Productivity is in the 'Jeans'; Office Survey Reveals That Jeans and Sneakers are Hot While Ties and Pantyhose are Not, and Casual Attire is More Widespread

Business Wire, August 23, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- Casual clothing is sweeping the nation as 50% of women and 47% of men have worn jeans to work recently, according to a BizRate Research study of 1,396 online buyers conducted for leading comparison shopping search site Shopzilla (www.shopzilla.com). Survey respondents represented full-time office workers across various industries from government/military, education/training and healthcare to technology and entertainment.

Casual doesn't mean kickback

The survey also showed that almost 30% of respondents said that a casual attire environment made them more productive, while less than 4% said it made work more difficult. In fact, 39% of women polled haven't worn nylons in more than a year and 43% of men polled haven't worn a tie in a year.

Casual is complex

Gregg Kawamura, a successful realtor from South Pasadena, Calif. said, "I like casual attire at the office because it's an extension of my identity, but casual has its own complexities. Don't forget that casual-chic is different from casual-sloppy. A cut-off pair of jeans is not the same as a boot cut pair of True Religion. Now that's the art of casual attire."

Companies cater to casual

The majority (68%) of people who work full-time in an office setting have a dress code policy. While business casual is still the most popular dress code (64%), more than a quarter of respondents (26%) have a casual attire work environment and only 10% said they have a business formal dress code.

Why casual is cool

"People want to work and play all in the same outfit," said Helen Malani, chief shopping expert, Shopzilla. "Seventy-five to eighty percent of respondents stated comfort and cost dictate most clothing purchases but, as casual dress has evolved over the years, we've also seen casual clothing prices evolve too. High-end jeans and tops can cost up to $500 each so it's really important to comparison shop for the best price."

What's hot in casual?

Top clothing and accessories searches during the summer on Shopzilla revealed that casual apparel searches such as sandals, Birkenstocks, Baby Phat, and casual chic brands like Juicy Couture, New Balance, Lacoste shoes and Seven Jeans topped the apparel list. Shopzilla, which has more than 30 million products and more than 55,000 stores, literally has the A-Z of formal and casual clothes - from angora knee socks and leather chaps to zebra-print shoes.

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CASUAL DRESS FAST FACTS
-----------------------

51% of companies with more than 5,000 employees are casual five days a
week

                                                    Society for Human
                                                  Resource Management


49% of employers said non-traditional attire would have a "strong
influence" on their opinion of a job candidate

                                               National Association of
                                                Colleges and Employers
                                                                  2005


What the boss won't let slide:

    -- Rubber flip-flops

    --  iPod earbuds - Worn discreetly and for menial tasks is one
        thing. Worn like earrings - to the water cooler, down the
        hall, on a conference call - is another.

    --  Tattoos - Quarter-sized and inked on the inner wrist is
        probably OK, but tattoos are better suited to a job in a
        record shop - or a carnival sideshow.

    --  Cell phones - but clipped to your belt or tucked in your bag
        on vibrate is probably fine.

                                "Going toe-to-toe on office etiquette"
                                                             USA TODAY
                                                             8/15/2005
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ABOUT THE STUDY:

The study, conducted by BizRate Research, a division of Shopzilla Inc., was based on a point-of-sale survey with a sample of 1,396 (876 women and 520 men) online buyers who are full-time office workers, fielded from May 26-27, 2005.

ABOUT SHOPZILLA, INC:

Shopzilla, formerly BizRate.com, is the most powerful and easiest-to-use shopping search site on the Web. With an index of more than 30 million products from more than 55,000 stores, Shopzilla uses ShopRank, a proprietary patent-pending algorithm, to help shoppers instantly find virtually anything on sale from anyone, anywhere on the Web at the best price. Shopzilla also features powerful comparison tools and BizRate consumer reviews of stores and products, the Web's largest and most trusted consumer feedback network. Every week Shopzilla prepares millions of shoppers to make smarter, more confident purchases and sends them directly to the checkout page of thousands of online merchants. Shopzilla also operates the BizRate consumer feedback network with more than 2.5 million members and about 1 million fresh reviews per month. Shopzilla powers shopping search for many of the Web's largest consumer sites including AOL, Lycos, Time Warner's RoadRunner, and many others.