Dive Brief:
-
J. Crew men’s merchandising VP Alejandro Rhett is under fire after the New York Post revealed his Instagram posts seemingly celebrating his survival of the retailer’s recent round of layoffs.
-
Shortly after Rhett himself notified several members of his team that their jobs were among the 175 being eliminated, he and colleagues went out drinking and posted on Instagram images with hashtags referencing the cutthroat survival story of the Hunger Games.
-
The retailer said that “appropriate actions” were taken after the incident came to light, but many shoppers posted on social media that they would boycott the struggling retailer unless Rhett is removed.
Dive Insight:
If Rhett and his fellow executives had kept their tone-deaf celebration to themselves, no one would be the wiser. And, of course, although everything’s been scrubbed from Instagram now, the Post has a few choice shots that will allow the escapade to last forever.
J. Crew says it doesn’t condone the behavior, but Rhett is now nearly as infamous as the “Tilly” sweater, which has become a symbol of the retailer’s misfortunes.