You know the school holidays are almost over when the busiest places in town for holidaying students are college uniform shops.
The Marlborough Boys' and Girls' Colleges Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) say they have been run off their feet with uniform fittings since opening for business on Monday.
"The busiest time is absolutely now," said Girls' College PTA uniform shop committee member Alicja Ginders.
The shop is the only supplier of new Girls' College uniforms and for two weeks leading up to the start of the school year has a line of parents and mostly year 9 girls waiting to try tartan skirts and white blouses.
Extra members of the PTA and others are called in to man the store, which is normally operated by two part-time workers through the year, she said.
The shop also sells second-hand uniforms which are a popular choice for some parents who want to buy back-up blouses or skirts for their daughters.
The PTA compared its uniform pricing with other schools around the country, but it was not necessarily "comparing apples with apples" because of the differences in quality of the uniforms, she said.
She thought $35 for a short-sleeve blouse and $70 for a junior skirt was reasonable, although there were payment options for families who struggled financially.
The college also has a donation box for second-hand uniforms.
A full uniform for a student included a couple of blouses, skirt, a wool or acrylic jumper, socks, shoes and a PE top and shorts.
Some families also swap uniform items and buy second-hand uniforms through the newspapers, then source items they are missing from the uniform shop.
In yesterday's Express there were 15 classified advertisements selling boys and girls college uniform items.
Dad Al Turner spent $421 kitting out his two daughters Jesse, 15, and Kate, 13, with "the lot".
He said he did not mind the price because it was cheaper than the clothes the girls would go through in a year and he also knew what they needed to wear each day.
Boys' College uniform shop manager Carolyn Weir said the store had also been busy, with about 215 year 9 students and 140 year 13 students buying new or second-hand uniforms.
This did not include other students buying bits and pieces such as new socks.
A new year 9 uniform would typically require a jersey, three short-sleeve shirts, two pairs of shorts, three pairs of socks, PE gear and shoes.
Queen Charlotte College principal Tom Parsons said the college's uniform is sold through Postie Plus which makes the cost cheaper for parents.
The store could buy in bulk and hold stock and was easily accessible for people, he said.
A senior uniform would cost about $300 and included tie, shirt, skirt or pants and a blazer.
Most of the blazers were returned at the end of each year and onsold, he said.
- The Marlborough Express SIMON WONG
What to wear: Year 9 student Lauren Bishell, 13, centre, picks out her new uniform with mum Robyn Bishell, left, and shop assistant Megan Edwards
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