00:03another one of those days oh this is nice that particular piece tends to work on a
00:12different body type just so you know oh I didn't ask I know I just find customers
00:20appreciate a heads up before the fitting room saves the disappointment oh I'm not
00:26disappointed well not yet what does that mean just that the cut is quite specific it was designed
00:32for a particular frame there's no judgment in that it's just construction oh but I like it of course
00:41I'm just saying it might not translate the way that you're hoping well we'll find out in the
00:47fitting room well that's what I'm trying to save you from I don't need saving I just need to browse
00:55well the current collection is really designed for a specific silhouette in mind you might find
01:03better options where with a broader range I'll find what I need myself thank you oh I'm sure you will
01:11I
01:13just want to make sure that you're not wasting your afternoon I'm not wasting anything I'm just shopping
01:21it's really about the fabric more than anything some materials are very unforgiving it's better to
01:27know that before you commit to the fitting room I've seen customers come out looking well you know
01:34like they've uh they're unprepared I didn't ask for your opinion on what works for my body I would
01:42really appreciate being left alone the shop I'm simply trying to help customers make choices that will
01:48actually make them feel good sometimes that means being honest I think most people would rather know
01:56know what exactly just what works what doesn't it's not a personal comment it's practical the only thing
02:07making me feel bad right now is this conversation so if you want to help me feel really good about
02:14myself
02:14you could try leaving me alone to shop some customers can't handle the truth
02:24those run extremely small I'd hate for you to be disappointed in the fitting room
02:29I know my size of course I just want to save you the trouble
02:34you'd save me a lot more trouble by not following me around the store
02:38I'm not following you I'm working the floor you've made several comments about four by this time
02:44that's my job no your job is to help me if I ask and I haven't asked she seems to
02:54have it covered
02:55this is a private conversation between a staff and a customer and it looked very private from where I
03:01was standing it looked like one person repeatedly telling another person what her body can and can't
03:08wear I'm not sure you're involved in this can I help you with something I'm fine thank you we have
03:14some
03:14lovely new pieces and a spring collection just came in last week and it's a very strong season okay I'll
03:21have a look around of course fitting rooms are in the back you're welcome to try things on I just
03:26want
03:27to be upfront that returns are complicated once tax are removed so it's worth it to be certain before
03:36committing I've been shopping before I know I'm just saying what are you saying actually I know exactly
03:46what you're saying was there something specific you were looking for not yet
04:00this is a nice stock who's your buyer I handle the buying myself so good choices thank you I've
04:07been doing this a long time you develop an eye you do how long have you had the store 11
04:13years built
04:14it from nothing it was a proper independent no franchise no backing just me and the floor that's a
04:22real achievement I'm impressed it takes a certain standard you can't let it slip the moment you
04:28start making exceptions the whole thing loses its identity oh lovely the fit's interesting hmm I'm not
04:40sure the proportions are doing you any favors sometimes what looks good on the hanger really just reads
04:47differently on certain figures it's not a criticism it's just the nature of the cut I've been in the
04:54store for 20 minutes in that time I've heard nothing from you except different versions of the same
05:00message that my body is the problem well no that's not oh yes it is you told me the dress
05:07wouldn't work
05:08you told me the jacket runs too small you told me to be certain before I commit to walking into
05:15the
05:15fitting room and now you're telling me the proportions aren't doing me any favors I mean
05:21that is the exact same message every single time dressed up in different words I'm giving you honest
05:26feedback most people would rather I didn't ask for your feedback I asked to be left alone twice well
05:36that's not how I run my store I came in here to spend money and enjoy myself and you've spent
05:42every
05:43moment of that time I've been in this store trying to make me feel ashamed of how I look so
05:49I want to
05:49know what exactly is it that you do up in here what is your job my job is to help
05:56customers make more
05:57flattering choices to maintain the image of the store not every store is for every customer and
06:03there's no shame in that that's simply the reality of retail the shame in this room is entirely on your
06:09side of the conversation exactly I think you're being on what sensitive defensive that's usually
06:18the next word I was gonna say unreasonable I walked into a store I picked up some clothes a beautiful
06:25jacket that I liked that I want to buy how is that unreasonable I mean everything unreasonable that's
06:33happening in the last 20 minutes has come from you can I say something I want to introduce myself my
06:40name is Polly Harwood my label is Harwood we've shown in London Paris New York and Copenhagen in the last
06:4718 months I guess of course I know your work I've been in this store for the last 15 minutes
06:54I watched you
06:55follow this woman around the floor and pick at her appearance from the moment she walked in I've worked in
07:01fashion for over a decade and I want to be very clear about something I was simply no the idea
07:08that
07:09is store managers job is to decide which bodies deserve to be dressed is not a professional standard
07:15it's a bias in the industry has been actively dismantling it because stores and brands that
07:23haven't caught up are becoming visible exactly in the wrong way I have high standards this store has an
07:29identity and I protect it that's what a good retail management know being honest and being cruel are
07:37not the same thing running a tight ship by making customers feel worthless isn't a standard it's a
07:44failure dressed up as professionalism and I've watched you do it for the last quarter of an hour
07:50the woman I work with are not diversity hires they're not gestures towards some policy they're not the
07:58interesting choice this season they are the point I built my entire label on that because the industry spent too
08:05long pretending one body type was the default and everyone else was an exception that's not a standard that's a
08:12habit and it's one that costs stores like this one more than they realize I built something here for 11
08:20years I've kept this
08:21store independent and I've curated every piece of this floor myself and in 11 years you haven't worked out the
08:30woman in front of
08:31you is a customer not a problem to be managed I was trying to help her you were trying to
08:37move her on there's a difference and you know it I mean this genuinely and I mean it professionally I
08:45would like to talk to you about modeling in my current campaign you are exactly who I designed for
08:51me oh yes I would love that very much can you bring this up please on my card I wasn't
09:00trying to be unkind I run a tight ship I have standards I never meant it as a personal
09:06women in any industry in any room spend enough time being told their bodies are the wrong shape the one
09:13place that should never be true is a store that is literally selling them clothes
09:19that's not a niche principle that's the minimum I understand that I do but there are commercial reality the commercial
09:26reality is that you just spent 20 minutes trying to push a paying customer out of your store
09:34that's not a standard that's lost revenue and it's the least of what you've lost today I work with a
09:41lot of people buyers editors brand directors stylists people in this industry talk to each other constantly
09:49and the conversations that shape a store's reputation aren't always the public ones they're the ones that happen over dinner
09:56at fittings before a show
09:59I'll be talking about today not in a post not in a campaign just the way people in my world
10:05talk to each other I thought you should know that enough talking can you ring her up now please oh
10:12my god this color
10:13color
10:13I can't believe you're gonna buy it
10:15thank you
10:17okay go go go let's go
10:22I hate her
10:23I hate her
10:25I hate her
10:26I hate her
10:26I hate her
10:28I hate her
10:28I hate her
10:28I hate her
