How to Choose a Costume Rental Service
Buying or making your own costumes can be expensive, especially if you would be using them only once. Fortunately, you can always rent costumes. Before contacting any rental service, however, it is important to familiarize yourself with how to choose the right provider. Knowing the traits of a reliable provider helps avoid the inconvenience of having to sift through too many potential providers. Highlighted below are tips on how to find the right costume service.
You should decide on type of costumes before contacting any dealer. This is because some providers specialize. The basic types of the same include kid, Halloween, holiday, theatrical, ethnic, and mascot costumes. If you need a myriad of costumes, buying all from one source guarantees convenience. If you need unique costumes, especially Halloween costumes, a specialist dealer would be a good choice. Specialists tend to have a wide range of outstanding costumes of the type they specialize in. In case you need ethnic dresses, ensure that they have dresses of the nationality you are interested in. These include Native American headdresses, kilts, kimonos, among others.
Inquire regarding rental period. Most dealers have specifications regarding how long clients can keep a costume. If you need it for theatrical purposes, especially for performances that are likely to last a week or two, you should make a decision with that in mind. Inquire regarding when you can get your costumes as well. If a provider has a large client base, chances are that they will place you on a waitlist. If you need your items shipped immediately, make sure that they are available. In case you prefer a traditional rental shop, get to know whether they accept walk-in customers. Some require clients to make appointments, especially if clients need personalized support such as fitting and alterations.
Ask regarding their cleaning policy. Most service providers launder their costumes. However, some might require you to do it before returning the costumes. Understand that some providers are likely to supply costumes that are not cleaned yet. There is also a chance that a provider will accidentally place a ‘clean’ tag on a costume that is not clean. Checking your costume thoroughly before choosing it is important.
You should familiarize yourself with their damage clause prior to making a decision. A reliable provider should offer a contract that highlights what constitutes damage. It is advisable to inspect costumes for tears, rips, stains, missing buttons, missing zippers, etc, before choosing them. In case the damage is minor, ensure that they account for it before you leave the store. Since cleaning comes with plenty of risks, particularly with delicate fabric costumes, you should be careful when cleaning costumes.
Can you alter the costumes? Finding a perfectly fitting costume can be a challenge, especially if you are choosing yours online. If it is important that your costumes fit snugly, consider what the providers say regarding alterations. Some will allow you to do the same provided that you do not cut or hot-glue the costumes. Others require you to hand-sew only. If they would be doing the alterations, get to know if they charge extra for the same.