Men's Wearhouse ousts founder, pitchman Zimmer

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO

NEW YORK (AP) - Men's Wearhouse (MW) doesn't like the way its founder looks anymore.

The men's clothier said Wednesday that it fired executive chairman and face of the company George Zimmer, 64, who has appeared in many of its TV commercials with the slogan "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it."

The company announced the move in a terse statement that gave no reason for the abrupt firing of Zimmer, who built Men's Wearhouse Inc. from one small Texas store using a cigar box as a cash register to one of North America's largest men's clothing sellers with 1,143 locations.

The firing appears to end the career of one of TV's most recognizable pitchmen. Zimmer's gravelly-voiced slogan became almost a cultural touchstone, and his natty but down-to-earth charm made dressing sharply feel more accessible to men.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130619/DA713RT00.html

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In this Thursday, May 6, 1999 file photo, George Zimmer, second from left, gestures to Andy Dolich prior to a meeting, in Oakland, Calif. Men's Wearhouse Inc. says it has dismissed Zimmer, its founder and executive chairman. In a terse release issued Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the company didn't give a reason for the abrupt firing of Zimmer, who built Men's Wearhouse from one small Texas store using a cigar box as a cash register to one of the nation's largest specialty retailers in men's clothing, with 1,143 locations. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

[elleng]

1. I guess the firm is 'lucky' they get to continue using his ads,

as I doubt cutting him off the air would do them any good. (Sorry for HIM they can do so, tho.)

[mike dub]

2. But but but...

He GUARANTEED it

[SwankyXomb]

3. My guess is he was fired

for refusing to fill the stores with cheap, shoddy Bangladeshi suits.

[MADem]

19. My first thought was they dumped him for the crime of being .... OLD.

But cheap products wouldn't surprise me, either.

You can wait for the annual sale at Brooks Brothers, I suppose.

[jmowreader]

37. That's basically it

According to ABC, he'd already named a successor and was in the process of reducing his duties. He got canned as part of a pissing contest over marketing to millennials. I translate that to meaning he still wanted to be the public face of the company in a time when 30-year-old stockbrokers and lawyers would rather buy their Serious Businessman Uniforms from people who are not 65 years old.

The thing is, if your work wardrobe consists of five identical dark woolen suits for winter, five identical dark poly-wool blend suits for summer, five white shirts, two red ties and two pair of black shoes, and that is all you are allowed to wear, does it matter how old the guy selling it to you is?

[BeyondGeography]

4. For whatever reason, I always had a spot in my heart for his cheesiness

The guy could sell; I have worked with enough mediocre salespeople to appreciate the value of that.

[Voice for Peace]

6. he was also an advocate of legalizing pot

I believe, and maybe other progressive notions

[pipoman]

7. hmmm..therein may lie the answer..

[markiv]

29. understandable, because when a seed pops, it burns a hole in your suit

and you have to buy another

all kidding aside, i likes his commercials and stores

[fishwax]

41. yes, he is a big supporter of democrats and liberal causes

Also, the Oakland store closed in solidarity with the Occupy Protests, which was cool.

[Voice for Peace]

42. that's right!

now I remember.. Occupy

[Blue_Tires]

17. +1

[valerief]

31. I always liked him, too. nt

[DebJ]

5. They still get to use his ads for another 500 hours I read.

My husband and I are expecting them to actually PAY the customers to take their merchandise
soon, as their buy one-get one free adds keep escalating...buy one, get four, etc.

[pipoman]

8. That type of advertising

is a huge snowball..been there done that..not to that degree..people will not buy if there isn't a coupon. It took me a year to fully recover from not keeping a coupon out there, but now 2 years later, I seldom issue coupons and my business hasn't been better or more consistent.

[jmowreader]

35. You misread, I think...

They have 500 hours' worth of his ads...since he made one-minute spots, that's 30,000 commercials. Since there hasn't been a significant change in men's fashion since the government banned the zoot suit, they could theoretically use his spots forever.

[pipoman]

9. It would be interesting to know the severance package

or the terms under which he ceded controlling interest..

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. Could we PLEASE use this opportunity to update men's fashion?

Ties are SOooo "last century".

Women have a wide variety but "The suit" is all guys are allowed. There have been minor changes over the years but there is something wrong when you can still toss on something from 50 years ago and you can't fucking tell.

[DebJ]

11. LOL "you can't tell"..... that is funny because it is so true.

I think men should burn their ties the way women burned their bras, and toss the heels in the fire, too.
I once had the misfortune (in a restaurant) of being required to wear a tie, and a bra, while being on
my feet over 12 hours a day, often for 9 days in a row, alternating night and day shifts so sleeping was
greatly restricted...........having that tie choking me was just too much to handle. It's awful, cruel,
and stupid.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. They are finally addressing the issue of manditory nylons for women...

They promote bacterial growth on the skin.

Wear those all day and your entire leg smells like feet.

[DebJ]

13. Oh yuck I forgot all about pantyhose. I haven't worn them but

perhaps three times in 15 years. At one point in my life as a single
mom with two young children, I became quite skilled at putting them
on while driving to work on the Baltimore Beltway...that was my only
'free' time..........

And actually, the last few times I wore thigh-highs, no pantyhose nonsense.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

14. The classic 7/11 emergency Leggs purchase was the norm for years.

[DebJ]

15. And they fit like crap on a tall woman for most of those years.

I wonder how much landfill is now used by all those empty half-eggs?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

18. I always wondered if future archeologists will think they we worshipped ostriches.

[MADem]

21. Pull your Nehru jacket out from the back of the closet...or your LEISURE suit!!!

Or you could go equator-ish, and go for the guayabera/barong look:





Or....there's always the future....

[Spitfire of ATJ]

23. This is the 21st century!!!

We're supposed to be wearing silver jump suits and turtle necks.

(I guess the dickie killed those, just with it's name.)

[valerief]

30. Agreed. I want to see men dressed up as dandies. Trouser tights would be a lovely change. nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

32. What? No cod pieces?

[valerief]

33. For Republicans only. nt

[MADem]

38. Isn't that already happening? The kids today, poor things, they look like

produce smugglers in those "skinny jeans!"



And I can't help but notice that "Hammer pants" (aka I Dream of Jeannie-wear for Men) have made a comeback, as well...!

[JudyM]

34. And on the other side, women have extreme social pressure to spend continuously on their wardrobe.

Personally, I'd prefer the guys' situation. Women have to spend on their wardrobes to stay current or else risk looking dowdy or even laughable because the styles change so continuously - the hemline, the waistline, the shaping, the fabric, the color, everything, all the time.

It is a social issue - both for women in general (except those who have ample money and enjoy spending it on clothes) and for the environment: a huge portion of our landfill volume is fabric production. It is sad to me how much of women's energy goes toward maintaining a current wardrobe.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

36. I've heard this argument before...

It's usually followed by some lame thing about men needing their brains for work and not clothes backed by the observation that Einstein has duplicates of the same suit so he didn't have to think about what to wear, and still was known to forget to zip his fly.

Come on. Look how styles change over the centuries. It's like there is an effort to keep the 20th going.

Speaking of,...when is THIS going to get an update?

[MADem]

39. Coco Chanel.

She sold fashion (and perfumes) to women, but she never changed her style...




Assuming she could still fit in the stuff, she could wear her age 30 outfits at age 70 without missing a beat.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

16. I'll miss him

"You're going to like the way you look."

[MurrayDelph]

20. If I remember correctly

he once turned down a raise from the board of directors on the grounds that the increase in his salary could be used to counteract the layoffs of three (or more) employees.

If true, no wonder the board wanted to get rid of him; he was making them look human.

[rpannier]

22. Odd thought (and I am most likely wrong)

His name is too similar to the guy in Florida George Zimmerman
Not trying to be funny. But with the stupidity of many Americans I could see that worrying some

[ck4829]

24. Tea Party always complains about the government 'oppressing' the businessman

But I guess it's alright when the board fires the man who founded it from nothing, well, it's not... SOCIALISM.

[lunatica]

25. Recently I was thinking he's aged well and finally beginning

to do the commercials better. Oh well, another familiar face bites the dust because he's too old or something.

[cantbeserious]

26. Washed Up In Corporate America - It Happens To Us All

eom

[graham4anything]

27. zimmy zimmer zimmerman guilty guilty guilty nt.

[malthaussen]

28. Clearly, they no longer guarantee you'll like the way you look. n/t

[MADem]

40. They don't like the way he looks...poor basstid. nt