Well, that story definitely sounds like something Mickey Drexler would do and say! Not sure if this helps or hurts his image though...If You Ever Have A Meeting With Mickey Drexler, You Should Be Prepared For This
By Aimee Groth
April 12, 2012
J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler has a reputation for being a no-B.S., very hands-on manager. He famously uses an intercom system at the company's Manhattan headquarters, and doesn't have a problem being blunt with employees.
In a new book out by Gilt Groupe co-founders Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, By Invitation Only, they describe what it was like to sit down with Drexler:
We were ushered into Mickey's large office area, which had a big table for meetings and was out in the open, at the end of a floor of merchandisers. He sat at a corner desk near his assistant, and we sat at a large conference table, separated from his desk by a low partition. ... From the beginning it felt as if he weren't listening to a word we said. This was just his style: he simultaneously does several other things while half nodding. As we spoke, he shuffled papers, checked his BlackBerry, and wrote emails, tossing out a few mmms and uh-huhs to indicate that he was following us.
When we started describing our membership [we] finally got Mickey's undivided attention. That was when he rolled his eyes and said something along the lines of 'Right. Everyone makes up their demographics and prototypical customer.' ... This was when Mickey grabbed his telephone and hit the intercom. Apparently he does this all the time to make announcements across J.Crew's many floors of office space. ... He said something like, 'Hey, I'm talking to this company, Gilt something. What is it? Oh yeah, Gilt Groupe. If anyone has ever heard of it, call me back.' Then he slammed his phone back into the receiver.
Within minutes J.Crew executives and staffers started lining up all around their boss. Soon there were at least fifty people crowded into Mickey's open conference area, not counting the ones who walked by, saw how crowded the office already was, and left.
What are your thoughts on the story? What are your thoughts on Mickey Drexler's "management style"?
I am glad Mickey is one of those CEOs who is not afraid to ask questions when he doesn't know the answers and who listens to what his employees have to say.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rose. Mickey cracks me up. What a character!
ReplyDeleteThe more I read about the management at J. Crew (in addition to the declining quality and rising prices), the less I want to shop their stores. Mickey Drexler sounds like a tool.
ReplyDeleteI also came across this article, which makes Mickey sound even more crotchety:
ReplyDeletehttp://financo.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/WWD-Mickey-Drexler-Speaks-Out-on-Malls-at-Financo-Forum-1.16.12.pdf
Apparently he hates malls. And for every $1 JC puts into its internet business, it makes twice as much as a store.
"Drexler continued to voice concerns, stating that the industry is being overrun by “more cheap players entering the marketplace than ever before.”" You mean like Madewell, Mickey?
DeleteThanks for link, Cass.
Thanks Cass, interesting article. MD sounds whiny, like everybody should be moving out of his way, so he can do the business the way HE likes... Should the 'cheap' competitors first apply for Mickey's approval to enter the market? And the popcorn/Wetzel Pretzel pariahs of the malls, how dreadful.
DeletePlus there's the usual rant about the evils of markdowns. He's apparently really bitter about all the discounts JC had to give over the last holiday season...but weren't JC's profits up that quarter anyway?
DeleteThey have huge markdowns because they don't price correctly to start with. They price something that should be $85 at $185 so I don't buy it because I would feel ripped off. Item supposedly sells out and I forget about it. Comes back in all sizes and after couple of weeks is marked down to $85 but at this point it is old news too me, I have already moved on to other pieces. It goes down to $49 but it is final sale, out of season, not interested, thank you. Have they priced it at $100 and threw in a free shipping and 10% rebate to entice me, I would have bought it when it first came out and maybe even added another color, if it worked out.
DeleteTerrific article, Cass, I particularly liked the rapid-fire responses of the CEOs of the two big mall companies: “Mickey, God bless you. It’s not like you haven’t made a living off shopping malls, maybe two livings compared to a lot of us,” and “I’ll take all your space back right now.”
DeleteThat is interesting that he believes internet sales are twice as profitable for J.Crew. I wonder how those numbers really work out, though, when you get inside the mind of the consumer. I buy online because I can return at a store. Without the store, I wouldn't buy online very often, which I do freely now because returns are easy at a store. Granted, costs/overhead for operating a store must be high, but without the mall stores, I'm not sure internet sales would be so lucrative.
DeleteHe sounds insufferable. Good manners cost nothing, reveal everything.
ReplyDeleteDitto. I wonder how Mr. Drexler would have felt had the execs at Net-a-Porter treated him the same way when he met with them to discuss being added to their designer list.
DeletePrecisely Barabebelle!
DeleteI really find it hilarious, to be honest. He sounds a little nutty. I think some of the smartest people in the world are total weirdos. I think it would be a trip and a half just to sit and talk with the guy, but I personally would refuse to speak to him unless he could shut off his mobile and at least be respectful of my time and attention.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of respect for Drexler. He's personally helped me with a few issues I've had over the years- we're talking about in less than 30 minutes after I've sent an e-mail, even on a Sunday. That said, I don't know if I would or could work for him. But I know this-- he didn't get to be as rich as he is without working his butt off. The customer service he continues to personally provide has earned him my respect.
ReplyDeleteI think he sounds like a very rude man.
ReplyDeleteI've bought a number of things from Gilt. I find their customer service to be knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. Merch is beautifully packaged when it arrives. I feel sorry for the people from Gilt who had to sit through that performance, although maybe it's just the regular number Dear Leader does when meeting someone for the first time. I find myself thinking that Gilt may very possibly wind up offering good buys on JC merch after all -- having picked it up at the Trustee's sale in the Chapter 11.
ReplyDeleteI felt that by asking his employees to enlighten him about Gilt that he was basically saying to Gilt that they were not important enough for him to even know of them. I think the whole article made himm sound brutish and rude. I am not in the retail business but I know rude behavior when I see it. I would have a heart attack if someone kept yelling over an intercom all day long! I'm just too jumpy. I did not get the feeling that his employees were held in high esteem. Does he not realize that if all the Mall stores were gone so would all of the jobs that go with them?
ReplyDeleteI've seen people at this level fall, and fall hard. It's just a matter of time people start turning their backs on J.Crew. I wish I could fire Mickey for letting Jenna go nuts with her so called "fashion" nonsense. God, someone please reign this woman in!
ReplyDeleteAnd we thought the Crewlade they serve *us* is strong. I cannot imagine hearing the intercom announcements and then rushing around my boss's desk like a summoned minion. With 50+ people?! It all sounds so ridiculous. Funny thing about Dear Leader and a distaste for malls. Is not Gap a mall store? Sheesh. Whoever said that was right about him making 2 livings off of mall stores.
ReplyDeleteFrom time to time there will be complaints about the complaints or criticisms here on JCA. As in, why do we shop at J Crew if we're so critical of the company & if we have so much to complain about. I think this article reflects an undercurrent of disrespect or disregard that J Crew upper mgmt has for its customer. I think we feel that at times, but can't put our finger on it. Not to mention that we're distracted by beautiful colors. lol
Just price it right to begin with, as ajc describes. Prices bounce around like ping pong balls, usually ticking upward. Yeah, it's really insulting to see chinos or cashmere jump $5 - $15 just because it's selling well. With all the great things about J Crew there also comes a flip side. I also hope they don't get so big for their britches that everything starts to crumble around them. And a question. If there is such a return on their dollar for the Internet then why in tarnation haven't they joined other retailers in 2012 with a better website.
This sounds very 1980's style management to me. I bet he smokes a cigar when he does it and his Secretary looks like Loni Anderson.
ReplyDelete@ajc you are correct about the price, items will sell if they are priced right, not need to be greedy. As for the mall dont you think most of the stores are in one?
ReplyDelete@ Gigi you also make some good points,
these are volatile times for fashion the customer is fickle there are others stores in than dreaded "mall"
@ Tammy: I totally LOL'ed at your 1980's comment :) Now I'm going to have the theme song from "Working Girl" stuck in my head for the rest of the day.
ReplyDelete