[syshax]

I agree. There was a report in December that they had lost $800 million in the previous quarter. It seems like utter insanity that:

1. They'd even bat an eyelash at paying retail for the needed quantity, and 2. They'd think it's even remotely ok to exclude a section of the team completely due to any reason (sex, race, size, whatever)

Yes, it's just a jacket, but this definitely smells of a deep seeded cultural problem due to how ludicrous it is.

[btown]

One must remember that individual managers have budgets much more stringent than the overall burn. That said, the manager didn't feel it necessary or acceptable to escalate what could clearly become an HR nightmare to ask for an expansion of budget. That such a request would expend enough political favor to make it a nonstarter, is indicative of an institutional problem.