Be sure to check your mailbox for our latest Summer catalog. I'm so eager to show you this season's designer medical scrubs that I thought I would post the link here immediately so that you could see what all of the excitement is about.  I love the detail and thought that has gone into each of our new styles. These are not just your basic scrubs- each style has a twist that adds a bit of extra fashion detail, comfort, or fit.  Check them out for yourself! Just click here. 

To continue the Nurses Week festivities, I went on a quest to learn more about the Nursing profession. I picked a few of my favorite facts to share with you.

• In 2007 hospital staff nurses in the United States earned an average of $59,061.
• Nursing is one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States. Unfortunately there is a shortage of nurses and nurse educators.
• The average age of Registered Nurses has risen from 42.3 in 1996 to 46.8 in 2004.
• Research indicates that advanced practice registered nurses can provide 60 to 80 percent of primary care services as well as or better than physicians and at a lesser cost.
• Among professions in the United States, nurses rank first for their honesty and integrity, with 82 percent of Americans rating them "high" or "very high," according to a 2005 Gallup Poll. Nurses have consistently rated first every year but one after being added to the list in 1999.
• The first nursing school in history dates back to 250 B.C. and was located in India.
• There are more nurses than any other workers in the health care profession.
• Florence Nightingale, the most famous nurse in modern history, was only a nurse for three years of her life.
• Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first African-American nurse in 1879.
• According to a report released by the American Hospital Association in April 2006, U.S. hospitals need approximately 118,000 RNs to fill vacant positions nationwide.
• The earliest hospital uniforms for nurses were based on function and feminine virtue.

Does anyone else have any fun facts about things like nursing, hospital uniforms, scrubs or Nurses Week to share? I know that there’s a lot more than this to know about nursing and I would love for you to share your knowledge!

I would like to send out my congratulations to Stephanie M. from Chino Hills, CA. Stephanie is the winner of our Win Your Wishlist Contest. That means $250 of merchandise from Lydia’s Uniforms belongs to her! What a perfect way to start Nurses Week, well any week for that matter.  

As for the rest of you who didn’t win, I know how it feels; I’m as unlucky as they come. But don’t worry; we have something for you too. Lydia’s is offering free shipping on any order of $50 or more. To receive the free shipping enter the code: NURSES58 when you checkout. So go ahead, take advantage of the free shipping and buy yourself something to celebrate Nurses Week. But you have to do it soon; this offer expires Saturday May 10^th, 2008 at midnight. 

So once again, congratulations Stephanie. I hope you enjoy your new designer medical scrubs and I hope everyone is having a wonderful Nurses Week!

Lydia’s Uniforms would like to say thank you to all the nurses out there. We know that many of you work long hours or inconvenient third shifts. We have seen how the work that you do can be stressful, strenuous and tiring. But we have also seen how nurses, despite everything, seem to love their work and they do it with smiling faces (and in cute scrubs). For all those reasons, Lydia’s Uniforms appreciates you.

So take part in our Nurses Week celebration. Start by checking out our Overstock Sale on in-season items. Most items are 50% off or more. Check out this stethoscope on sale for $19.99, down from $85. Or click here to see my favorite scrubs the Baby Phat Hippie Princess Scrub Pant. There really is something for everyone.

If you haven’t done it already, continue the celebration by entering our annual Nurses Week Photo Contest. We’ve already received some wonderful pictures, but I’m sure there are tons more out there. Remember, the winner receives $100 gift card to Lydia’s!  And tonight is the last night to enter the Win Your Wishlist contest, so if you haven’t done that yet, hurry!

And of course, keep reading the blog and check our homepage frequently. More special promotions are on they way in honor of you and Nurses Week 2008!

Another one of our great customers, Karissa, offered to take a pair of scrubs for a road test (what would I do without so many helpful customers always willing to give their feedback?) She chose to tell us about her Sand Washed Mock Wrap Scrub Top and Flare Scrub Pants from Dickies.  As a busy RN/BSN, Karissa wears these scrubs about one out of the three nights a week that she works. After all that wear time I bet Karissa is almost an expert on what these nursing scrubs have to offer!

Karissa answered some questions about the scrubs for us. She had some particularly helpful advice about their sizing. Let’s hear what she had to say.
 

What are your thoughts on the fit of the scrubs?
The fit of the top is great.  You can adjust the fit of the sides of the top with the back tie, and it actually lets you have a shape rather than looking like a box.  The pants are really nice, too.  The drawstring ensures that they won't fall down, and the elastic back gives you the extra flexibility.  Also, the pant legs are not super tight; however I would suggest buying the next bigger size for both pants and tops if you are on the cusp of sizes.  For example, I usually wear a medium in most scrubs (Cherokee, Landau), but with the way Dickies does their sizing, most of the time I need a large after they have been washed due to shrinking.   

What is your favorite thing about these scrubs?

They are super soft and they are comfortable to work in; they don't bunch or ride up while you're walking or doing procedures at the bedside.  Also, they don't show your midriff if you reach up.    
 

What is your least favorite thing about these scrubs?

They collect lint like it's their job.
 

Are there any unique features to these scrubs that your other scrubs don’t have?

The pocket in the top, some other brands have started to do that now, but this one is just the right size for 3cc saline flushes. 
  

Have you received any compliments on them?

Yes, usually about how soft they are.   

So it’s nice to hear that these stylish medical scrubs are not only cute, but also comfy and soft. In any outfit it’s always reassuring to know that you can do what you normally do without being uncomfortable, your clothes bunching up or your midriff showing and it’s especially reassuring to know these things when you’re at work!

Thanks again Karissa for all your helpful comments!

Have you ever played Top 5?  This has been one of our road trip games in the car for years in my family- mostly inspired by Rob in the movie High Fidelity.  So, without further ado, I present to you the Top 5 Reasons I Like Working at Lydia’s:

5. I get to show my true goofy colors and no one bats an eye (Can I wear scrubs in the office for a day? Sure!  Can I take pictures and post them on the blog? Sure!).

4. My manager (Leesa) sacrifices and sits in a cubicle so that I can have an office space.

3. The company is family-owned and makes its employees feel a part of their family (The Fotis’s have an open door policy, and any employee can come in and chat at any time).

2. The industry has some terrific vendors and you get to meet lots of great people (Remember my interview with Kathy from Koi?  She’s always that great!).

And the top reason I like working at Lydia’s…

1. The owners trust me at the helm of our website, and have a lot of faith in me and what I do.  Thanks Lydia’s!

I'm giving away two of these Earth-friendly totes!  Keep reading to find out how you can get one.

It’s April 22^nd and that means that Earth Day is officially here, a day all about awareness of our Earth and giving back to our community. Two weeks ago I wrote about the great things that Lydia’s employees are doing to go green and since then I’ve found out even more!

Not only are individual employees working to be green, but so is Lydia’s Uniforms as a whole. Lydia’s currently recycles and uses green cleaning products, but the company is brainstorming all sorts of new ideas on how to be environmentally friendly in the future. For example, Lydia’s is looking into new power strips which, unlike normal power strips, prevent an electric current from being drawn when electronics aren’t in use. Sounds like an awesome idea to me. Imagine how much electricity could be saved in just a single home by using those power strips and using them at Lydia’s would save even more than that! Lydia’s also wants to start saving electricity with their lights and saving plastic by providing employees with reusable water bottles.

In honor of Earth Day, I also went around to see what else Lydia’s employees might be up to that I wasn’t aware of. I found out that the employees are doing all sorts of things to give back to the community, not just on days like today, but all year long.

Some of the employees here volunteer doing various things. Their volunteer activities include: helping out at church, serving food to those in need and putting together a benefit for a family member. And not only are employees volunteering, but so are their kids! One employee told us how her children continuously volunteer, another has a child who goes around collecting recycling and other employees have children helping out the community through Girl Scouts.

Of course volunteering isn’t the only way to give back. One employee reminded me of Operation Christmas Child, which he participates in. All you have to do is fill a shoebox full of toys, personal items and school supplies and it’s sent to a child in need! That’s a simple way to help out a child who will really appreciate it and it’s something you can do every year.

After speaking with employees and thinking about Earth Day, it made me realize that everybody doing something (even if it is something small) really can add up. It might be hard to be completely environmentally friendly, or to give back all the time, but if you do something new every once in awhile, I think that it could make a big difference!

So what are you doing for Earth Day? Will you be taking part in any special events, or maybe just wearing your favorite pair of green scrubs to show that you’re aware?

If you’re looking for a new way to be green, Lydia’s is offering all their customers a free tote bag with any purchase of $75 or more*. So if you need some new scrubs, why not let Lydia’s help you celebrate Earth Day by providing you with a brand new tote bag that you can use again and again. Just enter code PEARTH08 at checkout.

Plus... I took a couple of these out of stock (shh!).  The first TWO people to leave a comment on this post will get one of these earth-friendly totes FREE!
 

*While supplies last

Just because you have to wear scrubs, doesn't mean you have to give up your sense of style. Many of the new scrub styles have been finding their inspiration from the latest fashion trends.

One fashion trend that never seems to go out of style, the empire waist, has been making an appearance on some of the cutest scrub tops.

Check out the similarities I found between these designer styles and scrub styles!

            Designer Style: Marc Jacobs Top         Scrub Style: Landau Top

          



             Designer Style: GAP Top        Scrub Style: Landau Top

            

I think both of these scrub tops look great with the empire waist, it gives them that little extra touch of personality. Plus, the bright colors and the white would be perfect tops for spring and summer!

What are your favorite fashion inspired scrubs?

I had to speak with Allison, our Contact Center Manager, yesterday, so I left my desk and headed over to her office. As I opened the Contact Center door, I stopped dead in my tracks!  Directly in front of me was a 30' banner with the "Golden Rule" of customer service on it.  I immediately thought back (nearly 9 years ago now) to my own days of customer service training, and was glad to hear that Allison is still teaching our employees this important rule.  It's the foundation for all we do.

You've heard me say it before, but our company is not just about scrubs. It's about YOU, and how we can provide the best service possible.  Without you, we wouldn't be here. 

Thank YOU!

Last month Rachel and Leesa decided to take our product for a test drive and wear a pair of scrubs around the office for a day. Unfortunately I didn’t work here yet; otherwise maybe I could have been the one coming to work in a pair of comfy medical scrubs! Perhaps I can convince them that we need to have scrub Monday, in addition to casual Friday. Then I could buy medical scrubs to wear to work instead of the normal office apparel. I’m not going to count on that though.

This month, instead of having Lydia’s employees do a road test of the scrubs, we decided to let a customer try it. Our customers are the ones who are working hard, moving about and putting their uniforms to the test on a daily basis, so why not hear what they have to say about their scrubs from Lydia’s.  

Our customer, Kassie, tested a pair of Katherine Heigl scrubs from her New York Collection and answered a few of our questions.

 
What are your thoughts on the fit of the scrubs?
I absolutely love them!  The tops are flattering, and have a professional look and they don't make you feel like you are wearing a box like some other tops. The pants don't quite fit perfectly, if you have wider hips, they hug that area. I love the flare bottom with the slit on the outside of the leg. I got several compliments on both the bottoms and the tops. The small details that went into making these scrubs really show.  I love the black stitching on the white, and it's even better on the black collar with the white stitching.  That is what gives these scrubs their own personality.

What are your likes/dislikes about the scrubs? What do these scrubs have that other brands do not?

These scrubs are definitely different than all the other brands out there.  You can tell that she put thought into what she was designing.

Have you received any compliments on them?
Oh my, everyone at work complimented me on them, and when I told them they were Katherine Heigl, they were floored and started calling me Grey’s Anatomy girl.  No one had seen any of her scrubs yet.

Do you have any anecdotes about your scrubs to share with us?
The only anecdote that I have is that I need to lose some weight in my hips! No scrub can help me with that!  Haha

So it sounds like Kassie is pretty happy with her Katherine Heigl scrubs, even if they did get her the nickname “Grey’s Anatomy Girl”. There’s nothing wrong with being the first person at work to have the newest designer medical scrubs. And instead of trying to make her hips smaller (because we all know that losing weight from our hips is virtually impossible) maybe she could try out a pair of Cherokee Flex-I-Bles Scrub Pants, I hear they’re quite flattering.

Does anyone else have scrubs from Katherine Heigl’s New York collection? What do you think about them? Do you agree with Kassie?

Now that it is officially spring and Earth Day is rapidly approaching; I can’t help but think green thoughts. Not only am I thinking about the green grass that’s soon to come (not soon enough here in Michigan), but also about green efforts.

After a little research, I discovered that medical scrubs aren’t the only thing that’s green here at Lydia’s. Many of the employees are living environmentally friendly lifestyles at work and at home. I only had to walk a few feet to my co-workers desk where I found a place to put my paper for recycling.

I asked some of the employees how they are green on a daily basis. I found out that this is what they do:

 Recycle everything possible (paper, plastic, aluminum, batteries, etc.) One employee gets her son involved with recycling and she says, “He loves to go [to the recycling center] with grandma.”
 Return cans and bottles to the store instead of throwing them away
 Use reusable totes for shopping (here’s one tote that Lydia's offers which can be used for shopping or for bringing your stuff to and from work)                            
 Drive fuel efficient cars
 Bike or take the bus instead of drive
 Turn off lights when leaving the room “I’m obsessive about never leaving lights on in more than one room at home,” said Lindsey.
 Use energy efficient light bulbs around the house
 Turn off or unplug appliances/ electronics that aren’t in use
 Make sure that the dishwasher and washing machine are completely full before running, in order to save water
 Use green products 
 Keep the heat down in the house
 Make all errands in one trip to cut back on gasoline

And one of my favorite green efforts came from Gail, an employee at Lydia’s, who is environmentally friendly even when she’s quilting! Gail uses recycled express and priority mailing envelopes in the creation of her quilts. I thought this was an awesome way to show how you can be green in all aspects of your life! I think I need to be more creative like Gail.                           

Finding out all this information was exciting to me. At home I tend to be alone in my quest to be green (the recycling boxes are right next to the garbage and my roommates still don’t use them)! But at least now I can come to work and be surrounded by others who are on the same quest. And who knows, maybe I’ll eventually rub off on my roommates.
 
So what do you do to be green? Do you have any suggestions for us at Lydia’s about what we could do to improve? We would love to hear your ideas.

As a new employee at Lydia’s Uniforms I’ve met all sorts of people since I started just a week ago. It’s hard to remember all the new faces and especially all the new names, but I’m working on it! One thing that I noticed when visiting the different departments is that everyone at Lydia’s is involved with customer service. It seemed like there was someone from every department, whether it was the call center or the warehouse, who was trying to figure out how to best meet a customer’s needs or make a customer happy. The best part was, nobody was complaining about it! And as someone who has worked in customer service for the past seven years, it’s refreshing to see employees who are dedicated to the customer and willing to help (without complaining about it).

One particular employee that I met on my first day here, Jose Ortiz, is an expert in the field of customer service. As a Team Leader in the Customer Service Department, Jose’s job is to ensure that customer’s needs are met. Turns out, that is exactly what he was doing the first time I met him. When I approached Jose to introduce myself he was on the phone with a customer. I realized right away that Jose wasn’t trying to hurry the customer off the phone, but was instead trying to assist them with whatever they needed. I decided not to bother him and come back and introduce myself another time when he wasn’t as busy! I eventually found a time when we both had a free moment and I got the opportunity to meet him. Jose seemed extremely friendly and personable (perfect for a job in customer service).

              After meeting Jose and realizing what an important part of the Lydia’s team he was, I wanted to ask him a few questions about his job here. What better way to get to know more about the employees and the company than actually hearing what they have to say? This is what I found out from Jose:

What is your favorite thing about working for Lydia’s?

My favorite thing about working for Lydia’s is the diverse clientele we have on a daily basis.

What did you think when you saw Rachel & Leesa road-testing scrubs for the day?

I believe it is a good idea. It gives us the opportunity to try it before you buy it.

What’s your favorite scrub?

My favorite line of scrubs is the Urbane from Landau. The scrubs are trendy. I actually own a few pairs of the Urbane Boot Cut Pant 9502. It is very comfortable, and fits very loose.

(I guess you don’t have to work in the medical field to buy medical scrubs!)

He also shared his customer service philosophy with me. This is what he had to say: “As a Customer Service Specialist, I feel it is crucial that every individual receives the utmost care and dedication he/she deserves. I have worked in the Customer Service industry for over 11 years, and dealt with all types of situations. Some time ago, I had a customer who was unsure about ordering uniforms for sizing reasons. I suggested she sample the items, to make sure it was the color, style, and size she was looking for. Finally, the package was received and some of the items worked but a few didn’t. I instructed the customer to send what she didn’t like back at no charge. We shipped her requested items, and now all the items worked out perfectly.  Now the customer knows what color, size, and brand to order and we have her business for life. It’s not always about getting the customer off the phone, but getting them what they need. Our customers rely on us to get them their uniforms, and making their experience as smooth as possible.

          Working for Lydia’s Professional Uniforms has been a great experience for me, and I will continue to strive in giving the best customer service possible.”

After having many of my own terrible experiences with all kinds of customer service representatives, reading Jose’s philosophy helped me understand why he is such a valued employee. I cannot imagine Jose ever telling a customer, “that’s your problem, not mine,” which is something I personally have been told by a customer service representative of a company whose name I won’t mention. I wish every customer service representative that I spoke with had a motto like Jose’s. It would make life just a little less frustrating.

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I’m impatiently waiting for April 24^th to come; the day that Grey’s Anatomy finally returns to the air after what seemed like decades of no new episodes! Hopefully I’m not the only Grey’s geek who has been counting down the days since the last new episode aired in January. I can’t help it; there’s something irresistible about watching McDreamy saunter around in his lab coat and scrubs.

In the last episode that aired Meredith and Derek’s on again off again relationship was once again off and the episode has left us wondering (for the last 3 months!) whether or not the two will stay apart. Plus there’s the turmoil between Miranda and her husband, the possibility that Lexie and George might move in together and the fact that Erica admitted that she might actually be interested in Mark if they weren’t colleagues.

So what do you think is going to happen when April 24^th finally comes around? Is there a possibility that Derek and Meredith will get back together, or that Miranda and her husband will separate?

And who do you think wears their hospital scrubs the best? I think Izzie is required to look amazing in them since she does have her own line (see our Katherine Heigl scrubs here), but I’m personally a fan of McDreamy myself.

(Also, have you seen our full line of Grey's Anatomy scrubs by Barco? If not, check them out.)