CHRISTMAS is done and dusted and it's time to brace for the next big thing.
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School returns in a little over three weeks and parents are wasting no time getting organised so they aren't caught short when day one rolls around.
But if you haven't started sorting the school stuff out, don't leave it too long, because supplies aren't infinite.
Marilyn Pratley, who works at Marietta's Boutique, which sells uniforms for almost every school in Bathurst, said the school rush has well and truly kicked off.
"It started last week, actually," she said. "Last Wednesday morning it was very busy."
As for what's selling, it's a bit of everything.
She said some parents need the whole box and dice, while others have some things and just need to tick off items on their shopping list.
"Especially the MacKillop girls, they had to order their kilts early. Now they are coming back to get the other things they need."
Mrs Pratley said it's not too late to come in and get what you need, but people could risk missing out on something if sizes are running short.
"Remember, it's only three-and-a-half weeks until school starts back," she said.
Marietta's, which is a Bathurst institution when it comes to school uniform supplies, is the stockist for most school uniforms, including all the Catholic schools in Bathurst and all public schools except Kelso and Raglan.
It also houses the Catholic school uniform pool, which Mrs Pratley said was as popular as ever.
"It is going gangbusters. It's extremely popular; it always has been," she said.
So much so that it struggles to keep up with demand at times.
"Some things are in very high demand, like Stannies blazers and some MacKillop things; there are waiting lists," she said.
Because she is so busy at the moment, Mrs Pratley can't take new stock in for the clothing pool right now.
Because waiting lists are so long, however, she said she would make some exceptions.
"Because I do the uniform pool in my own time, right now, I just don't have the time [to take items to sell]," she said.
"But I will still take the Stannies and MacKillop blazers and pink dresses [the school uniforms for Catholic primary school girls].
"They are in very, very short supply."
Mrs Pratley urged parents not to leave it until the last minute to get their uniform supplies.
"Things are more difficult with supply chains now," she said, citing COVID as a contributing factor.
"Most stuff is coming from overseas and they had a much longer shutdown then we did.
"There are things we want here that aren't going to arrive until April.
"We've got good stock, but until the kids come in you don't know what size they are going to be and we could have a rush on."
