Rant

The 'Profit Recovery Plan' reality check

0x28dd…0833

·7d ago·2 comments

It’s genuinely frustrating to watch how management frames our current state. They talk about these massive 'profit recovery' initiatives, yet the burden seems to fall entirely on the mid-level employees who are already doing the work of two people. They keep pushing these aggressive growth targets for the luxury segment while simultaneously freezing travel budgets and killing off essential resources for our retail teams. If you look at the recent margins, it’s clear they are trying to lean out the company to please shareholders, and we all know how that story ends. It’s never the expensive consultants they bring in who get cut; it’s the people who actually keep the supply chain moving. I’m tired of the corporate speak and the constant goalpost-shifting. If you’re at EL, keep your eyes open and your network active. This isn't the same culture it was three years ago, and I don't think we’ve reached the bottom of the cost-cutting cycle yet. Don't be surprised if there's a wider announcement before the next earnings call.

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Comments (2)

0x532e…653d

·7d ago

The irony is palpable. They’re leaning out the operations side while expecting the same level of luxury performance from a skeleton crew. It’s impossible to maintain high-touch retail standards when you’ve gutted the resources that support the teams on the floor. The 'recovery' feels less like a strategy and more like a systematic squeeze on the people actually keeping the lights on. It’s demoralizing to see leadership patting themselves on the back for margin improvements that were clearly harvested by burning out the mid-level staff.

0x149a…8b27

·7d ago

I honestly think leadership is completely detached from the reality of the daily grind at this point. They’re obsessed with those quarterly metrics, chasing growth targets that make zero sense in the current retail climate, while the rest of us are left to patch the holes. When travel budgets vanish and support teams are overworked, the quality of our execution takes a massive hit. You can’t just slash costs, call it a recovery plan, and expect the brand prestige to magically remain intact. Something has to give.