Abercrombie CEO Faux Pas

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CEO Mike Jeffries has surprised and disturbed people with his alleged comments about customers in 2006, which just became public:

"We go after the attractive all-American kid...A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes] and they can't belong. Are they exclusionary? Absolutely."

The comment has been interpreted to mean that plus-sign people aren't welcomed in the store, and this may be substantiated by the retailer's inventory: no pants size is larger than 10.

Public reaction has been strong. As of yesterday, about 1,000 people signed an online petition to boycott Abercrombie. And a nine-year-old in Plano, TX, altered her T-shirt to express her feelings:

Abercrombie T-shirt

 Discussion Starters:

  • As yet, the company has not responded to requests by ABC news. Should the corporate communication people say something? If so, what?
  • What's your reaction to the CEO's alleged comment? Do you find it offensive, his right to define his customer, or something else?