“I’m really angry about it and disgusted a company could treat their employees like this,” Short said.
Short said she noticed a month ago that the store was light on arriving shipments, and when she asked her manager about it, she was told it was due to remodeling and that the store would not be closing.
Officials with Wet Seal did not respond to requests for comment.
Short said the sales staff was given on Friday one-day notice of their termination, managers were given six days, and the company is not honoring accrued vacation and sicks days.
She said she was informed the store would be closed Tuesday, and no reason was given for the closure.
Wet Seal Inc. said last month in its regulatory filing there was substantial doubt it could continue operating. The company received a notice of default on Jan. 2 of $27 million in senior convertible notes, according to the Wall Street Journal.
An employee at the Mall at Fairfield Commons location said that the store would close Tuesday at 5 p.m., before referring requests for further information to the company’s customer service line.
Dayton Mall general manager David Duebber said on Monday he was just informed of the Wet Seal closure.
“At this time we don’t have any information regarding a replacement for this tenant,” Duebber said in an emailed statement. “We do not anticipate difficulties in finding a new tenant in the near future.”
Gift card purchases and Wet Seal Fashion insider membership card discounts will be honored online, according to Short.
The only Ohio store that will remain open is at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Short said.
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