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

Casual doesn't mean kickback

The survey also showed that almost 30% of respondents said that acasual attire environment made them more productive, while less than4% said it made work more difficult. In fact, 39% of women polledhaven't worn nylons in more than a year and 43% of men polled haven'tworn 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 ofmy identity, but casual has its own complexities. Don't forget thatcasual-chic is different from casual-sloppy. A cut-off pair of jeansis not the same as a boot cut pair of True Religion. Now that's theart of casual attire."

Companies cater to casual

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

Why casual is cool

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

What's hot in casual?

Top clothing and accessories searches during the summer onShopzilla 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 than55,000 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
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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 ShopzillaInc., was based on a point-of-sale survey with a sample of 1,396 (876women 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 andeasiest-to-use shopping search site on the Web. With an index of morethan 30 million products from more than 55,000 stores, Shopzilla usesShopRank, a proprietary patent-pending algorithm, to help shoppersinstantly find virtually anything on sale from anyone, anywhere on theWeb at the best price. Shopzilla also features powerful comparisontools and BizRate consumer reviews of stores and products, the Web'slargest and most trusted consumer feedback network. Every weekShopzilla prepares millions of shoppers to make smarter, moreconfident purchases and sends them directly to the checkout page ofthousands of online merchants. Shopzilla also operates the BizRateconsumer feedback network with more than 2.5 million members and about1 million fresh reviews per month. Shopzilla powers shopping searchfor many of the Web's largest consumer sites including AOL, Lycos,Time Warner's RoadRunner, and many others.

Founded in 1996, the Los Angeles-based company also operates sitesin the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Shopzilla is owned by TheE.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), a diverse media concern withinterests in national television networks, newspaper publishing,broadcast television stations, TV retailing and licensing andsyndication.

For more information, visit www.shopzilla.com, the smarter way toshop.