Attack of the acid wash

Insight from the WSJ today on how retailers like Macy's are pursuing customers of bankrupt rivals such as Mervyn's. Apparently, they are adjusting their product mix to target the local market, using techniques such as this bit of fabulous ethnic stereotyping:

Retailers are getting help from manufacturers eager to cut their own losses. Levi Strauss & Co. recently advised its West Coast customers how to take advantage of Mervyn's closing. Robert Hanson, Levi's president of the Americas, said the company urged retailers to buy smaller sizes and more "extreme finishings," such as acid washes, to attract Mervyn's Hispanic customers.

After yesterday's quote from Mi Pueblo Foods about men working and women shopping with their kids, it looks like we can add political correctness to the list of casualties of the recession.