Macy's TX salespeople to dress in black |
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Published
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Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:18
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DALLAS (AP) - Macy's salespeople in Texas will soon be required to wear black, part of a new dress code that is designed to help shoppers in need of assistance, a Macy's spokesman said.'It's a lot easier to identify the employees if you know they are all going to be dressed in black,' said Ed Smith, a spokesman for Macy's southern region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Macy's is a unit of Federated Department Stores Inc.All Macy's salespeople in those states will begin wearing black May 14, Smith said.The stores will let employees wear a few splashes of color. Men can wear any color shirt and tie, and women can wear colored blouses and accessories. But charcoal slacks? Forget it, Smith advised.Smith said the idea has been tested in Macy's stores in other parts of the country and was well-received by customers and employees.Other stores and restaurants have adopted dress codes. For instance, workers at Target Corp. discount stores wear khakis and red tops.The reaction hasn't always been positive.In 2002 and 2003, Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., Gap Inc. and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. were sued by California employees who claimed they were pressured to buy and wear house brands to work in violation of state law.Most of the lawsuits have been settled. The class-action case against Polo Ralph Lauren is awaiting final approval by a judge under a settlement that would give employees up to $3,000 apiece in cash and vouchers, said Patrick Kitchin, a San Francisco attorney representing the workers.Smith said Macy's will help salespeople afford to buy new clothes if they don't have enough black in their wardrobe. The chain will offer discounts on black clothing -- he declined to say how much -- on top of their regular employee discount of 10 to 25 percent.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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