Finding that company managers and executives had stated that “they wanted employees who had the ‘Armani look, were white, had blue eyes, thin and blond in order to be profitable’” and that “African Americans dominate — huge issue” the EEOC has issued a determination that the Wet Seal apparel stores in the Philadelphia area had engaged in race discrimination. One of the targets and victims of that race discrimination, Nicole Cogdell, a manager at one of the company's top ten performing stores, has filed a lawsuit charging the company with race discrimination.
Source: New York Times
This is an unusual case first because the evidence of race discrimination is so obvious and blatant, something that is surprising for a large retail company with stores all over the country and one intending (I presume) to appeal to all shoppers, white and black. And it can't be excused in any way based on the notion that the numbers of black employees were causing the stores' profitability to suffer: Ms. Cogdell ran one of the company's top ten performing and profitable stores. This is a case that will likely result in a relatively quick settlement in her favor.
