Im July 2004 the turnaround hit a snag with each of the three chains sales heading southward, pushing comparable sales down 5E. After initial success in distinguishing brands, Pressler's reliance on metrics prompted him to distinguish them even further, and the move old Navy, known for its specialty style at discounted prices, disappointed its faithful by stock ing commodity Tshirts and jeans similar tothose sold at discount chains such as Target. in the place of the trendy-but-cheap clothes it had stocked earlier. Banana Republic went over the top, devoting too much of its space to embellished pieces unsuitable for the office. As for the Gap brand, it started marketing outfits instead of individual staples like khakis and denim. The Gap stores sported separate "going out" and "go to work" sections making it harder for the customers to navigate. Shoppers who had once considered Banana, Gap, and old Navy as default choices gravitated to fresher competitors like Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban outfitters, and J. Crew (rival clothing retailers) An exodus of sorts was underway inside the company too. Soon after Drexler's departure, a stream of talented executives who had helped make Gap great in its heyday began to head for the exits, from executive vice presidents to in-the-trenches designers (see Exhibit 4).Some