CrabbyAlissa

iseeellis:

I’m on A&F’s side in this particular case. (Hold on, my spleen just exploded.)

Okay, I’m back. Yes, Abercrombie has some fucked-up policies. Yes, their shirts are offensive. Yes, their prices are obscene. But every store is entitled to have a dress code, and every employee has a right to decide whether or not they want to work at a particular store. I do not agree with Abercrombie’s policies, so I don’t shop there, and I certainly wouldn’t work there. She had a choice, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to follow their dress code.

Also, the job of “sales associate” at A&F isn’t the same as a sales associate at a supermarket. Your job is to stand there, model the “look,” and occasionally pretend to fold shirts. They’re hiring models who can embody the store’s WASP-y, skinny, affluent image - and all they care about is whether or not you fit that image.

Disgusting? Yes. It’s hideous. But as far as I know, it’s not illegal.*

Basically, my opinion comes down to this: If you can’t meet the requirements of the job for whatever reason, you shouldn’t get the job. It just sounds like she’s fishing for a lawsuit.

* It’s not, right? My knowledge of the law stems exclusively from Law and Order: SVU. Please please please correct me if I’m wrong.

It is against the law to require people to buy and wear your brand only, at your expense.  For example, Gap is being sued in NY right now for requiring their salespeople to wear ONLY Gap clothes; clothes they had to purchase from Gap.  Gap offered a generous discount at the time, but that’s beside the point.  The policy has since been changed to “Gap-like clothing without obvious labels,” so you can wear your jeans and a black sweater from Target and it’s ok.  If a store requires you to wear something specific to work, they have to provide it at their expense.

/IANAL, my mom works for Gap in NY and this is my understanding of the lawsuit there.