Abercrombie & Fitch Problems

[Guest MikeSC]

The Look Of Abercrombie & Fitch

 

Dec. 5, 2003

 

Abercrombie & Fitch is accused of hiring only attractive, mostly white salespeople to sell its trendy clothes.  (Photo: CBS)

 

""[The look] is dominated by Caucasian, football-looking, blond hair, blue-eyed males. Skinny, tall. You don't see any African American, Asian Americans."

Jennifer Lu, former salesperson

 

Two ex-managers say Abercrombie & Fitch were after a certain "look" for their sales force -- and the less a salesperson had of this look, the less they worked.  (Photo: CBS)

 

(CBS) Two ex-managers for a clothing chain accused of discrimination say corporate representatives of the chain, Abercrombie & Fitch, routinely had them reduce the hours of less attractive salespeople.

 

The two former managers - who say they were hired for their good looks - appear in a Morley Safer report on the trendy retail chain on 60 Minutes, Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

 

Dan Moon and Andrea Mandrick say Abercrombie & Fitch were after a certain "look" for their sales force, and the less a salesperson had of this look, the less they worked.

 

"I was sick of getting my schedule back every week with lines through names," says Mandrick. "I can't look the people that work for me, that want to be there, in the eye and...lie to them and say 'Oh, we don't have hours,' when, really, it's because they weren't pretty enough."

 

Moon, a former model, had a similar experience and says his look is what got him a job. "I think it was 90 percent of it and your interaction with other people was 10 percent," he says.

 

Black conservative radio host and lawyer Larry Elder, who has talked extensively about the accusations on his program, defends the company. "There is a no-fly zone over certain people and certain industries that discriminate all the time," says Elder.

 

He likens unattractive people's failure to be hired by Abercrombie & Fitch to white people failing to be hired for on-air work by Black Entertainment Television.

 

"This is about a business deciding, pursuant to its own best interests, rightly or wrongly, that a particular type of salesperson is more likely to generate more dollars," Elder tells Safer.

 

A group of minorities suing Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't think the retailer has the right to hire based on a look, a look they say too often is mostly white. "[The look] is dominated by Caucasian, football-looking, blond hair, blue-eyed males. Skinny, tall. You don't see any African American, Asian Americans," says Jennifer Lu, an Asian who says she is suing the retailer for firing her and other Asians because management preferred white males.

Abercrombie & Fitch denies these accusations, but would not speak on camera to 60 Minutes. But the two former managers say what they saw was "lookism" rather than racism.

 

Mandrick and Moon say applications from minorities were handled the same as a white person's. "File it away in the 'yes' pile...to call them back or the 'no pile,'" says Mandrick. The no pile, she says, was for applications of people whose looks she knew wouldn't pass muster.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/05/...ain587099.shtml

Gee, I am SHOCKED by this.

 

Now, I can't stand their clothing anyway and feel that they are one damned creepy little company --- but I am LOVING this possible black eye to them. Apparently, their borderline pornographic catalogs weren't enough --- they had to discriminate against their "less pretty" employees.

 

Serves 'em right. I hope they get SLAMMED for it.

-=Mike

[Firestarter 0]

Elder is perfectly correct. I'd despise A&F's clothing as well if I could be bothered to ever actually look at it, but I really don't see a problem with this. Thin, pretty people sell more things than fat, ugly people? The company realised this and decided to maximise its profits? Now that's a shocker.

 

What next? That ridiculous TV episode in which some obese woman claimed discrimination because she wasn't given a receptionist's job at a gym? Or the real life episode in which some obese man claimed discrimination because he wasn't hired by Burger King? Maybe we should force modelling agencies to sign up fat, ugly people too! Hey, equal opportunities for all, right? Doesn't matter that the agencies make more money hiring thin, pretty people. We can't have anyone ever feeling bad about himself.

[EricMM 0]

A&F IS Selling for a market.

 

Can I get a job at HOBO or FUBU?

[Guest MikeSC]

A&F IS Selling for a market.

 

Can I get a job at HOBO or FUBU?

Do you think there is even the SLIGHTEST chance that they don't get the ever-loving beejeezus sued out of them over this? This is gonna be a major black eye for them --- they could always claim that complaints about their catalogs were from prudes (or worse, Southern Baptists) --- but "discrimination" is a major no-no for their market. Pretty kids HATE to think that they support something so "evil".

 

And ANYTHING that hurts their crap company is just a happy-happy thing.

 

I think it IS wrong to hire people and not work them because they aren't "pretty" enough. If you HIRE them, you should WORK them.

-=Mike

[Guest Jimbo]

Who the fuck cares if you can't get a job at A&F if you supposedly don't fit the 'mold'?

 

There's only 98 million other clothing companies around that you probably could get a job, and from what I've heard, the pay there really isn't all that different from other places, just you get lots of free clothes because they want their employees to look good and show off the brand.

 

These people piss me off. They are just whining for the sake of whining. Someone ought to sue THEM for wasting all these people's time and energies.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I can't believe anyone would be surprised by this. That's all I've ever seen in that store (and Hollister, too), but I just accepted that. That's the group of people their aiming at with their clothing, so it'd make sense that you'd see those types of people working there. Call me crazy, but I can't see some black girl or guy or whatever working there and not wanting to whoop their co-workers' asses five minutes into their shift. Those people working there are so annoying, I wish they'd just make like the mannequins and shut up.

[Guest Italian Stallion]

Maybe this issue will force them to lower prices so I wont have to pay $75 for a pair a jeans.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Or you could just go spend a normal amount of money on a pair of jeans. I'm not saying do all of your shopping a K-Mart, but people who only buy their jeans at these designer places confuse me. I buy my shirts at nice places, but as far as the jeans go, if they fit and look good, I couldn't give a shit less what brand they are. Plus, the styles for those places suck so much ass it's not even funny. $75 for a pair of jeans that look like they were dragged through the sandbox for an hour, why? Because that's what's "in?" Please.

[Cartman 0]

Just more examples of the "American Way". People will sue anyone or anything for the dumbest reasons. I agree with EricMM's statement.

[Anakin Flair 0]

I might get flak for this, but I buy most of my clothes at Walmart or Old Navy. Only if I want to get good clothes do I go to places like A&F, Penny's or Famous. Like Bruiser said, I don't need to spend $75 on a pair of jeans.

[Guest Ray]

So they don't have the right to choose who works for their company?

 

I guess we don't live in a free country anymore...

[Guest Italian Stallion]

Getting back to the issue, I can give a shit about who they hire and who they dont. I know, everyone knows, that their image is California. So why hire someone who dresses with zippers all the way down and wears a Pantera shirt? If thats the way they want to appeal then let them. Its their image and thats the way they want to keep it. Its not going me make me mad that they wont hire blacks or any other race and wont drive me away from their store. I have never seen a preppy with A&F clothes work at Hot Topic. Does that mean that their next for an investigation?

 

I say let them have their image and leave them alone.

[Guest stardust]

I heard about this like six months ago. At any rate, though, the people suing do have somewhat of a case. Unless A&F can prove that being white and having blonde hair and blue eyes is a BFOQ for being hired and working there, it is discrimination, but much harder to prove than out and out racial or gender discrimination. Hell, the company is founded on an image of pretty people wearing expensive clothes, so it does make sense that they would only want pretty people selling their clothes. Is it discriminatory? Yeah, somewhat. But it's also business.

 

If someone's dead set on working retail, but they don't fit the mold of the A&F look, they should just go to another retail chain. If hillbilly is more their style, go to Wal-Mart. GAP Inc. is a company that does encourage a diverse work force, and is a friendly environment for anyone to work in, no matter what their race, gender, age or sexual orientation; plus, GAP Inc. employees get a damned good discount at GAP, Banana Republic and Old Navy, plus other perks throughout the year (at least I know we do at Old Navy). If you have multiple body piercings, go get a job at Spencer's. If you like to wear all black and have multiple body piercings, go get a job at Hot Topic. Retail jobs are not that hard to find, and even I'm having trouble finding any sympathy for these people.

 

At the same time, I'm not A&F's biggest fan and think this is quite amusing, simply because of the bad press.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I once bought clothes from Abercrombie & Fitch but have now seen the light. And don't even get me started on Hollister. I walked into the store and it was all dark with bamboo and crap everywhere and they had techno music playing and there were half-naked men on the walls...I felt like I was at the Gay Disco Hut.

 

I just do my shopping at the department stores at Woodfield, or at the Gap and Old Navy. And I try to keep it simple with how I look, I'm not into the whole plaster-myself-with-brand-names thing these days.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I actually prefer Hollister over A&F, even though I'm well aware that it's just their sister company. Clothes are about the same, but the name hasn't gotten that stigma just yet. The atmosphere is pretty stupid, but I still prefer it over Abercrombie, which just smells too rich for my liking, not to mention it's a total prep utopia.

[Guest Italian Stallion]

I too step into Hollister before A&F

[cynicalprofit 0]

ok, who or WTF is Hollister?

[Lando Griffin 0]

If I spend $75 on jeans, I'd better be getting three pair.

[Guest Italian Stallion]

ok, who or WTF is Hollister?

California type clothing. Pretty nice clothes. I don't like the store set up but the clothes is good. Its not that expensive compared to A&F either. It has that California type clothes. Im actually wearing a pair of Hollister jeans and a Hollister shirt right now.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Ummm....I've worn the same clothes for the past three years. Until the jeans are tearing apart too much at the crotch, or the shirt seems more like it should belong on a little kid, I'm wearing it.

 

And in the off chance I do need to buy clothes, I just get some low-cost brand at JC Penney (you'd be surprised how little Levi's and Arizona cost, like $20).

[Guest HungryJack]

Pac Sun is the way. Abercrombie is brutal.

[Ravenbomb 0]

""[The look] is dominated by Caucasian, football-looking, blond hair, blue-eyed males.

I have yet to see a 'Caucasian' football. The one's I've seen have all been brownish looking.

[Guest Jay Z. Hollywood]

I shop at Bob's

[ant_7000 0]

A&F IS Selling for a market.

 

Can I get a job at HOBO or FUBU?

Yes, you can eventhough I've never heard of a exclusive FUBU store. I never like A&F im not into the faded clothes look. Hollister sells sufer clothes which im not feeling. I try to bargain shop or get a hookup.

[Guest BDC]

I've never understood the point of this. I'll wear a free t-shirt before one of these things. I think there's one A&F shirt in my closet and it's b/c my old roommate left it.

[Guest El Satanico]

just you get lots of free clothes because they want their employees to look good and show off the brand.

That's not true. I know someone who works there and all the workers have to buy their own clothes. Also, they won't let them wear old clothes, it must be clothes from the current line. So everytime there's a line change(seasonal) the employess must buy all new work clothes.

[JHawk 0]

Pac Sun is the way. Abercrombie is brutal.

Well, PacSun is certainly better than A&F. But could someone explain to me why a place called Pacific Sunwear refuses to sell any nice looking Hawaiian shirts? There's more to the Pacific Ocean than California.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Target.

[The Dames 0]

ok, who or WTF is Hollister?

I'm with you buddy. I've never heard of them.

 

Dames

[Cherry Blossom Viscount 0]

Um, I'm thinking most people missed the point here, it's not that A&F refused to hire the ugly people, it's that they hired them and REFUSED to give them decent hours. Why hire these people and do that to them? It's just screwing them over. Would you like to be screwed over like that? It's stupid and stupid people and stupid companies deserve to be sued.