I’m beginning to think that Wal-Mart’s opponents are throwing them off their game. The New York Times reports today that the retailing mega-behemoth will announce that its sales for November have fallen for the first time in a decade. The problem (if you want to call it that) is attributable in part to decisions like this:
The new clothing at Wal-Mart created problems, too. After early success with a designer women’s clothing line called Metro7 in 600 mostly urban area stores, the company rolled out the fashions across the chain.
It did not work. The average Wal-Mart shopper lives in the suburbs, is roughly 5-foot-2 and wears a size 14 – making them poor candidates for the skinny jeans that were a popular, tight-fitting fashion in urban markets.
You used to never hear about gaffes like that in the past. Never underestimate the potential for unions to throw a monkey wrench into far more than just labor-related issues. As Chico Escuela used to say, “always keep your eye on de ball.”
