Sorry about my current hobbyhorse, but I did a little bit of research into their questionable recruitment policies after the recent revelation that it is currently involved in another law suit and thought I would share my views.
From a collection of sources across the internet, I have learned that prospective employees are often asked questions like “If you could be any celebrity, who would you be?” and “If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?”.
If you manage to pass the interview, you are given the 55 page ‘associate handbook’ which contains the now infamous ‘look policy which contains such nuggets as the following :
- Staff must “look great” while still exhibiting “individuality”.
- Women’s fingernails must be no more than a quarter of an inch beyond the tip of the finger.
- Beards, moustaches or other facial hair are banned except for religious reasons.
- Clothing should always be “classic American style” while only “clean, natural” hairstyles are acceptable.
- Women should only wear foundation, base or blush if it “matches” their natural skin tone.
- Eyebrow pencil, eye liner, lipstick and eye shadow are also only allowed in “natural” shades.
- Store managers will define “appropriate” colours for toenail polish.
- Women’s earrings “should not be longer than a dime and should not dangle”.
- Other piercings are forbidden and men must never wear earrings.
- Although the store sells caps they are “too informal for the image we project” for staff.
Admittedly some may agree with a store dress code, and in fact most places of business to try and mold people into the same type of thing, for what ever reason from creating a good commercial image, or just so the boss doesn’t have to learn any new names. But what is perhaps more worrying is that employees are rated in a district manager’s monthly audit on attractiveness, from 0-5. if you score a 5 you get to be a ‘model’ essentially standing around looking pretty. If you get a 0, then you get banished to the stock room away from prying eyes.
I am with Chris Sanderson, strategy and insight director at the forecasting and consumer insight consultancy The Future Laboratory, who was quoted in a recent BBC News article as saying
“While some brands have tried to widen their appeal, [with A&F] you actually shut out other consumers. You and I walk into that store and it’s designed to make us feel uncomfortable.”
But does it sell? According to retail analysts at Planet Retail, A&F have had six quarters or poor like-for-like sales figures worldwide, culminating in drops of 25% in the last quarter of 2008, and 30% in the first quarter of 2009.
And finally a quote from one of the readers on said BBC news article, which I can identify with as I had a similar experience when I went in there and came out with stuff I didn’t really want or need!
On my only visit to the London A&F store, none of the clothes seemed to have any price labels on them. The unspoken message was very clear: If you need to know how much things are, then you’re obviously worried about spending too much. I ended up buying two polo shirts for what turned out to be an eye-watering amount. I didn’t have the nerve to cancel my purchase, because I would have received looks of smirking disdain from both the sales staff and the other customers around me. That, and the fact that the ‘model’ who served me – a golden-haired Adonis with a lean, athletic physique and a perfect tan – was impossibly, knee-tremblingly gorgeous, and I was completely hypnotized by his beauty, like a rabbit in headlights of his dazzling smile, so I handed over my card to him before I was even aware what I was doing… Note to self: only shop in stores where the sales staff are hideous.
Steve, London
Starting this blog was quite possibly one of the hardest decisions to make. It was not for the ease of technology or the already ill-advised purchase of the domain name that stopped me doing this, it was more simply a lack of creative art, or indeed an audience with which to present it.
