The controversy: On Monday, just as Hurricane Sandy was about to make landfall in the Northeast, most residents were preparing for the worst. But apparently, American Apparel hoped they'd take the opportunity to do some shopping. The outlet sent out a promotional email to shoppers in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland — all states expected to be hit hardest by Sandy — saying, "In case you're bored during the storm, 20% off everything for the next 36 hours." The internet responded with outrage. An American Apparel spokesperson said the email was simply an attempt to keep revenue flowing if East Coast storefronts closed, and that it "came from a good place."
The reaction: Wherever this came from, it's "a really stupid PR stunt," says Kevin Camps at Death and Taxes. "From a company that takes racy photos of their product to keep edgy, even this promotion comes as a surprise." Perhaps many retailers sales figures will be among Sandy's victims, says Jessica Phelan at Global Post, but "excuse us if we don't feel too sorry for them." Let's be fair, says Leah Chernikoff at Fashionista.com. "American Apparel wasn't the only retailer offering Sandy sales." On Monday, the Gap tweeted: "All impacted by #Sandy, stay safe! We'll be doing lots of Gap.com shopping today. How about you?"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for December 13Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include saving healthcare, the affordability crisis, and more
-
Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
The issue dividing Israel: ultra-Orthodox draft dodgersIn the Spotlight A new bill has solidified the community’s ‘draft evasion’ stance, with this issue becoming the country’s ‘greatest internal security threat’
