Construction apparel can be a cost (issued to crew as part of employment), a revenue line (sold to subs, clients, and public), or both. The math works in every configuration. VIP base costs sit at $19.88-$48.88 across the catalog, retail markups yield $8-26 margin per piece, and free shipping is built into every order. Here are the numbers across realistic scenarios.
| Product | VIP Base | Free Tier Base |
|---|---|---|
| Airlume Cotton Athletic Tee | $19.88 | $23.93 |
| Premium Cotton Crew Tee (Next Level) | $23.88 | $28.95 |
| Sport-Tek Moisture-Wicking Tee | $23.86 | $28.88 |
| Long Sleeve Cotton Shirt | $29.88 | $35.94 |
| Sport-Tek Performance Polo | $34.88 | $41.93 |
| Cotton Pique Polo (Gildan) | $34.88 | $41.95 |
| Sport-Tek Quarter-Zip Pullover | $29.88 | $35.95 |
| Comfort Soft Hoodie | $36.88 | $44.94 |
| Champion Performance Hoodie | $45.88 | $53.93 |
| Mesh Snapback Hat | $25.88 | $29.95 |
| Richardson Rope Hat | $29.86 | $34.88 |
VIP pricing requires the $59 a month Self-Service VIP plan or the $109 a month Done-For-You VIP plan. Free tier covers 3 products at higher base prices.
| Product | VIP Base | Common Retail | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton Tee | $19.88 | $28-32 | $8-12 |
| Performance Tee | $23.86 | $32-38 | $8-14 |
| Long Sleeve | $29.88 | $40-46 | $10-16 |
| Performance Polo | $34.88 | $48-55 | $13-20 |
| Quarter-Zip | $29.88 | $42-50 | $12-20 |
| Midweight Hoodie | $36.88 | $52-58 | $15-22 |
| Champion Hoodie | $45.88 | $62-72 | $16-26 |
| Snapback Hat | $25.88 | $34-40 | $8-14 |
Most general contractors set retail close to the lower end of the range for crew and sub-friendly pricing, with the higher end reserved for public-facing premium pieces.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Scenario A: Small residential GC, 10-person crew, modest social presence.
| Channel | Annual Units | Margin | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subcontractor orders | 50 | $10 | $500 |
| Client referrals (neighborhood) | 60 | $14 | $840 |
| Event apparel runs | 80 | $10 | $800 |
$2,140 annual revenue. Enough to fund the cost-only crew apparel program plus produce modest profit.
Scenario B: Mid-size commercial GC, 30-person crew, active social media.
| Channel | Annual Units | Margin | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subcontractor orders | 200 | $10 | $2,000 |
| Client and industry referrals | 150 | $13 | $1,950 |
| Event apparel | 200 | $10 | $2,000 |
| Public shop sales | 250 | $13 | $3,250 |
$9,200 annual revenue. Funds the full crew apparel program plus delivers significant additional profit.
Scenario C: Large GC with active YouTube channel and 50K social media following.
| Channel | Annual Units | Margin | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public shop sales (audience) | 2,000 | $14 | $28,000 |
| Subcontractor + client + event | 600 | $11 | $6,600 |
| Affiliate commissions on referred GCs | 20 GCs × 12 mo | $5.90 per mo | $1,416 |
$36,016 annual revenue at this scale. The audience-driven scenarios scale much faster than the local-only scenarios.
The plan choice affects margin meaningfully:
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Tee Base | Hoodie Base | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $23.93 | $44.94 | $0 |
| Self-Service VIP | $59 | $19.88 | $36.88 | $708 |
| Done-For-You VIP | $109 | $19.88 | $36.88 | $1,308 |
The VIP plans save $4-8 per piece on every order. The break-even on Self-Service VIP is roughly 90-180 pieces a year (above that, the per-piece savings exceed the $708 annual plan cost). For any active construction apparel program with crew apparel plus a public-facing shop, the break-even happens fast.
The Done-For-You VIP plan adds $600 a year over Self-Service for full shop build, design management, seasonal refresh, and shop advisor support. Worth it for GCs without internal capacity to manage the shop themselves.
Plug your crew size and audience into the scenarios. The VIP plan pays for itself in roughly 90 pieces a year. Free US shipping included in every base price.
Start FreeThe Champion Performance Hoodie at $45.88 VIP base, retailed at $62-72, yields $16-26 margin per piece. Hoodies generally are the highest-margin pieces because the retail anchor price ($55-70) is well-established and the print quality on the large hoodie canvas is high.
Most GCs run crew apparel cost-only and reserve markup for pieces sold to subs, clients, and the public. The crew gets free or near-free pieces as a recruiting and retention signal, and the company makes its margin on the public-facing side of the shop.
Free shipping is built into the VIP base price. There is no additional shipping cost on top of the per-piece price. This is meaningfully different from many wholesale apparel models that charge shipping on top of per-piece pricing. Free shipping included means the margin math is exactly what the table shows: retail minus base.
For any company ordering more than roughly 90-180 pieces a year (a 10-15 person crew with annual refresh), yes. The per-piece savings on VIP pricing exceed the plan cost quickly. For smaller operations (1-3 person crews with rare orders), the Free plan at higher per-piece costs may average out cheaper.
Bear Grips Pro Shops