The smell might not only be the funky thing at Hollister…
Thursday, September 9th, 2010
During my employment at the clothing store Hollister Co., I have found some cases which I believe to be unethical. By no means with this post am I trying to attack the company, in fact I believe some of their marketing schemes to be pure genius, but I have been put into various situations during my employment where I found myself questioning the ethics of the company.
If a customer were to walk into the store, they would notice three things: the insufficient lighting, the “SoCal” aroma, and the gorgeous employees. The hiring process at Hollister is interesting because the company does not require its applicants to provide resumes; for the position titled “Model” (the company’s word for salesperson), those employed are required to pose for a full length picture taken by the manager to be sent to the head office. Is it unethical to hire and judge applicants almost solely based on appearances alone?
Another controversial issue with Hollister is the dress code. Because the company’s theme revolves around the surfing and the sun in California, the dress code follows suit and therefore many would call it strict. For bottoms, employees are required to wear either jeans or denim skirts – but the skirts must be mini skirts that hit well above the knee. The following link is a story of how a woman was fired from her job at Hollister because she refused to wear the short skirts, as it clashed with her Pentecostal religious beliefs.
Although I believe the two example above to be unethical, I still support Hollister and I am currently still working for the company.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Sues Hollister Co. Over Firing Woman from the Job