Where to buy a lab coat

We’re willing to bet you remember the first time you wore a lab coat—professionally speaking, that is, and not for a costume party or Halloween.

While you might have worn that prestigious white doctor jacket in labs during school, the white coat ceremony is probably the first time you put the coat on after officially “earning it.”

We’re also willing to bet that you remember how you felt wearing that lab coat for the first time. Accomplished. Motivated. Respected. Perhaps even a little stylish.

That feeling is known to anyone who wears a white lab coat today, because the lab coat is a ubiquitous symbol of scientific rigor and expertise. And it’s not just a symbol—the white lab coat is also extremely important for any healthcare, lab, and spa professionals in their everyday work. To begin with, the white lab coat distinguishes its wearer from other staff members. And because of that, it immediately bringing a sense of confidence to patients and customers.

Imagine talking to a police officer without a uniform and a badge. Wouldn’t it feel like you’re talking to a neighbor instead of an officer? The lab coat for a healthcare, lab or spa professional is just as important. 

Not only does the white lab coat bring recognition and emotional ease on the part of patients or customers, it can also increase customer and patient satisfaction. This has been backed up by a growing number of studies. Recent research about lab coats and patient satisfaction has shown that doctors wearing lab coats “look more knowledgeable, trustworthy, caring, approachable and comfortable” in the eyes of their patients. 

These are the emotional elements of the lab coat. But, in practical term, how should a lab coat of the 21st-century be designed? What makes a lab coat the best lab coat?

To begin with, your lab jacket should provide protection. The white lab coat is the first and most important barrier between you and your clothes and skin, keeping you protected from contaminating substances, biohazards and accidents like laboratory spills. The lab coat also helps stop the spread of hazards outside your work setting. As a result, protection is —and always will be—the most important aspect of the best lab coats.

The second essential aspect when looking for lab coats for the 21st-century professional is practical design. A lab coat should be 100% functional to its wearer. For example, few pockets, long or short sleeves and long or short size are just a few of the factors that can make your lab coat fully functional or fully dangerous.

For starters, the proper lab coat should have deliberately-designed pockets for every necessity, including mobile or tablet devices. Then, the lab jacket should also have a proper fit. Next, it should be made of the proper material based on your work setting, but also be breathable to wear for long days. 

Last but certainly not least, a white lab coat should be comfortable while also nice to look at. Gone are the days that the lab coat was just a white robe with buttons. Because being comfortable in the workplace is so critical, as a result, a simple, unisex lab coat will not work for everyone. Men and women need a lab coat that will fit their body shape while also being designed with a comfortable fit. 

And for women entering science, bigger and baggier is not always better. Bunching fabric around the waist on a unisex jacket, for instance, can be a constant discomfort throughout the day.

In this article, we’ll talk about where you can buy a lab coat. This is a question that goes beyond Google, beyond a simple bullet-point answer, because with the options today there’s no reason to buy any less than the best lab coat for you. That means answering “how do I know if my lab coat fits properly,” knowing the design options you have, finding the right price. The list goes on.

If you’re a graduate student (congratulations!) looking to buy his or her first white lab coat, this article will be especially fun to read. But whatever the case, we already have a running start after the above presentation of how a 21st-century lab coat should be. In the demanding healthcare, lab, pharmacy and spa settings, a simple lab coat won’t cut it. As a result, looking to buy a lab coat from a simple store who’s 10 years behind in the designer lab coat offerings will fall short of your needs and expectations.

First, we’ll take a look at why buying lab coats from Amazon or lab coat designer websites is the best option—and how you can do it without breaking the bank. We will see some of the benefits of buying online vs. buying from brick-and-mortar stores, the limitations of options in physical stores, and why having a variety of lab coats options in your work locker is going to work in your favor. Let’s jump in!

The advantages of online shopping

The internet has revolutionized the way communicate and work, and ultimately the way we live. Connecting with your loved ones, ordering food online and having access to an enormous volume of information are a few of countless things that show the major change in our lives.

In the medical or lab environments, you probably remember how many of the important parts of your work (including professional collaborations, career development and communications) used to be before the internet…these scientific fields have evolved more, in fact, than most in recent decades.

The same is true for online shopping. The countless advantages the internet offers have enabled more and more people to shift to online shopping over the conventional errand of going into stores. This applies to literally all kinds of products—even buying your groceries!

And by shopping online, variety, convenience and reduced costs are the three most compelling factors that made online shopping a lot more attractive than going to a physical store. Among online stores, too, there’s a hierarchy of which sites are really best. We’re talking, of course, about major online shopping marketplaces like Amazon. Even a small store today can have an online outlet, but the options, convenience and prices of major shopping marketplaces are truly unbeatable.

Variety of online lab coat shopping

When looking to today’s lab coats to buy online, the options you have are honestly amazing. You literally can find anything you need. 

And, as we’ve already stressed enough, the white lab coat of the 21st-century has to be more than just a simple robe with buttons. It has to be functional, comfortable, made of the most appropriate materials, and stylish. And yes, we mean stylish. Not high fashion, but a designer lab coat properly fitted to you will leave you with a heightened degree of confidence that patients and customers will notice.

Simply put:

• if you want a functional lab coat
• if you want a fitted lab coat 
• if you want a lab coat for a special occasion like a conference
• If you want a lab coat for your child (Halloween isn’t that far off now)

…then you won’t have much of a chance of finding your lab coat in a physical store. If you want some truly innovative designs and unique options, Amazon and similar marketplaces are a rewarding place to start. Let’s see why.

Functionality

Working in a hospital, laboratory, pharmacy or spa setting involves dealing with a demanding environment with unique situations. To respond to the challenging nature of these jobs, you have to stay productive.

Now, imagine having to roam over to your desk or bench every time you need a new tool. Not only you will that throw a wrench in your productivity, you’ll also lose your focus. And, as you know, there are some tools that should always be with you.

What better place to keep certain tools than in your lab coat? Having a lab coat with enough pockets, all properly designed and in clever places, is a simple but powerful option to keep you focused and dynamic. You’re able to carry pens, phones or tablets (or both), a stethoscope, a flashlight and anything else you need close to you. Add simplicity to your work routine with a realistically-designed, functional lab coat.

By shopping on Amazon, you’ll be able to find a white lab coat with the appropriate number and size of pockets by simply navigating through the search results. If you were to choose a physical store option, you would have to navigate city blocks instead until you find a store that might have something appropriate for you. 

Women’s fitted lab coats

The online shopping option couldn’t be more useful than it is for women in the healthcare and science. Women need to feel comfortable at work just like anyone else, obviously, because feeling comfortable goes hand-in-hand with productivity.

And…let’s face it. The unisex design of lab coats is not really unisex. It revolves around the male body and is tailored for longer arms, bigger shoulders, and bodies without curves. Imagine being a woman and having to work with a lab coat with sleeves so long that they cover half your hand, with unnecessary build in your shoulders that makes the movement of the whole arm harder, and with the overall length that reaches uncomfortably low on the leg. If you were stuck wearing a lab jacket like that, your daily work routine would be a nightmare. 

And for many women in science, it is.

This problem has been acknowledged by a handful of modern lab coats designers. There are now more white lab coats for women, specifically designed for their bodies and their needs. You just won’t be able to find these lab coats in a physical store, or even a small store with an online outlet. On marketplaces like Amazon, however, it’s guaranteed you will be able to find the perfect lab coat for you.

White lab coats for special occasions

As a pharmacist, doctor, scientist or spa professional, you will have to attend social occasions related to your work. Ceremonies, speeches or even seminars are all just “part of the program.” And while the primary aspect of a white lab coat is to provide you with protection while doing your job, you won’t need that same protection at a social occasion. Instead, your look should foster professionalism and confidence. Wearing a nice, designer lab coat on these occasions is the best choice to make.

Another special occasion worth mentioning is Halloween, both for you and your children. It’s not a secret that children love to dress up as doctors and scientists on Halloween with their white attire and small stethoscope or test-tubes. This is more common with kids of lab-coat-wearing professionals, as these children have their parents role modeling the garb. 

By shopping online, you will be able to browse through a variety of designer lab coats for special occasions, including lab coats for children and Halloween lab coats. By shopping in a physical store, it will be very hard to find high-quality lab coats for events and conferences, and nearly impossible to find children lab coats. 

Convenience and cost reduction of online shopping

These two aspects—convenience and the reduction of cost—are the major benefits of online shopping, not only for lab coats but for online shopping in general. 

Convenience is everything online. There are no lines to wait in, no schedule, no need for assistance by staff or cashiers. With online shopping, you’ll be able to comfortably shop in your pajamas…at midnight or on Sunday…and always in mere minutes, right from the comfort of your home. Even if a physical store is right next door, it can’t beat the convenience of online shopping.

This convenience factor is also why online shopping will cost you less. To begin with, online you’re often buying directly from the manufacturer or seller without the involvement of retail middlemen. Furthermore, researching and comparing products and prices is so much easier online. 

When it comes to lab coats, convenience and cost play a major role in how good your next lab coat will be. Some professionals avoid designer lab coats out of fear of their cost. However, the cost isn’t high for all designer options, and you’ll see this for yourself in a few clicks online. There are makers out there who provide white lab coats of exceptional design, quality and function that you can purchase without needing to rob a bank.

The white lab coat is an inseparable element of any healthcare, lab, spa or pharmacy professional—and for both symbolic and functional reasons. The demands of these working environments reflect on what functions the white lab coat of the 21st-century should have. The lab coat of our days cannot be a white robe with buttons. It must be protective, functional, comfortable and beautiful—for every professional. 

The only way to find the best lab coats at an affordable price is through online shopping so that you’re not limited to what’s on-hand in a traditional retail setting. You’ll be covered for events, covered for any design you’re after, and assured of the best price and greatest convenience.