How to run a company store for your team

What a company store is

A company store is one place where your people order approved branded items. Instead of someone collecting requests by email or text, everyone sees the same catalog, picks their sizes, and submits an order that follows rules you have already agreed on.

It does not have to be a website. For a small team it can be a one-page catalog and a shared order list. What matters is that there is one place, one set of rules, and one owner.

Decide who it is for

Write down who can order. Common groups are employees, field or work crews, and members of a club or association. Each group can have different needs:

• Employees often get an allowance and a mix of everyday and dressier items.
• Crews may need required workwear or hi-vis items alongside optional extras.
• Members often pay for their own items, with the organization controlling the logo and colors.

If you serve more than one group, decide whether they share one catalog or each get their own list of approved items.

Build a short catalog

Start with a few core items, not a long menu. A tee, a hat, and a hoodie or jacket cover most teams. For each item, settle:

• Approved colors (a small set that works with your logo)
• Logo placement and size (for example, left chest or center back)
• Which logo file to use, ideally a vector file
• Any required specs, such as safety colors or reflective trim

A short catalog is easier to order, easier to keep in stock, and easier for people to choose from.

Choose a budget model

There are three common models, plus combinations of them:

• Per-person allowance: each person can spend up to a set amount per period.
• Team pool: one budget for a team or location, managed by a lead.
• Employee-paid: people buy items themselves, and the organization controls what is offered.

Many teams use a hybrid: the company covers core items and people pay for extras. The budgets guide walks through how to pick a model and an amount.

Set approval rules

Decide who approves orders and when an order can go through without review. Typical options:

• Approve every order (simple, but slow for larger teams)
• Approve only orders over budget
• Auto-approve anything within a person's allowance

Name the approver by role, such as "operations manager", so the rule still works when people change jobs.

Collect sizes once

Chasing sizes for every order is the biggest time sink in most team orders. Collect each person's sizes one time, in one place, and reuse them. Share a size chart with the request, note whether items are unisex or fitted, and ask people to update their sizes when something changes.

Pick an ordering cycle

Always open means people can order whenever they need something. It is convenient but produces many small orders. Scheduled drops collect orders for a window, such as two weeks each season, then place one combined order. Drops are easier to manage and usually simpler to ship, but people have to wait for the next window.

Fulfillment options in plain terms

Bulk ship to one location and hand out. Everything arrives in one shipment, and someone sorts and distributes it. This works well for teams in one office, shop, or yard. The tradeoff is the time spent sorting and handing out, and chasing people who were not there that day.

Ship to individuals. Each person gets their own package. This suits remote or spread out teams. The tradeoffs are collecting accurate addresses, more packages to track, and usually higher shipping effort per item.

A mix is common: bulk to the main location, individual shipping for remote people.

Keep records of who got what

For every order, record the person, items, sizes, and date received. This answers questions like "did I already get a jacket this year?", helps with reorders, and shows where the budget went.

How to run this without spreadsheets and group texts

The pattern that works is the same with or without software: one catalog, one saved size list, written budget and approval rules, one owner, and a record of every order. If you do it by hand, keep those in a single shared document rather than spread across messages. Custom Company Store is being built to put all of it behind one link, so your people order from the approved catalog and you review in one place.

For a single order cycle, the ordering checklist covers each step. To write down your rules, try the store planner.

Common mistakes

• Too many items. A long catalog slows people down and makes stock harder to manage.
• No budget rules. Without a clear limit, every order turns into a discussion.
• Chasing sizes by text. Collect sizes once and reuse them.
• No single owner. When everyone is responsible, orders stall.
• No record of what was ordered. You lose track of who received what and what to reorder.