This page/website has been initiated as a plea for help.

We, the employees of the second hand retail store “Crossroads Trading”, are looking for help outside of the company as it has been made evident that we will not receive help from within.

We are assembling this due to recent policy changes that hinder our individuality, physical and mental health, and remove the functionality of what once was a safe space for it’s employees.

Crossroads Trading, we are calling upon you to revoke your recent policy changes.

You are a company that is and has proven to be significantly better than your direct competitor, we as your employees expect more from you.

Within the core values, per the company handbook it is stated:

 

 

Corporate Values:

 

 

 

 

This has proven to be dishonest.

The policy changes brought upon us in late December of 2025 going into the 2026 year came from a survey of customers.

Attached is the new dress code policy that Crossroads has implemented, stemming from this survey:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our company prides itself on catering to customers of all generations, (currently; Gen Z - Boomer). There are stores in 7 states, some with at least 4 locations in each state. When asked who’s customers were directly surveyed we received no clear answer. That is lack of transparency and integrity with the employees that face the customers on a day to day basis.

 

 

Based on the selling guide:

 

 

 

 

 

There is a very clear demographic that the company strives for. That demographic is the 1% of what this country is composed of- the wealthy white individuals.

Yes, we are a second hand store, but during the pandemic there was a rise of second hand and thrift shoppers because it was deemed “trendy”. This sort of business model was founded for people that needed to shop this way as a necessity, people that couldn’t afford basic needs such as food or clothes. Your pure demographic of customers aren’t shopping this way because of cost (even though we are currently in a recession), they are shopping this way for a talking point. “Look at this Prada I found at Crossroads for only $275!”

With that point being brought to the forefront, a large portion of this updated dress code caters to that exact audience. We as ground-level employees have been shown “look books” of “appropriate” outfits, makeup, hair styles, piercings, and tattoos which is not provided in the Employee Handbook. These “look books” are slide shows built on Canva.

The examples of “night-life ready makeup” that were deemed inappropriate were composed of current, trendy makeup styles often seen on Pinterest or TikTok. To which the staff is told and recruited for being “current” and “trendy”.

The examples that were shown that were appropriate were along the lines of the “clean girl aesthetic” while also specifying that it was still okay for male/masc presenting employees to wear makeup as well.

The photos shown for hair that were not okay for work were photos of “emo”/“scene” hair cuts, modern shags, side swept bangs, long curtain bangs and long straight bangs.

The photos shown that were not appropriate for work regarding piercings were more than 3 facial piercings. When asked for clarification, staff have been told that it is the “placement” of said piercings that matter.

When asked anything regarding piercings, tattoos, or body modifications in general regarding the policy update- we have been told that we need Store Manager/District Manager/Human Resources approval before proceeding to spend our own money.

When asked about what would be appropriate for employees that already have an accumulation of piercings, we were told to take them out. We have been told that if we were to show up to a shift with more than 3 facial piercings that we would be terminated on the spot.

When asked about what would be appropriate for employees that had an accumulation of tattoos, we were directed to outfit “look books” and asked to wear long sleeves and pants to cover any tattoos that might be deemed “political” or “religious”. Some of our stores are in areas that get as hot as over 100 degrees in the height of the summer. 

 

When the nation-wide ICE Strike took place in January 2026, employees that were to work that Friday were called by their Store Managers and asked if they would like to participate in the strike or work. If employees participated in the strike, they were unpaid (if they were a part-time employee) or had the option to use their vacation time (full-time employee only). All stores remained open, and at the end of the month all employees received this email:

 

 

 

 

Any employees that maintain the store or district instagram accounts (our instagram accounts are run by ground-level employees) as well as members of our marketing team were told to avoid posting anything at all regarding the strike or ICE as a whole.

A large portion of the employees at Crossroads are POC.

A silent donation and offering unpaid time or the use of vacation time during the current global climate are not enough. Requiring your POC employees to work during a strike just because it “costs too much” to close the stores when these very employees do not have an option but to work due to their finances speaks volumes to us.

Your direct competitor has done more for their POC employees, and they are notorious for employee harm.

“Alternative culture” and being a person of color have gone hand and hand historically. Oftentimes, people of color seek solace within “alternative cultures” due to systemic racism. While yes, racism exists in every space these days- targeting and harming all employees under this umbrella speaks volumes. The company was once a safe space for any of these people, people who have often felt “othered” (especially by competing companies) are now being othered from within.

From 2020 up until February of 2026, there have been hundreds of strains of COVID-19 to populate. These strains are still currently evolving. Current strains as of February 2026 include, XFG, NB.1.8.1, and XFG.2.5.1. COVID-19 strains have been notorious for continuously mutating, creating new strains and subvariants. XFG currently has approximately 29% of cases. NB.1.8.1 currently has 21%. XFG.2.5.1 currently has 16%. That is 66% of medical cases currently affected by COVID-19 variants.

When a majority of the country uplifted their COVID-19 pay, Crossroads maintained it for upmost another calendar year.

With all of this information, per the new policy we are now told we cannot wear medical face masks without a doctor’s note.

Crossroads does offer health insurance, however it is typically only provided to full-time employees as it is based on how many hours you work a week (minimum to be able to receive health insurance is around 20 hours a week). Most employees work multiple jobs or go to school, so this is not attainable for a lot of the staff.

Health insurance under Crossroads within the last year nearly doubled in price, taking money out of our paychecks for basic necessities making it unattainable for even some full-time employees to maintain.

This new policy not only affects the communities listed above, but also the immunocompromised. Whether the employee themself be immunocompromised or potentially their partners or family members, this direct change shows a lack of care for the physical (and mental) well-being of the company’s staff.

When told why this policy was put into effect, we were told it is to “better connect with the customer”, so that customers would be able to see our full faces and “engage”.

 

The front facing employees of this company have been given ultimatums regarding our individualism to appease the wealthy white customer base that this company has curated, yet the company prides itself on “diversity and inclusion”. We have also been given ultimatums regarding our physical and mental well-being due to these policies.

Customers are allowed to enter our spaces wearing Trump apparel and we are expected to provide a service to them and bite our tongues to maintain “excellent customer service”.

 

When any of these policies were questioned by employees, at the end of the day we were told it is all about “financials”.

While we understand that this is a (small) business, these changes provide more harm for the employees.

The lack of understanding from management teams, all the way up to the Human Resources department have left employees in distress.

We have been told since we have been hired by this company that we would be cared for, treated with humility by means of integrity and transparency. We have been met with the exact opposite throughout this entire process.

We are asking Crossroads Trading to reconsider these matters. We are publicly reaching out for help- and for help to avoid any sort of retaliation from the company as we are just trying to reclaim our safe space.

Crossroads Trading- you can do better. You have done better. So, we are asking you to be better.

 

Signed, 

The Employees of Crossroads Trading Company