Simple.solution
RAFAC UNIFORM SHOP
Just face fact that suppply is gash, will increasingly remain so.
Therefore if cadets have to buy their own uniform. So be it.
Plus side is. It puts all the onus onto parents. Reduces admin burden AND might even make them look after the kit better, if they had to buy it in first place.
Raf could subsidise cost, instead of providing us uniform.
Had this for ages with ATC beret badges - never known them to fit on the last 20 odd years or so.
However if this is RAF ones then that is a new issue.
They’re the worst I’ve ever seen them, we broke three in about 5 minutes.
Which is all well and good until your unit is in a deprived area, in my first Command we had to actively fundraise to buy shoes/boots as most Cadets couldn’t afford them, add in the cost of the rest of the uniform and you might as well shut units and change the motto to “Venture Adventure, unless you are poor”.
Ive been on a poor sqn.
In fact i would add a sqn, consistently ranked in one of the most deproved areas of the Country.
Doesnt chnage thr fact that uniform is in zero supply.
Something has to chnage.
At least if hqac opened a shop at raf rediced prices, sqns could buy the kit if needed!
Make blues sqn owned like greens.
Reuse and covert supplies would soon bolster the corps supply!
At present though its a lack of total manufsctured items causing the issue.
Im massive advocate of a cadet shop… Enables correct uniform and consistent quality… What i would want is it to be at cost price +handling not 30 or 40% margin.
Cost price.
And the RAF does us the solid of bearing the delivery costs.
What I would like is rather than the MOD disposing of stock straight to the military surplus people they have to go to cadets as first dibs either as issued or sold.
A bit like the ‘good old days’ before the bean counters got involved 
with the fear of offering a cliché…
what does the ACF do?
Ok i know they have MTP, which as indicated above is easier to source privately, either some online shop, eBay or surplus market stall - but what is the ACF model for official issue of uniform?
Army stores cannot be all that different to RAF stores and must have a similar disposal system for gash/returned kit - does that go to the ACF or is all stores rejects sent to the same warehouse to be sold by Cadet Direct or others?
They order MTP kit through their stores as I understand it.
None of this is unheard of in our organisation…
exactly, why can’t that be done properly and intergrated with our national website . . . @Wizzle
Scouts have managed it for decades (and used to have brick and mortar shops). Are we really saying we can’t match the scouts…?
ACF kit is all new issue,
Managed at Coy level through their CAAs.
My understanding is they back load used kit into the system (which is then sold to surplus to sell to the likes of us)
I’m told they are having supply issues, too. Uniform shirts out of stock on their online store.
Also £24 for a teenage / adult sized shirt
Scouts aren’t going to be hampered by pre-existing supply contracts and MOD procurement rules which would need to be followed to set up the supply for our new shop
Guy with burgandy UK passport smugly swaggering down the EU Lane to be sent to the back of the all passports lane as there was a queue of EU passport holders.
For the border staff to then start letting the all passports queue use the EU lanes once the EU queue had cleared and he was way back in the queue 
Im just advocate of it because it reduces the chances of cadet direct rinsing cadet whilst ensuring correct quality and correct pattern
Id go as far as have a contract with green frog or similar so it doubles up as the only way to provide Sqn merch at a resonable price to ensure branding is maintained etc…etc
The Scouts don’t have to buy anything on the scale at a full number 2 and number 3 uniform.
There is a difference between a shop to buy optional souvenirs and us not issuing basic uniform.
I appreciate that for some units the current solution isn’t working while for others it is, the solution is not to shift the financial responsibility for uniform onto prospective Cadets.