The Devil Does Wear...

by Sherry Ellingson

The Devil Wears Parada is the perfect movie to help people see what it really is like in the world of fashion, design and retail.

Where do you want me to start?

Let me give you background. I started my retail/fashion journey as a sophomore in College/University. It was January 1989 and I got a job working part time at Express (Limited owned company ) the company used to be under the same umberrella as Victoria's Secret Bath and Body works at the time Express etc. The store was on Bancroft Ave. right by Telegraph Ave. next to U.C. Berkeley campus. At the time I was at San Francisco State University and was commuting in.

So to work in a college town in a store that at the time was one of the hottest places for a young woman to be working was a big dea and super fun ( I met 2 of my closest friends working there). It was such a big deal in fact that I changed my major from Business Admin. and Pre-Law to Business of Fashion (Fashion Merchandising).

So what and how does that relate Miranda Priestly and Andrea Sachs?

Well I see myself in Andrea (not the journalist part) but as the person who wanted to grow in retail and become a buyer and grow in to managment with the ultimate goal of having my own store one day. All the corporate and small boutiques I worked for had supervisors like Miranda Priestly, self absored, treat their employees with out professionalism, asking people to work crazy hours with out the pay. Can you imagine? Not all of my bosses where like her, there were some who were positive and supportive and helped my climb the corporate ladder.

Where did I work? Oh so many places: corporate and boutiques. Luxury clothing, jewelry and funitutre. Non luxury and fast fashion.

I have so many stories but will only share a few...I had a boss who was gorgeous, truly ( on the outside). She dressed amazing, top of the line hair and make up and only luxury accessories while wearing the Brand we worked for. She was stealing from the company and had a ring of high end thieves as her friends who would steal from the stores :products and cash.

She had access to a group of the stores and would have her male friends come and steal while she worked. She was doing all kinds of drugs and partying all night.

It was insane working for her. She would have myself and the other manager working 12 hour days 6 days a week without breaks, she would call us all the time on our day off to come in and cover her shifts because she was "sick". She gave my phone number to her friend to date him without my consent, the same guy by the way that I found out later was stealing. She was finally caught after a night that she worked and thousands of dollars went missing from the safe. We were suspicous but never sure, truly insane.

At another company in San Francisco I had a boss who would sit in her office all day 6 days a week. Doing what you ask, I don't know. She said she was working on payroll and scheduling. Literally every day 12 hours a day 6 days a week. The store was chaotic, unorganized, and mostly unhappy employees and it was extremely high profile. Meaning corporate employees and upper management visited with out notice regularly. She was a nightmare. She would schedlue me (then the women's department manager worth $8 million a year) to work @ 4 am to come in 5 hours before the store would open to do random tasks. Or she would have me working every night 3-12 (midnight) for two weeks straight including weekends.

She was eventually transferred to another store (not fired) where her employees hated her so much a group of them defecated in the stock room. She still did not get fired, she was transferred again to a higher volume store. I left the company shortly after and never found out what happened.

Or the boss who again would wear high end designer clothes and would become everyone's best friend and would give out Tiffany gifts . She was your best friend until she wasn't. The things she cared about: how you looked and dressed/ how good looking you were/ and if you would do everything she told you. She would break all kinds of company policy to make sure her store got sales and good reviews. At one point she had a collegue of mine fired. She had allowed him to use his discount which was just for us. She was having him give his discount to random people, customers, friends, delivery people. Unfortunatley one time during one of these events, the loss prevention team came in to audit his store. We will never know if that was a concidence or she told them to do that.

Retailers close stores, lose money and never make changes to their systems. Systems that are outdated and don't work. Unhappy clients and unhappy employees.

This was the path that finally lead me to have my own business. Not a store front owner but a caoch and consultant. I specialize in looking at systems and what is working and what can change. I can also help build the system.

The businesses that continue to grow are those willing to evolve and change.

Thanks for Reading!

Sherry

Sherryellingson.com