"Gap Girl" skit from Saturday Night Live
I have a confession of sorts. Many years ago I used to be a Gap girl. There I said it. Phew. It feels good to get that off my chest. It's not that there is anything wrong with working retail. Really there isn't. It's just kind of funny because I'm not someone who you'd typically think of as working at the Gap. In the 90's Gap girls (and Gap guys too I suppose) were seen as highly trendy, put together, super snobs that could accessorize any outfit in 30 seconds flat. Me....not so much. I can happily go to the grocery store in my generic yoga pants with no make up on. That has really always been who I was so how I ever got hired to work at the Gap was a mystery to me. Sure I had a strong customer service background but I was totally expecting to be brushed off. It was a group interview. And when I say group I don't just mean that I was interviewed by a group of people but I was also in fact part of a group being interviewed. Talk about pressure. I got to sit amongst my fellow competitors and answer questions about myself. I guess because I never actually expected to be hired I was probably more relaxed than most. When you figure you are out of the running anyway it's hard to be nervous.
When they called me to offer me the job I was shocked but I happily accepted. After all I would be working in baby Gap and who wouldn't want to do that? Talk about fun!! All the tiny sweater vests and black pleather skirts were adorable. Of all the retail jobs I've held I will say that Gap was superior to any other. We would have product nights where we would come in and learn everything you can imagine about the products. I could tell you down to an 8th of an inch how much a particular style of toddler jeans would shrink in the wash....and yes I was asked that question by mothers every single shift. By the end of a product night I could also tell you when our ads were running on TV, what outfits were featured in them, where to find those products in the store, and how much each piece cost. In a nut shell I felt like I really knew the clothes and I cared about doing a good job. That was about 11 years ago.
So imagine my surprise when I walked out of the same Gap location in protest this weekend utterly disgusted with the store. I should start by telling you that it was my third trip to this location in as many months. All three visits were extremely frustrating. The first I was greeted about 1600 times by the same employee as if she hadn't just seen me 2 minutes before....or 4 minutes before that....or 7 minutes before that. And talk about an uber line-up to try stuff on. After waiting over 25 minutes I finally gave up on being able to see if anything fit. I felt like asking if I could make an appointment to try on clothes another day and just come back. Well I probably would have asked that if there were any staff at the change rooms that is.
My next visit seemed more promising in the beginning because I found some jeans for Drew almost right away. The only problem is that I picked out a size 10 in kids and it looked like the legs would be too short. He's only just grown into this size so I was surprised to think he's outgrown a 10 so soon. I looked at a 12 but that was way, way too big. Then I noticed that some of the size 10's were longer than the others. Same cut of jean, same style, even the same dye color. I took the long and short pairs over to the counter and advised the clerk that there was about a 4 inch difference within the size. Yah, he didn't care....and he also didn't care to even try to hide that fact. He just took them back over and hung the shorter pair back up. I guess both quality control and customer service is optional at the Gap now. And for the record he had no idea if these jeans would shrink or by how much. Awesome.
My final trip this weekend was spurred by the fact that I was looking for a new summer dress for Camryn. We had first gone into the Gymboree just down the mall concourse but apparently they were having an "Everything in the store is 13.99 sale". After noticing that there was nothing bigger than size 7 on the racks I asked the clerk if they still sold larger sizes. "Oh yes" she replied, "but they cost more so we put them into the backroom during the sale". "Can I see the dresses in size 8?" I asked. Yah, in a nut shell she said that I could not see them....even if I was happy to pay regular prices but that if I came back when the sale was over....blah, blah, blah. Apparently she failed to notice I was there now willing to buy stuff. So Camryn and I reluctantly headed off to the Gap which I was still unaware would be the final nail in the coffin for them. We find our way to the very back of the store....not greeted by a single person.
We weren't in a hurry and took our time getting to the back of the store and not a single employee looked up from folding t-shirts to say "hi". And for the record there were at least 15 staff in the store. We find a lovely blue cotton dress with white lace. Camryn decided on this one and we headed for the till. There was one customer at there and one clerk. At least it wouldn't be another nightmare line-up today like the one I saw a few trips before. Well, maybe my luck was changing I thought to myself. An easy purchase and a store that would redeem itself in my books. Right? Think again. I stood waiting for almost 10 minutes while the lady in front of me exchanged this item for that one...had her kids try on sandals, hats, and spring jackets right there at the counter. She added items and then changed her mind. She ran around for this size and that accessory. She even asked Camryn her opinion about something when her own daughters were off fetching another pair of whatever it was they went looking for. Basically she wasn't done her shopping. Instead of sparing me from the wait every other employee that passed by the till or saw us waiting just pretended not to notice. Okay maybe they really didn't notice but the woman behind the till didn't care enough to draw their attention or quickly ring me through either. Finally we gave up and walked out of the store without making a purchase.
It's bad enough that I could have walked through the store naked, taken a poop at the back of the store, and nobody would have even asked me what I was doing but when you are standing at the till ready to buy something with cash in hand you have to wonder where it went wrong for this store. Does Gap really think they are such an invincible brand that they don't even need to try anymore?
Mind you when Gymboree hides their clothes in the back room and won't even let you see them I guess you can understand why Gap thinks they are all that and a Grande latte!!
So I say "Hello Wal-Mart"!!
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