In a recent article by Jennifer Saranow in the WSJ (July 9, 2009) , Gap Inc. says it has trained “hundreds of thousands” of Gap store employees in the art of folding since the late 1980s.
The folding craze at Gap began in the 1980s when Millard Drexler, who as a boy had sorted towels at his uncle’s towel-delivery service, took the helm as president of the Gap Stores division. Mr. Drexler and his team put tables in Gap stores and had employees decorate them with piles of folded shirts and sweaters. The goal was to better emphasize certain items and color choices and make it easier for customers to sort through clothes.
These former employees now fold their clothing meticulously even going so far as to not be able to shop without straightening up retailers’ folded displays. It isn’t clear whether the next generation of retailers will produce so many compulsive folders.
Contrast that to when I was putting myself through college and the number one thing the seasoned department manager at the Broadway taught me, “Its about selling the merchandise to our customers.”
A pretty display is one thing but it is passive. Imagine if Gap and all the trainers who spent hours getting the perfect crease had instead been learning how to sell the merchandise.
BTW, the trend now is to leave the displays looking a bit messed up – it looks like people were interested in the merchandise rather than a museum.
