Yoga-wear maker Lululemon has fumbled the public relations ball yet again with artwork in its Buffalo store that reminds shoppers of the city’s epic sports disappointments.
Shoppers expressed their outrage on Twitter after spotting the “Wide right, no goal” mosaic branded into the floor of the shop at Galleria Mall.
“Wide right” refers to a missed field goal by Buffalo Bills kicker Scott Norwood that denied the team a Super Bowl victory against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV in 1991.
“No goal” refers to the controversy over a Brett Hull goal that gave the Dallas Stars a Stanley Cup over the Buffalo Sabres in 1999.
Some customers pointed out the mosaic's existence when the shop opened in May.
Hey @lululemon - thanks for coming to #Buffalo but these the worst sports events to happen to our city. Try again? pic.twitter.com/628WjpNRJR
— David Horesh (@dhoresh) May 24, 2014
However, the social media frenzy only ramped up this week.
@TrendingBuffalo @lululemon has this on their floor in galleria mall.Not cool? No one from Buffalo should shop there. pic.twitter.com/GTREWLqv2D
— Mike Noworyta (@mjn8180) October 15, 2014
I dont care what year it is, the lululemon "wide right" statement in Buffalo was bad taste
— Michelle (@michellewaslike) October 15, 2014
This @lululemon #Fail is hilarious. For this who missed it...they built this into their floor...in #Buffalo pic.twitter.com/dKRKhLqRc5
— Frank Conjerti (@fdc245) October 15, 2014
The company responded to one Twitter user to say that the “inspiration behind this art was how these games solidified Buffalo as a proud and loyal community.”
@arkandove We know emotions run deep and these events are part of our history and built Buffalo’s strength and character.
— lululemon athletica (@lululemon) October 14, 2014
A company statement emailed to CTVNews.ca said the mosaic has been covered up and will be removed.
“We want the Buffalo community to know that we have heard them and we are sorry,” Paul Zaengle, senior vice president of U.S. retail, said in the statement.
“We strive to make our stores a welcoming place for the entire community and we wanted to recognize Buffalo as a proud and passionate sports town. We get that this didn’t land well, and we want to make it right.”
I have to commend Blo the #BillsMafia and #Sabres fans! We won't ever let anyone speak badly or rationalize the use of spiteful reminders.
— Nunie (@arkandove) October 16, 2014
The gaffe is the latest in a string of incidents that have dented Lululemon’s image.
Last year, the company had to recall some of its popular Luon yoga pants over customer complaints that they were too sheer. Customers also reported having trouble returning the pants, saying that store managers were asking them to prove their sheerness by bending over while wearing them.
Lululemon founder Chip Wilson was then widely criticized for saying in a television interview that the sheerness issue was related to the fact that the company’s yoga pants “don’t work for some women’s bodies.”
Wilson apologized for the comment and resigned as the company chairman.
In July, the company had to acknowledge that an anti-sunscreen slogan printed on some of its shopping bags is not “research-based.”
The slogan says that “Sunscreen absorbed into the skin might be worse for you than sunshine. Get the right amount of sunshine.”
The company said its bags are a “collection of statements that are ever-evolving and intended to spark conversation.”
