Question: Abercrombie & Fitch, the clothing retailer, declines to offer women's clothing in plus sizes and continues to direct its business toward young, good-looking customers. A & F received harsh, widespread criticism in early 2013 when a 2006 Salon interview with its CEO Michael S. Jeffries surfaced and went viral:
In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely"146
a. Do you think Abercrombie's business is harmed by its "exclusionary" policies? Explain.
b. Should Abercrombie's business be hurt by its exclusionary policies? Explain.
c. Do you decline to shop at Abercrombie? Explain.