Chicago Car Salesman Fired for Wearing Packers Tie to Work

[badger6]

Probably not the smartest move, but anyone who makes a decision on buying a car based on the man's tie is a bigger dumbass.

Yea, I agree 100%

I complete agree with dealership that fired him to protect brand image (they have a marketing deal with the Bears) as a business and the standards set for employees.

I don't think that a salesman wearing a tie of a different team hurts any brand image or marketing deal with the bears. Actually, if the tie wasn't obscene or for a competing brand automoblie, then there should be no problem, unless of course there was some kind of prior dealership dress code policy against it. That would kinda be like the salesman driving a different brand car than he was selling. I bet the dealership won't say anything about that.

I sold cars for ten years, some of those sales managers and owners are arrogant pricks that try to micromanage everything. I bet it boils down to the sales manager being a sore loser Bears fan that couldn't handle admitting that his subordinates favorite team was a better team than his. This doesn't reflect on the salesman as much as it does on the dealership and management !!!

[StL FinFan]

I have a sneaking suspicion that there was bad blood before this incident and it became the final straw.

[Spider-Dan]

Both dealerships will make out over the publicity from this.  Bear fans will flock to the dealership that fired him, fans of the little guy, 1st amendment and the few packers fans in the area will head to the new place.

You know as well as I do that this has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the First Amendment.

He wasn't arrested for wearing a Packers tie, he was fired.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

You know as well as I do that this has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the First Amendment.

You know that.
I know that.
But 3/4 of America doesn't know that.

[Brian Fein]

I don't see the problem with supporting your favorite team after a big playoff win.  People should be less sensitive about stuff like this.

Unless there's a big sign in the hiring office that says "Packers' fans need not apply," I don't see what wearing a tie has to do with his ability to sell cars.

Now if he came to work in a Aaron Rodgers jersey and a cheesehead with a foam finger, I'd say fire his ass.

This is a dumb story.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I don't see the problem with supporting your favorite team after a big playoff win. 

Let me put it in this perspective for you. 

YOU own a Chevy dealership in Miami. 

You spend the majority of your marketing dollars  to advertise at Sunlife stadium and to have Dolphin players appear in your TV ads, do promotions etc.  Three years ago you started a program in which every person who buys a car is entered into a drawing for season tickets.  Of customers who returned the survey 32% said the number one reason why they choose your dealership over other Miami  Chevy dealerships was the drawing for season tickets and the Henne autographed football that comes free with each new car purchase.  Which beat out every other factor including price, service department reputation, better price, better selection, location etc.   

On several occasions customers have told you that your best price was about $200 higher than your competition but they figure the autographed football, and the dolphin logo on the floor mats more than made up for it. 

(Keep in mind there is a material difference between a chevy pickup and a ford pickup, there is no real difference between the pickup on your lot and the one on another chevy dealers lot 9 miles away)

The day after the Dolphins lose to the Jets in AFCCG a salesperson shows up in a green Jets tie and refuses to take it off.  A perspective customer see the tie and exclaims, "what the fuck, I thought this was the official dealership of the Miami Dolphins not the fucking Jets" and walks out.  You tell the salesman a second time to remove the tie.  He doesn't.   

Still feel the Jets fan should remain employed at YOUR dealership?

(Granted I am making up shit here.  I don't know what specific programs this dealership runs by being the Bears official Chevy dealership, but they ain't spending the marketing dollars if it they didn't think it helped them sell cars)

[StL FinFan]

I have a simpler question (that was a good post by Hoodie, though):  Would you wear something to work that you KNEW was going to piss off your boss and then refuse to change it?  I think there was already bad blood and this incident was the last straw.

[Brian Fein]

I think there was already bad blood and this incident was the last straw.

I think this is more likely.

If this guy was the top-selling salesman in the company by far, and was liked by everyone, I find little-to-no reason why he should be fired.  If they were teetering anyway, this just pushed it over the edge.

[bsfins]

I wear my Cubs stuff,all the time, there is a difference...I'm not selling.....I still think it's over blown.I agree with basing your car buying decision on the salesman, is moronic.Also it's a little bit of both parties fault....

I understand the Bears/Packers Rivalry...And the Car business, it's actually my dad's side of the family,family business.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I think this is more likely.

If this guy was the top-selling salesman in the company by far, and was liked by everyone, I find little-to-no reason why he should be fired.  If they were teetering anyway, this just pushed it over the edge.

Sales is generally about being likable and being able too get the customer to trust and like you and find the hot button that will make the customer want to buy from you.  What is the chance that a guy who would pulled this kind of stunt is the most likable guy in the dealership or is a master at push the right type of buttons to get people to want to buy from him?  

I know one girl who works in a sports bar in Albany that is a Patriots fan.  She owns 3 Patriots jerseys and 1 Giants jersey.  She wears the Giants jersey to work, cause there are more Giants fans in the bar and she said she gets better tips this way, plus the Jets fans would really cheap whenever she wore the Patriots jersey so now she wear the Giants one.  She knows how to push people's buttons to get them to do what she wants.  Or wait a second, I never actually saw her in the Patriots jersey's maybe she was lying and told me that because she knew I was a Patriots fan and figured I would give her a bigger tip, if I thought she was also a Patriots fan.  Even so she knows how sell and get people to like her.  And also how to wiggle her ass to get people to do what she want them to do.  

Be a different story if he had worn it on the Friday before the game and had the type of personality that allowed him to get into friendly banter with Bears fans customer's about the upcoming game. Entirely different story the day afterward.  He did that to purposefully to piss people off.  To troll so to speak.

He is like the Patriots/Jets/Bills trolls who only shows up here on the Sunday evening/Monday after their team beats the Dolphins, but never makes an appearance when the Dolphins win.  

I am tolerated because I although I do some trash taking and certainly defend my team, I don't go too overboard when the Patriots beat the Dolphins.  

And also I came here originally to troll and piss people off.  That was what he was doing.  But I wasn't trying to get anyone to buy anything from me.  And my worse downside was getting banned, which I figured was gonna happen.

He is a troll.  Take it from someone who use to be a troll.  I can spot my own kind.  

[Jim Gray]

This isn't about a tie, it's about insubordination.

His boss made a reasonable request for that workplace, and he ignored it.  His boss made a second request and made it clear that he would be fired if he didn't comply, and he refused.  Not only was he insubordinate, but I question the reasoning of anyone who would choose a Packers tie over his job.  I would have fired him on the spot.

[CF DolFan]

I heard this morning his former boss asked him to come back but he turned him down. Obviously he is going to profit from this somehow.

[Dave Gray]

Both parties are just spinning this for the press, at this point.

[Brian Fein]

Jim, I get it about insubordination.  But, I guess my problem is with the boss asking him to remove the tie in the first place.  It shouldn't matter and his dress shouldn't affect his ability to make money for the dealership.  If he wears a pink shirt and the manager doesn't like pink, is that grounds for dismissal?  Can he be asked to remove his shirt?

There's a Bru's Room across the street from my house.  For those of you who don't know this is a local sports bar chain owned by former Dolphin Bob Brudsinski.  Anyway, because its close by, I go there regularly, and I know some of the staff.  One of the servers, who is really nice to us, is a Jets fan and proudly wears her green and white on Sundays.  In a Dolphins' bar, owned by a Dolphins' alumni.  Why didn't she get fired?

Similarly, another server in the same bar who is a Dolphins' fan, wears a Giants jersey every Sunday because she knows there are a ton of Giants fans there every week and she can get bigger tips.  But her aqua and orange "MIAMI" bracelet and necklace are still proudly displayed.  She didn't get fired either.

I guess I don't see a reason to make the guy remove his tie to begin with, and its just sour grapes from an angry Bears' fan on a power trip, IMO.

[Jim Gray]

The servers in the bar aren't fired because the boss doesn't care, and the boss gets to decide because it's their business and they sign the checks. 

The boss at the car dealership did care and made that clear.  Most businesses don't want employees wearing clothing that causes a disruption or distraction.  I guess the guy's boss felt the tie was a problem.  Perhaps it's petty, but it's not like he's asking the guy to do something unethical or unprofessional.   It's unfortunate that the salesman lost his job, but he made that choice.

On the bright side, he will look really sharp wearing that tie in the unemployment line.