“They really do need to get a locker order right the first time,” said Jeff Stoker, an experienced sales rep with SchoolLockers.com. “In my experience with gym owners, we usually go back and forth a few times to determine and verify what their needs are going to be, hammer out some details and make changes before the order is made.”
Opening a gym can be a bit overwhelming. Face it, you are putting up tens of thousands of dollars in exercise equipment alone and adding to that stress, you now have to search for lockers, right? We are assuming...
... like most customers that come to us, you probably don’t know how many different options you have.
“People don’t realize the magnitude of how many lockers are available,” said Stoker. “I just got off the phone with a resort and they’re ordering lockers for their employees and this lady looked through our website extensively and she had narrowed herself down to a few items, and she admitted there were so many options to choose from, she didn’t know which direction to go.”
It’s true. Unless you’ve worked in the locker industry or have had to go through the locker buying process before, it is overwhelming to discover how many options you have. Single tier, double tier, triple tier, cellphone, Z-style, wood, plastic construction for humid areas, steel construction, welded or bolted, ventilated, heavy duty sports lockers, stadium lockers, turnout gear lockers…and the list goes on. So first off, it is best to decide precisely what will be locked up at your gym and then contacting an expert to ask more questions.
“I usually ask them what their lockers are going to be used for. Are they for employees, or patrons and what are they going to put in them? Just a handbag or a cell phone, or will it be sports gear, like a basketball or a football helmet,” said Stoker. “Or are they going to be putting just a change of clothing in there, and then you can get an idea of what size a locker they need.”
Here is a valuable tip. Once you have the needs laid out, then move onto material and styles available because here you can save some money. Lockers are important, but not as important as why your clients choose your gym over your competitors.
“Lockers for a gym are a convenience for their customers and they want to provide that safety and security of being able to lock up their customer’s items while they are working out, but really I think a gym’s priority is putting money into their equipment and the rest of their facility,” said Stoker.
Odds are you don’t want to spend more money on the nice, solid wood, full size lockers unless you are installing them in a country club or upscale private gym. If you begin focusing on “the basics”, you can save money. Here are the two biggest concerns a gym owner should have when choosing.
“Gyms tend to favor the heavy duty designs and thicker gauge steel because these lockers are probably going to take some abuse. People are going to be slamming some doors around,” said Stoker. “One of the next biggest options they want is ventilation, with some extra perforations in the door so that airflow can go through and let clothes adequately dry.”
The next concern you should take into account besides ventilation and durability is storage? If you are a gym that is focused on baseball, you are going to need tall lockers that will accommodate baseball bats and batting helmets. Likewise if you are a football camp, you will need to make sure all the pads and helmets can get through the locker door.
“This comes up all the time. The actual measurements most locker vendors will have on their websites are the external measurements of a locker. And the thickness of the steel is very nominal so when you say you have a 12 inch wide locker, you actually have about 12 inch wide on the inside,” said Stoker. “Because the frame is just under an inch wide on each side of the opening on the front door, your actual opening on a 12 inch wide locker is just a little over 10 inches so that is a good point to remember.”
Make sure if your guests are putting sporting gear inside the locker that it fits through the door. Again coming armed with knowledge can simplify your choices. By knowing the exact purpose your lockers need to accommodate helps narrow down the options that meet your budget.
Now for the sake of argument, you really wants to put your limited resources into the equipment and your budget is pretty tight. Lockers aren’t the main concern, and you can invest more in those, later. So have you ever thought of buying used lockers?
“When we mention that we have used lockers available, the light bulb turns on in their head because it can save them a few bucks,” adds Stoker. “Used lockers can come in about every style. Everything from small box lockers to one tier lockers and they are available in wood, plastic and metal, heavy duty ventilated, just about any type of used locker can be found out there.”
Yes you can save a significant amount of change by purchasing used. Savings anywhere from 25 to 45 percent, depending on the ones you choose and the deals you find. But if buying used lockers, the things you need to worry about most are the actual mechanisms of the lockers to ensure they are secure.
“Make sure the hinges are working, the latches and handles are working and make sure the used locker is not going to have a problem with a sticky hinge, or a latch channel which is the locking mechanism that might not work, or a broken handle, things like that. Those are the biggest concerns right there and you want to make sure the locker is secure and there is not a way to access the interior,” warns Stoker. “Usually people look at the color and the condition of the paint, but that isn’t as important as what makes the lockers operate reliably and securely.”
Also really shop around to different dealers and manufacturers to ensure you’ve seen all the styles and models available because there are some places that have seen a certain need in the market, and have created a new line to meet those needs which may be similar to your own.
“One of the neatest things we’ve come up with is we have the ability to make a standard duty locker at the lower cost rather than the higher cost heavy duty locker but we can add what we call visual perforations into the door at a nominal cost. So this line has full ventilation of a standard duty locker and they don’t have to spend the extra money in the heavy duty locker to get that same ventilation. So it’s kind of a niche market price wise right in between the standard duty and the heavy duty locker and that is our standard duty louvered locker.”
Now that you’ve thought of all your needs; size, style, purpose, gauge of steel, ventilation and gear which needs to fit past the door; have you thought of the most important issue when ordering lockers? Time.
“Some gym owners think of lockers as a last minute thing. They have all their gym equipment ordered, the building is coming together, they’re almost done and then they suddenly realize they need to order lockers and are shocked when they can’t get the colors or styles they want by the time the open for business,” said Stoker.
Yes, time is an issue. All because the locker in that particular color or style is in a catalogue or website doesn’t mean you can buy it and it will arrive in two days. This brings us to what is called lead time in the locker industry. Many manufacturers have two kinds of lockers; production and quick ship. These “quick ship” lockers are some of the more popular styles and colors that many businesses buy frequently.
“Quick ship lockers are some of the more popular styles and colors that many businesses buy frequently and so these lockers are already manufactured, all the parts are ready to go, in stock ready to ship. So unassembled quick ship lockers can usually leave a distribution center in about one to three business days,” said Stoker. “But if they want them assembled, it takes a few more days and the assembled quick ship lockers usually are sent out in about three to five business days. So minimum time you want to give yourself seven to ten days from when you place your order to the time you receive your quick ship lockers.”
The lead time is much different for a production locker and that time depends on the company which makes them and the color and style you want. Normally you can expect a six-to-eight-week lead time on production lockers.
For example suppose you are set on a style like a Penco “Invincible II”, or a locker in particular color like purple which isn’t used a lot, lead time becomes crucial. Then if you’ve waited until the last minute to order, or in this case four weeks from your gym’s grand opening, you may be out of luck in getting that style specific and/or color. Being prepared and choosing well ahead of time only increases you getting exactly what you want.
The moral of the story when ordering lockers is to plan ahead. Take the time to consult a professional in order to maximize your locker space. Go through all the options ahead of time, ensuring your guest’s needs are fully met.
You should also always be conscious of your budget and decide which percentage you want to devote your budget to equipment and to lockers. Gym owners may also want to explore the option of used lockers if they are in a pinch, but to always make sure the locker mechanisms work and not be so caught up in the color or style. And finally you need to do all of this months prior to your expected grand opening so you can get the style and color of lockers you want for your new gym.
“I would recommend they just give someone in the locker business a call because we understand a little bit more about the options and sizes, options and configurations that they can choose from,” concludes Stoker. “Definitely contact a locker professional early in the process so that they have time to work out all the details you need to on your locker order and get you the color and style you want, in time for the big grand opening. By contacting a locker professional they will be able to get questions answered on things they didn’t know they would have questions on when they first called.”
