According to ABC News, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is making a major change: Signature blue vests out, polos and khakis in. Now, why is Wal-Mart making this change you ask?
"The vest is being retired and replaced with the dress-code look that actually has our customers saying that they can see our associates more prominently in the stores," said Celia Swanson, of Wal-Mart.In other words, Ms. Swanson believes that most Wal-Mart customers don't dress in polos and khakis, so the preppy look is much more noticeable than wearing, say, bright blue vests that have the words "Wal-Mart" stitched on them.
While the new dress code might make employees feel more "professional," as one worker put it, the new dress code truthfully says more about Wal-Mart's corporate mental state. The blue vests are what millions of Americans have come to identify with the low-cost retailer, and that is exactly what Wal-Mart is trying to get rid of -- the negative image of being a low-cost retailer -- by forcing employees to dress "preppy."
Will Wal-Mart require their employees to only wear in-store brands? Maybe employees will have stickers that say Find this outfit in aisle 4. Regardless of what employees wear, many analysts believe eliminating something so closely identified with the retail giant is a bad idea.
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