Suits from my Boss

[marvin.bower]

Is that acceptable to accept used suits from your boss ?


a little background


I'm a middle manager in a small company
My salary is average but I cannot afford tailored suits - maybe one every 3/4 years -

My boss / company owner has got a personal taylor

use to order and make new suits every year


A couple of times he asked me to try his old suits
(on avg 5-6 yrs old but perfeectly maintained, you would not tell)
and it happens that they fit perfectly

On the same time I don't want to appear as...you know what I mean


What would you do ?

 

[stuy119]

Take them. He is offering them as a token of appreciation because they are quality suits and sees you as a very good (if not great) employee and values your contribution. Otherwise he would donate them for the tax write off.

 

[john parker]

Seems very gracious of him. I can fully understand your reluctance; not sure what I would do not knowing you nor he.

 

[Legion]

Why not, if he's offering. He would probably rather see them get some use, and noticed you are the same size. I don't think you would have any issues with the boss, but I could see you possibly getting some stick from your co-workers, if they knew about it.

I'd let that wash over me, and work the bosses suits into the rotation. Maybe only wear one once a week, to show the boss you like them, but not so much as you always appear to be wearing hand-me-downs if some peanuts in your office decide to make a joke of it.

 

[Loric]

My two cents is that not what you know,it but who you know (and who likes you) that makes you a success. Take the suites (and the complement), and get in good with the man who sights your checks.

The only difference between a brown nose and a 'crap' head is depth perception, and if the office takes issue with that it goes both ways.

 

[Emooring37]

Tuff situation. Getting good advice. Turning them down and/or not using them may seem like an offense. No big downside to accepting them when compared to turning them down. Make the boss happy. It's a compliment to you. Keep up the good work.

 

[Jim]

Marvin what are your concerns about this offer?

 

[Zap85]

Take them! He seems to be offering them to you as a sign of respect, like a father would to son, or a teacher to their student. It's the modern equivalent of a master blacksmith bequeathing his hammer on to his apprentice! I think there is great pride in accepting such a symbolic gift from your boss!

You can find a nice way to thank him. Take him out for a meal, a drink, or a ballgame.

 

[NexlevMM]

Dude. Take em, who cares what anybody would think about you in that situation.

Id rather have suits and not wear them than not have suits and worry about how I look. Plus its a genuinely nice gesture.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Tough call--I'm glad I'm not in this situation.

 

[knlgskr]

Takum, some won't notice, some won't care. He may be grooming you to be his successor.

 

[JaggerDragger]

He may be grooming you to be his successor.

There may be some truth in that!

 

[marvin.bower]

Tough call--I'm glad I'm not in this situation.

Not sure
There are a couple of sons before . . .

My concern has nothing to do with collegues that would't even notice
(I already "try" to wear classic clothes)

My concern is, accepting them always, to play a "poor man" role I dont like.
I know it's stupid. I know as some of you framed it, it's more like a "father-son" exchange,
but some part of my brain has that feeling.

Anyway, so far I'm taking all of them

 

[closer]

I would take them. I was in a similar situation when I first started out, except in my case, boss offered to buy me suits. Nothing fancy, but at that time, I could not afford a $200 suit. In this tough economy, its one of those non-monetary ways of compensation to show you that you are appreciated. While you may be hesitant to play the "poor man" role, remember, your boss is not offering this to every person in his company. If you don't have reservations about being ribbed by your peers, I would take the suits. Do your part to dress up appropriately, with shirts, ties, shoes, etc to match the quality.

 

[StillShaving]

Not enough information to make any judgement. On the one hand, he may be a kind person trying to help out someone he sees as a personal friend, protege, colleague, good employee, or he just sees that you are the same size so why not offer to help you out instead of a total stranger. On the other hand it might possibly create some expectation around a return favor some day, not so much in terms of concrete goods, but if his boss or the company vice president came to you and asked for your assessment of your boss, would you still speak as freely or openly about him? That is the potential downside. Only you are in a position to know your boss and company culture well enough to assess that.

 

[The Knize]

Tough call--I'm glad I'm not in this situation.

I agree.

I think I might take some, maybe all, but make very sure those suits are not the only ones you wear to work, as legion says.

Clothing is kind of a personal thing, but a fine suit is not a pair of used underwear. I am sure there are folks on this forum who would never buy and wear a used suit on EBay or from a consignment shop. But I have and do.

My brother and I have exchanged clothes from time to time. Has never come up with a office superior though.

It is a hard one to analyze. How would you feel if you gave you a vintage watch he had been wearing? His old Brit made attache case when he got a new one? His old office desk when he bought a new one? His old office chair when he got a new one?

Would you buy his used BMW? For a discount price? For full blue book price?

I do not have a problem with the furniture. The case feels a little close. The watch, I am not sure. The car, full price, no problem.

Also, should you offer to pay something for the suits? Used clothing is hard to sell for any reasonable amount of money. Paying something for the suits makes it seem like less of a bribe. On the other hand, bosses reward their underlings in all sorts of ways all the time. It does not feel like favoritism to me.

Sure gives you and your boss a common interest. Something to talk about.

This thread poses an interesting scenario, for sure.

Fits perfectly? Fine tailor-made goods? I do not think I could resist!

Also, one of my first mentors has long passed away. I do have his desk. If he were my size at all, having and wearing from time to time one of his suits--he dressed very well, pretty much all Oxxford is suits--would feel pretty special to me these days. But he was my mentor and professional partner, not "boss."

 

[Slash McCoy]

It would seem a bit paternalistic to me, to have the boss offer me his old suits. In a way, it is insensitive to make the offer. But on the other hand, his motives are probably honest generousity and practicality. I think you should take one or two off his hands, if they are indeed in very good condition. Hey, if you get fired or quit some day, you can always wear them for working on your car or painting the house. Now maybe he is being paternalistic. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing all the time. He might be proud of you and the job that you do and have high hopes for your advancement in the company. He might be trying to show his support and approval. He might just want you to have more suits than you can afford otherwise!

Seriously, it is quite a coincidence if a tailored suit looks as good on you as on the original owner. Don't get stuck with something that doesn't look good on you or that will cost a lot of money to fit.

Do you think your boss sees your own suits as poor quality, or reflecting badly on the company?

Bottom line: accept one or two. You are saving money if they already fit well or can be made to fit well for a fraction of the cost of even an off the rack suit. I don't see much of a negative side to that unless your pride is getting in the way. If they work out well for you, and then he wants to empty his closet out into the trunk of your car, let him.

Maybe he has TSAD (Tailored Suit Aquisition Disorder) and doesn't want SWMBO complaining that he is stuffing the closet with $1500 suits that he wears once every couple of months. Maybe he needs to trim the rotation down so he can justify more suit purchases. If so you would be doing him a favor, sort of.

Bottom line: Oh, crap... I said that already, didn't I?

 

[Doc4]

Your boss' name isn't Hugo by any chance, is it?

 

[Deltaboy]

Take them I got some from my late Father in Law and we were about the same size. I got a little tailoring done and a dry clean and I would up with 6 suits.

 

[Doc4]

He may have "Bespoke Suit AD" ... so he needs to rotate suits through his wardrobe long before they are wearing out. He probably spent well over $2 grand per suit, so the "Goodwill" option is not as attractive as handing them on to someone he knows ... "they're going to a good home".