Re. the infamous speech, I've always felt it was the deadpan and apparently sneering delivery which was equally as damaging as the actual words. Mr Ratner has always maintained that the whole thing was intended as a jolly joke to lighten things up. Well okay. But looking back at the footage it's hard to see that he was making much effort to create a cuckoo-the-clown tongue-in-cheek kind of vibe. And in any case, there was an undercurrent of unpleasant snobbery going on there - basically punching down at relatively humble people who buy cheap imitations of the kind of things that REAL rich people would have. It feels like stating the obvious to say it's not a great idea for a seller to make sweeping negative remarks his wares. But jeering at ones own customers? Really? A clever guy like Mr Ratner should have instantly grasped how nasty and toxic that was! He paid a very big price for his mistake, and one has to have human sympathy for his downfall. But my goodness me, he was leading with the chin that day!
Gerald is consistently Gerald in every interview I've ever seen. He wasn't sneering at his customers. He sneered at a vile tacky silver PLATED decanter set. Everyone who shopped in H. Samuel thought they were shit, I should know I sold enough of them (post Ratner days) So get off your high horse and accept that even the customers didn't take the sherry decanter seriously. Ok? Nobody walked into a Samuel's and spent £9.99 on a decanter set and thought it was Harrods quality. Don't make out the public are stupid. They know if they're paying a tenner they're not getting top notch. Ratner is one of Britain's best retailers making money in America where even people like Branson, Philip Green and even Dyson struggle.
Re. the infamous speech, I've always felt it was the deadpan and apparently sneering delivery which was equally as damaging as the actual words. Mr Ratner has always maintained that the whole thing was intended as a jolly joke to lighten things up. Well okay. But looking back at the footage it's hard to see that he was making much effort to create a cuckoo-the-clown tongue-in-cheek kind of vibe. And in any case, there was an undercurrent of unpleasant snobbery going on there - basically punching down at relatively humble people who buy cheap imitations of the kind of things that REAL rich people would have. It feels like stating the obvious to say it's not a great idea for a seller to make sweeping negative remarks his wares. But jeering at ones own customers? Really? A clever guy like Mr Ratner should have instantly grasped how nasty and toxic that was! He paid a very big price for his mistake, and one has to have human sympathy for his downfall. But my goodness me, he was leading with the chin that day!
Gerald is consistently Gerald in every interview I've ever seen. He wasn't sneering at his customers. He sneered at a vile tacky silver PLATED decanter set. Everyone who shopped in H. Samuel thought they were shit, I should know I sold enough of them (post Ratner days) So get off your high horse and accept that even the customers didn't take the sherry decanter seriously. Ok?
Nobody walked into a Samuel's and spent £9.99 on a decanter set and thought it was Harrods quality.
Don't make out the public are stupid. They know if they're paying a tenner they're not getting top notch.
Ratner is one of Britain's best retailers making money in America where even people like Branson, Philip Green and even Dyson struggle.