 - 1330 Mon - Fri. This being said, many Clothing Stores DO close at least once a week for the exact reasons PMedMoe stated.

Why the flying f*** is it so unbelievable that our trade is understaffed, over worked and need a day to recover? It's the attitude of c_canuck and those like him that we become quite thick skinned. Mr. Canuck - if you cannot make it to Clothing Stores ANY other day than Wednesday (see, there are about 1000 others who have no issues...) then make an appointment. We would be HAPPY to SERVE you!

Servitium Nulli Secundus

 

[mariomike]

This being said, many Clothing Stores DO close at least once a week for the exact reasons PMedMoe stated.

It seems common,

Clothing Stores - Timings / Hours of Operation 
http://army.ca/forums/threads/56524.0

 

[Lumber]

1. When I'm swapping out boots, why do they have to be "off of my feet" for at least 24hrs before you will take them? You just throw them in the bin behind you where they sit for a week!

2. Why can the Army and Air Force, but not Navy, draw underwear? Why is an Army RMS Clerk working at the BOR in Kingston, or an untrained Pilot awaiting training working in Ops in Shearwater, entiltled to gitch, but when I go to sea for a few months, I'm on my own?

 

[Flavus101]

My new favourite is that in order to get your annual 5 green t-shirts you have to turn the old ones in.  ???

Not hating on the front line clothing clerks. The lady that I usually deal with is excellent.

 

[medicineman]

1. When I'm swapping out boots, why do they have to be "off of my feet" for at least 24hrs before you will take them? You just throw them in the bin behind you where they sit for a week!

2. Why can the Army and Air Force, but not Navy, draw underwear? Why is an Army RMS Clerk working at the BOR in Kingston, or an untrained Pilot awaiting training working in Ops in Shearwater, entiltled to gitch, but when I go to sea for a few months, I'm on my own?

1.  You're a dirty sailor - they want your boots to be dry so they don't stink up the already stinky boot repository and they don't want to be scared of foot cooties.

2.  You're a dirty sailor - no gitch needed except for the one pair your use for your entire sail...if you wear any at all.  If you got to change your gitch, you'd no longer be dirty and your mess mates would be forced alienate you.

3.  If you're a submariner, you only have space for the set of clothes you're wearing anyway...you don't need extra.

If you haven't figured it out, I'm having a bit of fun AND talking out of my butt...one can only guess the answers, though your ever changing NCD's likely have to do with whether you get/need undies or not.

MM

 

[MJP]

My new favourite is that in order to get your annual 5 green t-shirts you have to turn the old ones in.  ???

Not hating on the front line clothing clerks. The lady that I usually deal with is excellent.

If you are Reg Force then that is the wrong answer.

If you a Reservist, then unfortunately that is the policy for some inane reason.

1. When I'm swapping out boots, why do they have to be "off of my feet" for at least 24hrs before you will take them? You just throw them in the bin behind you where they sit for a week!

2. Why can the Army and Air Force, but not Navy, draw underwear? Why is an Army RMS Clerk working at the BOR in Kingston, or an untrained Pilot awaiting training working in Ops in Shearwater, entiltled to gitch, but when I go to sea for a few months, I'm on my own?

1.  I can imagine it is to dry out the sweat, it is pretty disgusting to have to handle your wet boots (not yours per se, but in general).  Although I tend to agree with you.

2.  Maybe the Navy didn't buy into the programme?  Odd one though, I will admit.  The RCAF rain jacket was similar.  Army folks couldn't get it until the army bought into the program.

 

[BinRat55]

1. When I'm swapping out boots, why do they have to be "off of my feet" for at least 24hrs before you will take them? You just throw them in the bin behind you where they sit for a week!

2. Why can the Army and Air Force, but not Navy, draw underwear? Why is an Army RMS Clerk working at the BOR in Kingston, or an untrained Pilot awaiting training working in Ops in Shearwater, entiltled to gitch, but when I go to sea for a few months, I'm on my own?

As much as I really liked medicinman's answer (it WAS pretty good) here are the ACTUAL reasons:

Our policy and directive dictate that we cannot take ANYTHING over the counter that has not been cleaned. If you take your shirt off your back, your boots off your feet or your pants off your ass we simply can't take it. My friend, I have been part of not one, but 2 flea infestations and a scabies outbreak. Some people are really dirty. We have to treat everything the same for the safety and health of not only our staff but our other customers as well. I'm sure you can understand.

As for the gitch - don't blame us - the Nave figured you didn't need drawers. This stuff is purchased at ADM-Command level. In other words, the green stuff is bought and paid for by Army, the (powder) blue stuff is bought and paid for by the Air Force and the (navy) blue stuff... well, you can extrapolate.

You should have been here when the Air Force bought the very FIRST generation CADPAT rain jacket...

Does that make any sense?

 

[Lumber]

As much as I really liked medicinman's answer (it WAS pretty good) here are the ACTUAL reasons:

Our policy and directive dictate that we cannot take ANYTHING over the counter that has not been cleaned. If you take your shirt off your back, your boots off your feet or your pants off your *** we simply can't take it. My friend, I have been part of not one, but 2 flea infestations and a scabies outbreak. Some people are really dirty. We have to treat everything the same for the safety and health of not only our staff but our other customers as well. I'm sure you can understand.

As for the gitch - don't blame us - the Nave figured you didn't need drawers. This stuff is purchased at ADM-Command level. In other words, the green stuff is bought and paid for by Army, the (powder) blue stuff is bought and paid for by the Air Force and the (navy) blue stuff... well, you can extrapolate.

You should have been here when the Air Force bought the very FIRST generation CADPAT rain jacket...

Does that make any sense?

Makes total sense. I was around when the first gen CADPAT rain jacket came out. It was the same story with the CADPAT Parka, was it not? All the Air Force guys at RMC were walking around wearing CADPAT coats/jackets while the Army guys were stuck in OD wondering "wtf, mate?!".

 

[BinRat55]

My new favourite is that in order to get your annual 5 green t-shirts you have to turn the old ones in.  ???

Not hating on the front line clothing clerks. The lady that I usually deal with is excellent.

MJP is correct - if you are reg you do not need to bring in the old t-shirts. I can see in the system right down to the second when you were last issued your shirts. There is one of two reasons this thought to be the case:

1. You were either misinformed or you misunderstood. Our policy here (which I also agree is flawed) is to do a one-for-one exchange on the poly-pro only. The longjohns, underwear and zipper shirts. One-for-one means you have to bring the old, ratty one back...CLEAN please!

2. It may be the Clothing Store's IC making that call. It's not the general policy for Clothing Stores to take back your old t-shirts.

 

[BinRat55]

Makes total sense. I was around when the first gen CADPAT rain jacket came out. It was the same story with the CADPAT Parka, was it not? All the Air Force guys at RMC were walking around wearing CADPAT coats/jackets while the Army guys were stuck in OD wondering "wtf, mate?!".

Actually, yes and no. When we took crap at the beginning from Div for issuing "Air Force CADPAT" to soldiers who really needed it (Infanteers, Engineers, Mechanics...) a bad cas of "tentitives" ensued. For almost a year (the Army bought the first CADPAT system) we gave it only to the Air Force. So we had Officer Cadets, CIC officers, and 16 year-old babysitters wearing the stuff they were NOT entitled to. What a dog's breakfast!

 

[Flavus101]

Apologies, I should have clarified that I am a reservist.

 

[armyvern]

1. When I'm swapping out boots, why do they have to be "off of my feet" for at least 24hrs before you will take them? You just throw them in the bin behind you where they sit for a week!

So they can air out. I don't give a rat's ass if I'm tossing them out into the garbage a week from now ... your one pair of unaired, stinky boots equates to 60 pairs recd at our location in a day or week of unaired stinky boots sitting in our building for us to gag on ... try giving that a smell.  Better yet, go see your nearest clothing stores and see if you can be there with them one morning when they open the place up so you can gag with them. Even aired out for the requisite 24 hours boots are enough to gag a maggot when we have shitloads of them waiting for the disposal run.  Perhaps we should just send all the Base's garbage clothing to your house to keep for week and then maybe you'll fully understand the "WHY".  That's why I'm a huge advocate of "hole punching them so they can't be exchanged and then handing back to you to throw out in your own garbage.

2. Why can the Army and Air Force, but not Navy, draw underwear? Why is an Army RMS Clerk working at the BOR in Kingston, or an untrained Pilot awaiting training working in Ops in Shearwater, entiltled to gitch, but when I go to sea for a few months, I'm on my own?

Why the heck are you posing this question to Supply Techs? We have ZERO to do with what you are entitled to. Ask your own trade and ECS' the "WHY" of this one.  Your entitlements are up to them to decide, not us.  Would you ever ask an RMS Clerk WHY your pay level has been decided to be $X.XX per month? Nope ... because they just pay you, they don't decide what you are entitled to as a pay rate.

 

[armyvern]

Makes total sense. I was around when the first gen CADPAT rain jacket came out. It was the same story with the CADPAT Parka, was it not? All the Air Force guys at RMC were walking around wearing CADPAT coats/jackets while the Army guys were stuck in OD wondering "wtf, mate?!".

That first generation of cadpat raingear was bought and paid for by the RCAF.  I was the IC Clothing at the time and it was hilarious the sheer volume of RSMs and School CWOs phoning to scream at me as to "Why are you issuing air force people MY soldiers kit?" ... Because it ain't yours!  The RCAF actually had their shit sorted out and the Army didn't. Surprise.

 

[BinRat55]

That first generation of cadpat raingear was bought and paid for by the RCAF.  I was the IC Clothing at the time and it was hilarious the sheer volume of RSMs and School CWOs phoning to scream at me as to "Why are you issuing air force people MY soldiers kit?" ... Because it ain't yours!  The RCAF actually had their crap sorted out and the Army didn't. Surprise.

Absolute 100% truth... i was there!!

 

[armyvern]

My new favourite is that in order to get your annual 5 green t-shirts you have to turn the old ones in.  ???

Not hating on the front line clothing clerks. The lady that I usually deal with is excellent.

I feel for you;  I'd much prefer that you tossed your own garbage out and we just issued you your 5 per year.  Every Sup Tech I know would say the same.  I've no idea the "why" for this other than someone making the rules way above us decided that 'some' reservists probably would not actually ruin 5 shirts per year and thus, money was to be saved by only exchanging shirts "certified" as requiring replacement.  Spending 10 bucks in wages to save the 6 bucks of the cost of the t-shirt.

:-\

 

[c_canuk]

Back to my original post.

If you will read the appointments only caveat again, you will see they are for operational reasons only. Since I was only going on course and only had wed, my travel day, to go to supply, I was frustrated.

Now I sympathise with trades that are undermanned, mine for example is at 49%. However, we don't get to set our hours to 0800 - 1400 and shut er down one business day a week.

Now while I find it difficult to believe they can't do stock taking from 1400-1600 daily, the given justification is "we're undermanned" and that means it's higher up's fault not the people manning the desk. I never meant to imply it any other way.

As for this solution, that is not the people actually manning supplies fault, I find it obtuse in an area where there are more troops than anywhere else in the CF.

Especially since for most of us, getting over there is not easy nor time effective. Some of us are working nights and weekends uncompensated in addition to normal hours to keep on top of operational requirements and last minute CDSO and MNDO requests among others. It's irritating when you're told you need new high visibility name tapes, that you have to blow half a day of personal time and the only day you have time to do so, they're closed.

Pardon me for my outburst, I did not mean to offend, just illustrate disbelief that this is the case.