Gap Gapped
Now that The Gap ousted its CEO because of slumping sales, we can all become Tuesday morning quarterbacks (it is Tuesday, right?). Why did The Gap gap?
I’ve long railed against the ubiquitous Banana Republic, but The Gap is just as bad. In my California city alone, there are three Gaps less than ten minutes away. I wouldn’t object if The Gap were a chain of gasoline stations (which you CAN’T find anymore) or even a Starbucks-type outfit. After all, these are the types of purchases one might make on a regular basis. But I don’t have early morning cravings for a pair of skinny jeans. And I can’t remember the last time I was driving on the highway down to my last drop of midriff-baring t-shirts.
Besides the fact that there are too many gaps (and yes, Banana Republics), think about what’s inside. It’s mostly bland, boring clothing that’s more expensive than at that mid-range department store with the little dog and the bulls-eye. When Gap got bigger, it tried to please more people. And in doing so, it got very bland.
I remember back in the early 1990s when my son was born and I rushed to buy him cool Baby Gap togs. People admired his threads back then. He was a cool kid with a hip mother who dressed him in tiny grunge flannel shirts. Now, my 14-year-old son sees a Gap store and says, “Yecch.”
It’s sad. The generation that grew up in Baby Gap won’t enter the many Gaps planted up and down their streets. The retailer has lost an entire generation … or more.
