People have many stereotypes about Lululemon employees: They all do yoga. They’re all vegan. All they do is work out. To some extent, they’re not wrong. Cosmopolitan.com caught up with one twentysomething employee to get her thoughts on claims that the brand is cult-like, the customers who come in almost every day, and the price of getting decked out in Lululemon clothing.
What are your daily responsibilities?
During opening and closing shifts, we make sure the store looks put-together and at gold standard, which means everything is in size order and looks really nice and shoppable for our guests. Sometimes it can be crazy. We just got over the holidays, and the store looked like a bomb went off. We just make sure everything is easy for the customer to get to. On a mid-shift, my main duty is to stay in my section of the store and talk to guests and make sure I give them information on the gear they’re shopping for.
Do you like your team?
I love everyone I work with. We hang out in and outside of work. We do sweat dates and work out together. I’ll let them know I’m going to so-and-so’s yoga class at five o’clock, and it’s always fun when I get there and, like, three girls from work show up.
How often do you guys go to the gym together?
Almost every day. We get a bigger group when it’s something super exciting. I’m obsessed with SoulCycle, but we don’t have any nearby so if I’m taking a trip somewhere where they have it, a group will pile into my car to come with me. Something exciting like that happens about once a month. We’ve also gone indoor trampolining and ice skating.
It sounds like a really motivating environment.
I get inspired every day by the people I work with. There was someone recently who I worked with who ran 100 miles through a trail out West. You think, Oh, I don’t feel like going to the gym today after work, and then you hear stories like that on a regular basis, like someone that just ran some huge marathon, and you think to yourself, Oh, I can probably handle going to spin after work.
Lululemon has been described a lot of times as being cult-like. Would you agree with that?
I laugh because that’s something my boyfriend says too. Even if I go to another city and go into a Lulu, we all kind of click. Sometimes they hire people who all have that athlete mentality, who are into working out, fitness, eating healthy. It’s a lifestyle, so they usually hire people who have a lot in common. I went to D.C. with my boyfriend, and I walked into a Lulu and asked the employees for a cool place to eat. They gave me recommendations, and I could trust them because I knew that we have a lot of similar likes. We go to a lot of the same places and do a lot of the same things, so I guess I can see why some people would call it a cult.
People definitely have this idea that Lululemon employees eat healthy. Is that true?
Definitely. But we’re human. During the holidays, we had a hot chocolate bar in our store with candy canes and different types of flavored marshmallows. So not everything is healthy all the time, but for the most part, when I come into work, it’s typical for someone to be juicing, to talk about who’s doing what diet, what works. It’s really cool to get to hear feedback on that because you can see what one person did, and what they did or didn’t like.
Are you on a special diet right now?
I’m trying to be Paleo. I can say that I’ve probably tried them all. But it’s all about keeping a balanced diet and having a balanced life in general, for me anyway. Of course, I like to splurge every now and then, but I try to keep Paleo.
It seems to me that Lululemon employees kind of fit the stereotype people have of them: healthy, athletic, trying new diets and exercises.
Have you ever seen the Lululemon video “Shit Yogis Say”? These two girls are pretending to be Lululemon employees. It’s really hysterical. I guess that’s what people think of — Oh, I’m gonna go take my green juice and take a yoga class.
That seems pretty accurate though!
On some levels, it is. But I’ve worked with moms too. Working at the store exposes people to healthier lifestyles, and it’s cool because we’ll say, “Who cares if you’re a mom! Come work out with us!” and, “You should still wear those stretchy pants.” It doesn’t matter what age you are.
In the store, do you see a lot more women than men?
It’s more women than men, for sure, but during the holidays a lot of men come in because they’re shopping for the ladies. Our men’s gear has improved so much since I started working for the company. I definitely make recommendations for them based on what my boyfriend likes or what my dad wears.
What kind of help do they ask for?
They’re funny, because they’ll ask, “Is this cool?” They’ll second-guess themselves. Most of the employees are kind of hip, I guess, so when an older guy comes in, we’ll say, “This is what all of us are wearing,” or, “My boyfriend wears this, and he’s in this age range.” I like to tell people that it’s for everybody. I guess people think it’s for young people, but my dad wears our stuff. It’s comfortable, and it’s awesome to sweat in as well.
Do you see a lot of bulges?
No, thank god. But I have seen elderly ladies who don’t want to go in the dressing room because they’re claustrophobic or whatever, and they’ll change in the fitting room area but not in a fitting room. They’ll keep their undergarments on, but I’ve never paid attention to any bulges, no. Oh my god.
You mentioned that your boyfriend wears Lulu. Which products does he swear by?
He loves the Game On Boxers. We were in a wedding once over July 4Â weekend, and it was the hottest weekend ever. He brought all the groomsmen into the store and was like, “You have to get these boxers! It’s going to be so hot. You’re going to want to wear these under your suit.”
How would you describe Lululemon’s brand?
I used to say that if Juicy Couture and Under Armour had a baby, it would be Lululemon. Everyone used to wear the Juicy tracksuits, but this has kind of replaced that. It’s something you can really work out in and it’s really technical, and at the same time you look fashionable. You don’t look like you’re just going to the gym.
Underwear under workout pants — yes or no?
I vote yes during the day and hanging out, but no at the gym. Because that’s just … no. With the chafing, that’s just not comfortable.
Do guys come in to check out the ladies in their yoga clothing?
Not really, but I have seen a young boy check out the boobie mannequins with the bras. Their curiosity cracks me up. We did have a customer call and ask another employee what kind of underwear she wears under her leggings. He was just asking a lot of questions about our underwear, and it was weird.
What did she say to him?
It was the funniest thing because of all people, he talked to my friend who wears granny panties. She was like, “Yeah, I don’t really care about underwear lines. I rock the granny panties.”
Lululemon’s sizes run pretty small, and you don’t have anything bigger than a size 12. How do you handle it when a customer comes in who doesn’t fit into any of the sizes?
That’s a hard one. You know, that definitely happens. But the company is constantly evolving. I’m pretty sure that now we do have an E cup in the Ta Ta Tamer. The company does respond to feedback. I have seen that the cups sizes are growing, and I’m hoping that the pants sizes do too. It’s not only thin people who work out. It’s heartbreaking, and I feel terrible when someone comes in and they ask me, “If I’m not a size 12, will I not fit in them?” But I always encourage them to try it on because we do have four-way stretch. But maybe that’s also inspiring for them to make healthy choices. I’ve also seen it go the opposite way where someone has sworn that they’re a bigger size than they actually are.
Have employees ever told a customer that a product looks good on them, even if it doesn’t, to encourage a sale?
We do not do that. We are not commission-based. We want our customers to feel good. It’s not just a matter of looking good and getting sales. We try to be a health hub for the community. If something doesn’t look right or isn’t the right size, we try to recommend a different size or product. I have never seen someone push a sale at my store.
Do you have any regular customers?
Yes. I have customers that I know by name. It feels natural to talk to them about what’s going on in their life, their kids, their holiday. When you start to know people, you know which new items they’ll like. I love my regulars.
How often do they come in?
I have customers that come in every day or every other day. They don’t always buy something, but they definitely try things on. Some of them are men. One thing about Lululemon is, once an item is gone, it might not come back. They’re almost like special edition. People get FOMO about missing out on a garment, and I think that’s probably why some of them come in as often as they do, because they don’t want to miss out on something that might not come back.
What’s the most someone has ever spent in one trip?
I’ve seen people spend up to $2,000. It definitely adds up.
Do you ever see people in the store that you’ve also seen at the gym?
Even better. A lot of times when I’m at the gym, people there know me from the store and they’ll ask me what came in or what new items we have in stock and they’ll almost follow me from the workout to the store to make sure something is there. They start asking me questions about Lulu during my workout.
Do you wear Lulu stuff when you’re at the gym and at work?
Head to toe. It’s my uniform. I pretty much live in it. Even when I’m going to my internship, I’ll wear my Wunder Unders and some boots, a sweater, and a Lulu tank underneath. I don’t even wear real bras anymore. I just prefer to wear a Power Y tank under everything.
Do you think Lululemon is worth the cost?
Absolutely. Our stuff is so well made. You’re paying for the quality of it. When the local store was opening, I was working at a hotel and I was wearing Hard Tail pants and some of the corporate girls were staying at the hotel I worked at and they brought me a pair of pants and I still have those pants and they still look great. The black hasn’t faded. They have no holes. They look like I could have bought them last week, but I’ve had them for more than four years. I feel like the pricing is similar to Nike and Under Armour, and you’re not just paying for workout clothes – you’re going to wear this out and about too.
Are people ever a pain about returns?
It has happened. I’ve had a customer who clearly wanted all new stuff. You could tell they wore and decided they didn’t have the latest and greatest, and just wanted all new stuff. We do come from a place where we want them to be in something they like, so we’ll try to find out what their needs are and recommend something that will help them. But there are definitely difficult people sometimes. We’ll make an exception, and we’ve never seen it happen twice with the same person.
As a general rule, how would you suggest people wash their Lulu clothing?
We always recommend you wash it on cold, no fabric softener, hang to dry. You should do a Lulu load. Definitely don’t wash it with your cottons.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The relationships that I’ve made with my team. Even if I don’t feel like going to work, I still look forward to seeing everyone. The company is all about goal-setting. We’re really invested in each other. We’ll ask each other about our goals, and a lot of them know I’m in school, and if I’m stressed out about it, I can talk to them about it.
What’s the worst thing about your job?
The hours. It’s a retail job. People are shopping on weekends, holidays, nights.
From: Cosmopolitan