By ROBERT TRIGAUXSt. Petersburg (FL) Times Business Columnist
Career tip 101: Never flaunt a competitor's product at work when the new chief executive is around.
Sears' new CEO, Aylwin Lewis, recently hit the roof after learning an employee boarded a company-paid airplane carrying a rival store's shopping bag. Lewis then demanded that employees prove their loyalty by no longer bringing competitors' shopping bags, packages or anything advertising competitors' logos onto Sears Holdings property. That happens to include Sears, Kmart and the new, standalone Sears Grand and Sears Essentials stores.
"During my years at PepsiCo, we wouldn't tolerate Coke," he wrote in a memo, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
As reinforcement, the company ordered Sears' sales employees to wear only clothing sold by the retailer. Years ago, that might have scared a few image-conscious workers. But Sears brands now range from Lands' End, Covington, Structure and Dockers to Arrow, Apostrophe, A-Line, Latina Life, First Issue, Belongings and c.l.o.t.h.e.s.
Lewis also told workers to visit a Sears Holdings store three to four times a month, use the Sears credit card for purchases and urge friends and families to visit a Sears store and make suggestions.
No word if Lewis has swapped his own wardrobe for Sears suits.
I guess that makes sense. I love the Covington brand's childrens clothes. They are similar to stuff that is advertised in the Land's End children catalogue, but much less expensive.
ReplyDeleteA lot of retailers are restrictive about what kinds of clothes their employees wear. I know Abercrombie & Fitch requires its employees to wear its clothes, and I think American Eagle Outfitters does too. Why not Sears?
ReplyDeleteCovington isn't too bad. I don't have anything of the brand, but I do shop at Sears and Lands' End on occasion and I like their apparel selection. It's no Neiman Marcus or Target, but it's pretty nice.
I dig that retro-looking Sears in the photograph.
ReplyDeleteI think that's the Sears at Regency Mall in Racine, WI. I love how simple and elegant the design is.
ReplyDeleteI know when I worked at Belk many years ago, twice a year they'd give us an additional discount to buy clothes to work in. Regularly we got 10%, but twice a year they gave us 20 or 30%(been a while..so I forget which)...but it was significant enough to make it worth shopping there for work clothes.
ReplyDeleteI know when I worked at Belk many years ago, twice a year they'd give us an additional discount to buy clothes to work in. Regularly we got 10%, but twice a year they gave us 20 or 30%(been a while..so I forget which)...but it was significant enough to make it worth shopping there for work clothes.
ReplyDeleteMom used to work for Leggett (very briefly for Belk after they took over) and she would get a 20% discount all the time.
ReplyDeleteOne year she made "Pacesetter" and they gave her 30% off all year. The job didn't pay too well, but we bought so much stuff from Leggett back then because of the discount that it made it worthwhile.