Pre-opening teams are asked to order uniforms for people who do not exist yet. With shoes that is harder than with garments, because a shoe cannot be altered on site.

The usual answer is to order a blind run across the full size range and accept the waste. There is a cheaper way.

Produce in two batches

A first batch on a regular size curve covers the majority of a team. The remainder of the order is held until hiring closes, and the second batch covers only what is actually missing.

It costs less than one blind run, because the far ends of the size range are never produced for people who were never hired.