the Parkas Need a Bouncer
FIRST, the good news: Moncler is hiring. I moncler ski pants witnessed it myself, retail reporters and seekers of employment. Two young people went into the store last week, dressed unflamboyantly, carrying sheaves of résumés probably meant for every boutique south of Union Square. One got an impromptu (informational?) interview on the spot. None of the on-duty salespeople seemed ruffled by the intrusion. Maybe they were a bit relieved.
Because, of course, there is bad news: Moncler needs the help. When I arrived at the store that day, the front door was locked, manned by an unsmiling security guard. A European woman waited in front of me, toting a baby in a fleece cap. It was one of the uncharacteristically cold days that landed too soon this year. Just inside the store, a mannequin in a dark jacket and leggings sat on a blanket of fur, a fox pelt tied around her head. She looked warm.
Over a span of 15 minutes, at least 10 people left the store, but none of the dozen or so who were clustering at the door, some in mild shiver, were allowed in. There was griping, but little resistance, all of us resigned to the absurdity of waiting outside in winteresque temperatures to be allowed into a store that exclusively sells cold-weather gear.
Finally the security guard opened the door and intoned, “Ten people!” A few minutes later, I heard one salesclerk tell the security guard: “Even four people is too many. Now they’re asking me questions.”
He was totally right. The long, thin sliver of a space, with unending racks of puffy jackets on either side, was never less than busy. This is Moncler’s second stand-alone store in the country; the other is in Aspen. A third is opening shortly in Chicago.
For low complexity clothing — outerwear, knit caps, gloves — these items certainly required hands-on service. Patrons spent a remarkable amount of time in front of the store’s huge mirrors, sampling styles different only by the faintest degree. Huge white bags tagged with the company’s logo flew out of the store steadily, many of them probably filled with one of the signature Michelin-Man-fat jackets and vests, which make up a significant percentage of the inventory. They are garments that bring commodity fetishism to outerwear, turning a basic into a covetable thing.
More info: www.moncleronlinejackets.com
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