"When Gerald Ratner took the stage before 6k high-powered businesspeople"
The phrase "high-powered" has never sat right with me. It sounds so hand-wavey.
A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
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Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#262The modern examples cited weren't nearly as bad: - Lulumon didn't seem to be hurt by Chip Wilson. In fact, the "notoriety" made me aware they they sold men's clothes, too, and I went there and bought some great athletic wear. - Many customers appreciated Barclays' warning not to "pile up debts." That would give me a favorable opinion of a company that offers lines of credit, not a bad one.
When David Shepherd (brand director for Topman) said Topman customers only wore a suit for their first interview or their first court appearance in 2001, I was sure it would be the end of them.
Didn't seem to bother people though. Maybe the "hooligans or whatever" who shop there don't pay any attention to the news?
Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#263Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's also generally not a situation where you can say someone was coerced in any way without knowing more details. They are two adults engaging in consensual activity. I seriously doubt she thought there would be negative consequences if she said no. More likely she thought she might stand to gain something if she went along with it, but that's hardly coercion. I don't know, I have somewhat different thinking about s…
The goal is to collapse your comment and prevent other people from seeing it, not to change your opinion.
Censorship of dissenting opinions should hopefully be abhorrent to most people here on HN. It goes against the hacker ideals.
Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#264What kind of jewelry did people think they were getting for a few quid?
Something that was good enough to invest a little of their hopes and dreams in. You are applying a sophisticated buyer's perspective to the situation of a fairly naive person; some customers would certainly recognize the sales strategy for what it was, but many younger or less well off customers would take the retailer's claims at face value at least for a while.
Sure, nobody might expect much of a pair of earrings bought to wear at a party for a couple of pounds, but you'd be upset if you bought an engagement ring and the stone fell out.
Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#265Earlier quoted context omitted.
I used to use Ryanair... until I found out how they treated wheelchair users. I'm happy for myself to be treated like a piece of meat. Not other, more vulnerable users. Screw Ryanair.
No one knows what you're talking about. I'll hazard a guess. Is it the SINGLE INCIDENT ONE YEAR AGO where someone broke the rules by not folding their wheelchair because they didn't know how to do it? Something that no one else has ever complained about because people typically know how to fold their own wheelchair? Something that WASN'T EVEN A PROBLEM because the woman was later able to figure it out and was rebooke…
Can you provide details? It seems likely that this incident was overblown in the press but I'd like to know more.
Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#266Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm sorry to be pedantic, but I'm confused by what seemed to be a recommendation to read this link because it's going to be awesome, but then you say "incredible interviews." I'd feel a lot better if you clarified, before I read, "incredible" as in "extraordinary" or "difficult to believe."
I'm having trouble deciding whether or not you are being serious. Yes, technically, the word "incredible" originally meant "not credible." However, in common usage, it simply means, "very good."
Says who? Merriam-webster's first definition is "too extraordinary and improbable to be believed".
Cambridge: "impossible or very difficult to believe:"
Dictionary.com: "so extraordinary as to seem impossible: incredible speed. not credible; hard to believe; unbelievable: The plot of the book is incredible."
Or is dictionary.com too incredible?
And, I know I'm risking hardcore my karma here, but I see "good" used as a moral measure. I doubt that "incredible" is referring to the interviewee's moral excellence, but I could imagine that perhaps the interviews are along the lines of becoming a better person.
Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#267What I find most fascinating is that a multimillion dollar company was destroyed simply because the owner told the truth. Imagine if fast food CEOs were honest about the quality of their food instead of just parroting marketing bullshit.
That destroyed company? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signet_Jewelers
Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#268Kudos to the guy for bouncing back though !! “After losing everything, he toiled in misery for years — but he eventually made an improbable comeback. In 1997, he took out a £155k (US$203k) loan on his house, built up a health club business, and sold it for £3.9m (US$5.1m). He then used the profits to start an online jewelry company. (The Ratners Group rebranded as Signet in 1993; today, it is the largest diamond reta…
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Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#269Earlier quoted context omitted.
Lululemon is genius, their quality is great, but the branding is even better! They revolutionized the exercise wear industry, were single-handedly responsible for "athleisure" and killing denim sales!
and maybe it's true that some styles of clothing are "not for everyone"
His comments weren't even controversial, as they echoed beliefs that are held by those in the fashion industry. Lots of clothing companies make it plainly obvious not everyone is supposed to buy their products.
Re: A man who destroyed his multimillion dollar company in 10 seconds (2018)
#270Michael O'Leary being incredibly rude is a key part of Ryanair's branding. If you're paying £19 for a two hour flight, you'll always have the sneaking suspicion that the airline is skimping on maintenance. O'Leary makes it absolutely clear that they save money by treating their passengers like cattle. He carefully cultivates the image of a man who utterly despises his own customers, but is far too miserly to allow an…
I agree. Fellow "cheapskates" who just want to get from Dublin to Edinburgh on a cheap flight probably admire his thrift.
No, Ryanair passengers don’t admire anything about Michael O’Leary. They pay the fare (and the surcharges, and the charge to pay by card) and then tolerate the journey.
No passenger thinks he’s a lovable scamp or a shrewd businessman. They just buy the fare they can afford and justify, if it happens to be Ryanair then ... grin and bear it.