Showpo CEO Jane Fu apologises for Sydney warehouse sale
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One of Australia’s biggest fashion brands has apologized after customers were forced to wait for a warehouse sale in long lines outdoors in a 38C heatwave.
Showpo founder and chief executive Jane Lu apologized on Monday after a deluge of negative criticism about the sale in Chullora, western Sydney, on Saturday and Sunday.
The sale coincided with a heat wave in Sydney that saw temperatures reaching 38C.
Exhausted customers said they were not offered shade, water or sunscreen as they waited in long lines for the event.
But others said long lines weren’t the only problem, complaining about shoddy merchandise and fabric riddled with pen marks.
Ms. Lu said in her apology video that she did not expect so many people to show up since less than 400 had responded to the Facebook event.
Showpo customers were furious at the warehouse sale last weekend, with people waiting in long lines in nearly 40°C weather and stock covered in pen marks being up for sale (above).
‘I’m so sorry to anyone who had a bad experience at our warehouse sale. As a CEO, this kills me,” she said.
‘Who would have thought that a warehouse sale would be a roller coaster of emotions?
“When we first introduced this Facebook event, it said no one was coming and we were in a panic. Turns out no one uses Facebook anymore.
Ms. Lu said that her team had forgotten to put the address of the sale on the billboards around the city, which she thought would further reduce participation.
“Then when I got to the sale, there were more people than we’ve ever had, five times or more, it was crazy,” he said.
“I was so excited until the morning went on and the line didn’t get any shorter. It got even longer.
“And I’m so sorry to everyone who had to wait in line.”
Ms. Lu promised that future sales in the store would be better organized.
‘Next time, please be assured that we will address all issues. More shelves, a lot more clothes, more changing rooms, more EFTPOS machines, and a lot more staff,” she said.
‘But thank you for everyone who came, I’m very grateful.’
He also personally responded to various TikToks and commenters who wrote about his bad experiences selling, promising that Showpo will do better next time.
People who attended the event said the long lines were only the first problem with the sale, as several complained that some items were covered in pen marks.
Showpo CEO Jane Lu shared an apology video after seeing images of customers waiting in the sun outside the warehouse (left) and shoddy merchandise (right).
Sydney bargain shopper Olivia Dryden shared a TikTok of the Showpo event, saying it was “honestly, one of the worst” warehouse sales she’s been to.
“All of his stuff was so shoddy, who would buy any of this, even if it’s $20,” he said.
However, Ms. Dryden admitted that Showpo’s accessories section was the saving grace of the event, adding that she found Tony Bianco and Billini shoes for just $15 a pair.
Ms. Lu wrote in the comments below her video: ‘Hello lovely CEO of Showpo here. I’m sorry you had a bad experience, we didn’t expect so many people. It was 10 times what we had before.’
Another person wrote below Ms. Lu’s apology video: “Most of the clothes were apparently unwearable and had marker stains all over them and not sewn properly.”
Ms. Lu responded, ‘I really don’t think that’s true. We still sold more than ever, so there’s a lot of amazing stock out there.
“But I do agree that there was a batch of rogue production samples that should never have been there, so we’re looking into how it happened and making sure it definitely doesn’t happen again.”
However, dozens of commenters were impressed by Ms. Lu’s apology and applauded her for being honest about her company’s mistakes.
‘I love that you made this post. Everything is a learning curve and the next event will be a million times better,” wrote one person.
‘It’s good that you made this post because it shows that we are all human and sometimes we make mistakes. You are addressing the issues! said another.
‘Experience is the greatest teacher! You did the best you could,’ a third person commented.
Another said: “I respect addressing this and committing to improve.”
Dozens of commenters applauded CEO Jane Fu for her honest video (above) about the warehouse sale where she explained the event’s mistakes and vowed to do better.
Ms. Lu left her finance job at EY in 2010 to become an entrepreneur.
She entered Australia’s young rich list at just 35 years old with the $47 million fortune she made from Showpo.
His net worth is now estimated at $53 million.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Showpo for further comment.