Buts it’s not issued on Inventory, if you check the units inventory their shouldn’t be any clothing on their. It’s issued to individuals hence why you should t actually have any stock.
I see what you mean. We’ve been asked to account for our stocks on a unit basis in the past though.
Who by though? In all my time I’ve only been asked what stock I have by Wing when there is a shortage and they are trying to work out what they have that could be shared.
Which is very different to doing an Inventory return to parent station.
And they’re hardly likely to recall clothing anyway - they can’t reissue it, it will go in the bin.
I did once have 6 pairs of trousers added to my inventory, but got those removed pretty quickly and easily.
That’s the way it is in our Wing.
There is new and PWS at WHQ. If an order can be fulfilled using that, then it is, and when the order is sent from our parent station it goes back into stock. If WHQ don’t hold it, it’s issued to the cadets when delivered from the parent station.
I’m a massive fan of not having unissued uniform lying around on the unit. We have enough crap pieces of vital equipment to find a home for, let alone a random assortment of blues…
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As a former OC who could (and I quote my former WExO) kit out the Wing, with what I had I my stores, I do agree. Its a surplus of kit and takes up space. 3 racks in our case.
That space could be used for more tents, more sports kit, more fieldcraft kit, more space for range items, more space of the civ comm to store their random crud (actually, ignore the last one)
If it was a quick turn round and we could have it delivered within a week or two of the order going in, it would negate the need to have stock on the squadron.
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We cut ours right back, but tried to keep one of each size to make sizing new recruits easier “try that on, right we will order you one of those”
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We have cut ours right back too, literally just hold a few running spares basically, hopefully enough that an unexpected damage / serious growth spurt can be dealt with.
Inventory wise, a few years our WExO took over all of our inventories, and then had a major write off exercise, net result is we now have very little on inventory which makes life much easier.
This.
Needs to be central supply, direct to cadet. Amazon style. No Sqn involvement.
Parent orders via cadet portal.
Uniform arrives.
Bosch.
Would love to get my stores back for kit not blues.
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I would bin my sqn uniform stores completely, if it wasn’t for it taking 4+ months to get any uniform from the RAF. . .
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Everything to the cadet once ordered.
Prehaps they get say 100 credits when they join, that is enough for x1 of everything they are entitled to.
Each year they have say 10 credits to order what they need/replaced.
My work do a similar thing for our workwear. Basic items are replaced when ordered, or some specialist stuff like steel toecap boots for the engineering staff, and you can buy “extras” like gucci looking fleeces or waterproof jackets.
From a cadet point, I’d probably keep the brassard and associated badges issued at sqn level, as I’ve seen some shocking sowing when left to people’s interpretation of the regs…
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and for those people who would find it difficult to have parcels delivered to their home address?
Option for it to be sent to the squadron if possible.
If not, then to WHQ for collection by CFAV or forwarding.
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that’s what I’d hope the suggestion would be 
(I’d be worried that only the address on the cadet’s record would ever be used though)
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I’m sure the exacts can be ironed out.
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They can go to WHQ and collect, I’m sure they would come up with an alternative address where they could have a parcel delivered if that was the alternative.
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Either way.
If the org wants to genuinely reduce the admin burden.
Having a truly streamlined external clothing and stores system would go a long way.
Reduced on Sqn admin.
Freed up Sqn space.
Faster delivery of uniform.
All round happier cadets and volunteers.
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I’m sure there will be some organisational faff added to the mix?
Some mandated stuff from a WHQ that says, “yes the IBN says this, but I want it done this way…”
But I agree. Reduced admin, and quicker delivery to sqns.
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A sponsored tie in with Amazon lockers for those unable to get deliveries at home?
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Can we not support that company?
When talking of “Amazon style”, I was hoping we’d take the warehouse and delivery premise and leave out the mistreatment of staff and vendors and laughing in the face of customers who “paid for” the head narcissist’s little jolly to not space so he could do some figurative appendage waving.
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