David Bolotsky

Losing it's relevance This company is slowly falling victim to the changing retail landscape and becoming increasingly irrelevant. The products are no longer unique (or are so unique, they are comically useless and wasteful for even existing), the company's sustainability focus has become standard in retail, they refuse to offer free shipping, etc etc. The result is flailing sales and a major identity crisis that has created many problems and team members are leaving in droves (and not being replaced, which is a bad sign if you ask me). Every team is operating as a separate entity with no clue as to what is going on elsewhere and managers are basically robots trying to save their own jobs. Senior leadership has gone in a strange, ruthless corporate direction obsessing over KPIs and repackaging old tired ideas as exciting new initiatives that will turn the business around. I was particularly put off by the new merchandising leader, who was apparently fired from her previous job and seems to have a bunch of people under her spell. The CEO has lost touch and reminds me of the type who pine for the "good old days" while begrudgingly making the tiniest, slowest steps to change with the times. It's sad to see a company that used to be so creative, unique and anti-corporate change so much. I hope they get their groove back, but I sincerely doubt it will be possible with its current leadership at the helm.