It's no secret that Gap Inc.'s sales have been sliding since the early 2000's when they decided they wanted to be fashion forward. When I was a kid Gap was known as the McDonald's of fashion. And that's not meant to be an insult. You always knew what you were getting no matter which one you went into no matter where in the world you were. It was comforting. Boring yes but comforting. It's called branding. When customers know what to expect that's a good thing. They've been a disaster ever since and I can say that because I've worked there.
Besides the fashion vs. basics struggle they've encountered another problem... sizing. When trying to sell 'fashions' to middle America one would think the 'fashions' should be sized for middle America. But they're not. I have yet to get a pair of their skinnies past my knees in any size. Its been ages since I met someone with a 32 inch waist and 3 inch thighs but hey I guess it happens?
This mannequin with legs the size of my wrist is positioned next to a sign that says 'Always Skinny'.
Really Gap? Really? Keep firing your CEOs and head designers because they must be the problem. It couldn't possibly be your lack of direction for the past 11 years! Or your sizing standards. Or your marketing. Or your customer service. Or your completely misguided logo change that lasted 24 hours.
When the Olsen twins are cornering the basic t-shirt market and Alexander Wang can sell a t-shirt with holes in it for $70 there is no excuse! With Gap's resources around the world and the sheer number of stores they have there is no reason they shouldn't be able to source the best materials at the cheapest cost. Really guys, all the consumer is expecting from you is comfortable jeans that don't double as ankle restraints. I promise.
Admitting you have a problem is the first step... and there are a lot more steps after that.
And another thing. When your first markdown is 40% ... what makes you think I'm ever going to pay full price for anything. The last thing I bought from Gap was a pair of pants I loved so much I got them in two colors, navy and army green. They were new so I figured they wouldn't go on sale for at least 3 months. I was wrong. I went in the next day to exchange the size and they were 40% off. I felt like an asshole. I don't like feeling like an asshole. And neither does the average consumer.
