Gasp to Bride: You’re a fat joke. We don't want your custom. Thanks for complaining

[BvBPL]

The scenario:
Keara , a bride-to-be, and her friends go to Gasp, a high-end fashion boutique in Melbourne, to look for bridesmaid dresses. She’s pressured into purchasing a particular dress by a salesclerk (Chris) and when she disdains, Chris makes fun of her size (Aus 12, which is a US 8 although she frankly looks bigger in the photos), her friends, and calls her a joke.

So she sends an email to Gasp explaining how poorly she was treated. The response from Gasp basically boils down to: you’re not high fashion enough to shop here and we did you a favor by driving you away. And not only do we stand by Chris, but he is a “superstar.”

Outraged by this behavior, Keara immediately reaches out the media who take up her banner against snotty sales clerks. The fashion tyranny must end here! The Melbourne Herald Sun gives Gasp a chance to respond.

What could Gasp do? Would publically firing Chris and the guy who sent the response email to Keara salve the issue? Since this is such a big blow up, shouldn’t they invite Keara back to have her pick of the store to build some good will? Maybe cut a check in her name to a charity?

HECK NO!

Gasp announces that they have banned Keara from their stores until she issues a formal apology, but thanks her for bringing her complaint public as it has resulted in “tremendous” publicity and “unprecedented sales volume.”

Oh, and Chris gets upgraded from superstar to style psychic: “[he]… has a sixth sense for fashion.”

Then they close the store ten days later.

Retail is a totally amazing microcosm of the human experience. What can we learn from all this? Is the customer always right? Do retail sales clerks have a responsible to cater to people who they do not think will buy anything?

Read all about it!

Customer complaint email and response by GASP clothing goes viral - Herald Sun
'I knew you were a joke the minute you walked in': Designer clothing store's shocking treatment of customer shopping for bridesmaid dresses - Daily Mail
Gasp boutique complaint response letter goes viral, manager says shop was too 'glamorous' for her - New York Daily News
GASP gloats amid viral customer feud - Herald Sun
Gasp Jeans To Shut Down Site Of Shameful Customer Service Incident - Stylesite

(Oh, and as of 10/5, Gasp is having a sale on their website. Get it while it is hot!)

 

[Virote_Considon]

When we live in a society where a fruit basket deems himself above a pretty woman enough to try to humiliate her, you know somethings wrong.

 

[Azash]

When we live in a society where a fruit basket deems himself above a pretty woman enough to try to humiliate her, you know somethings wrong.

I don't see how sexuality is related to arrogance.

 

[Smellincoffee]

If this guy had indeed gotten a promotion, I would have looked the other way if someone were to test the store's fire-suppression systems.

Just sayin'.

 

[aelf]

Since businesses are, as people always say, allowed to do what they want within the bounds of the law, I don't see the issue here.

 

[classical_hero]

And it is within the law for customers make public their claims of poor service and if the store does not improve their service, then things go bad for that store.

 

[NovaKart]

I don't see how sexuality is related to arrogance.

Good response.

When we live in a society where a fruit basket deems himself above a pretty woman enough to try to humiliate her, you know somethings wrong.

Kind of ironic considering your avatar.

Is a size 8 really that big?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I think the store was within their "rights" to act like jerks - in a legal sense - but all the Gasp employees involved are terrible people and I hope that they get lots and lots of negative publicity.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

The dude is a jerk. The chick I don't care for since she is purchasing clothes from a known clothing retailer that has a reputation of turning a blind eye of horrible labor practices from many places around the world that export their cheap clothes and accessories to their stupid overpriced chain stores.

 

[classical_hero]

This reminds me so much of a SNL skit where the store is so exclusive, they don't sell anything to anyone, since everyone is beneath them. I just can't remember the name of the skit, I wonder if others can.

 

[Cheetah]

Is a size 8 really that big?

I honestly think using clothes sizes for any kind of measuring (including clothes) to be completely useless.

But from what I can tell from her pictures:

She's fatter than she should be, but it's not too bad. I'd say she's very chubby, or somewhat fat, but not too fat (yet). Her size could certainly limit her shopping possibilities at some stores I suspect however, but I really don't know much about women's fashion.

And it is within the law for customers make public their claims of poor service and if the store does not improve their service, then things go bad for that store.

I'm not too sure about that. If the store intends to sell itself as a high-class, exclusive store, as one might assume is the case:

Gasp, a high-end fashion boutique in Melbourne

Then getting publicity for turning away customers might help. It's the same logic as when super models don't smile on catwalks. Turning away fat customers can certainly make them exclusive, and knowing that rich people are less fat than others, it might work out.

However:

(Oh, and as of 10/5, Gasp is having a sale on their website. Get it while it is hot!)

It is understood GASP today closed its Facebook page following a deluge of negative comments concerning the incident.

Celebrity Ruby Rose was one of many taking to Twitter to add their views on the incident, writing: "I am actually laughing.. I can't believe gasp called themselves fashion forward.. Sweetheart you sell polyester dresses u ain't no Prada.

"This can't be real hahahaha gasp sells the most cheap tacky clothing in Australia," she said.

If these latest things are correct, it sounds like someone at Gasp is playing football in a glass warehouse while blindfolded.

 

[classical_hero]

This is from the first link, so it is appropriate,

Celebrity Ruby Rose was one of many taking to Twitter to add their views on the incident, writing: "I am actually laughing.. I can't believe gasp called themselves fashion forward.. Sweetheart you sell polyester dresses u ain't no Prada.

"This can't be real hahahaha gasp sells the most cheap tacky clothing in Australia," she said

 

[NovaKart]

She does look bigger in the photos, I think she was trying to get a dress size that was too small or else the clerk was trying to get her to buy one. A size US 8 isn't that big.

People often bring up that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16 but clothing sizes were different back then.

And in case anyone's wondering, I don't cross dress but I did grow up with 2 sisters, a mother and a stepmother so I know some things about women's clothing.

 

[MobBoss]

One reason why I cant stand to watch any of those fashion reality shows my daughters love to watch. The attitudes of supposed fashion-istas just sets my nerves on edge.

 

[NovaKart]

I don't understand it either. I like project runway sometimes but it just reinforces the idea that despite being gay I know nothing about fashion. I see stuff that I think looks like crap and the judges love it. Stuff I think looks really good they hate. Of course a lot of it goes with how well it's made and not necessarily the style and since I know nothing about tailoring clothes and we can't see it as well on TV as someone in person it's difficult to really speak with any authority on it.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

1. Girl in question is pretty. A good reason why not to listen to these "skinny-only" fashion fools.

2. Charlie Chaplin was not gay.

3. Highly agree with MobBoss.

4. I'm reminded of the store in Mean Girls where they go to shop, and Rachel McAdams' character can't find a dress in her size (because Lindsay Lohan has tricked her into eating protein bars to "lose weight") so the sales rep taunts her mercilessly about "trying someplace else lol."

 

[Cheetah]

People often bring up that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16 but clothing sizes were different back then.

I have no idea what a size 16 is, but I also don't care. Clothes sizes are, as I said, useless for any kind of measurements.

Marilyn Monroe's bust-waist-hip measurements were roughly 90-60-90 cm - or about 36-24-36 inches as you Americans like to measure.

Dunno what that would be in different clothes sizes though.

 

[NovaKart]

Someone who wore a size 16 in the 50s would be a much smaller size now.

On another subject, no one ever said that Charlie Chaplin was gay but the avatar just looks very effeminate.

 

[mrt144]

Good response.



Kind of ironic considering your avatar.

Is a size 8 really that big?

No. No it is not. Not at all.

 

[mrt144]

I honestly think using clothes sizes for any kind of measuring (including clothes) to be completely useless.

But from what I can tell from her pictures:

She's fatter than she should be, but it's not too bad. I'd say she's very chubby, or somewhat fat, but not too fat (yet). Her size could certainly limit her shopping possibilities at some stores I suspect however, but I really don't know much about women's fashion.

I'm not too sure about that. If the store intends to sell itself as a high-class, exclusive store, as one might assume is the case:Then getting publicity for turning away customers might help. It's the same logic as when super models don't smile on catwalks. Turning away fat customers can certainly make them exclusive, and knowing that rich people are less fat than others, it might work out.

However:If these latest things are correct, it sounds like someone at Gasp is playing football in a glass warehouse while blindfolded.

You're insane. Fatter than she should be?