mickey mickey drexler is here with us at post nine good to see you. >> nice to see you >> so tough out there, but still you wanted back in the game? >> it is what i love to do passionate i could never sit and do nothing. when i left j crew i was bored out of my mind and i like to operate and create and work with people >> and it is an interesting time to say the least when you came back, still in the pandemic and trying to figure our way and what future retail will be. how do things look now >> i looked further out. i got emotional about the name and i love names and you kind of build your imagination around that. but i think that it will get tough. and it should be tough too many of us are around. and we're up against post pandemic greatness it is just tough for other reasons too. >> and when you say there are too many of us around, too many retailers? >> of course >> still >> still >> because it has been tough for the last -- >> well, i don't know how many went out but for years they were saying that i don't know what it means, you know, there are this many square feet in america and rest of the world has much less for consumer of retail and now -- >> is it good being a smaller player like you are or are there pitfalls against that too? you are competing against the dooep deepest pockets. >> it is a good question i always say small is the new big and i was the deep pocket for a number of years and it was easy because we had a bank at gap and a bank at j. crew. and here we're owned by all of us options and equity. frankly, i'd rather do it without a lot of opinions except for the people who aren't investors who i know and trust, their judgment, their instinct and that is my board of directors. i go to whoever knows more than me about a subject >> would you also rather do it without a lot of locations does that make a difference these days too you are more direct consumer >> well, look, i've been doing that for 40 years and there are others -- but everyone dtc is the new -- everything is like a new thing. we don't have a big budget at all because we write the checks. and when we're ready, we'll go out there. but right now, if you don't create, then you fall backwards. and i think that there is a b big -- >> better to have a killer product? >> number one to me killer product along with market being public relations i think that you can't -- we might get known if we have a tipping point. my other companies, we have big budgets and extremely in my opinion looking back -- >> is now a great time or horrible time for fashion? i'm thinking about the pandemic. we come out and still fighting with ourselves over how much we want to go to the office kind of anything goes. so i'd think that is positive for a fashion stand point, do whatever you want, but if you are not going to the office, it may be more negative because anything goes because you can be so casual, it doesn't matter >> don't me started with not going to the office. >> you are going to the office kind of guy? >> spontaneity, mentorship, creativity, social you know, being close. i think that, first of all, i don't consider necessarily in the fashion business we're in the business of style, taste and whatever it would be that is what i would want to do. and happens to be things that you can wear i find personally -- you know, this is my opinion, that when i look at the clothes out there, especially the fancy clothes, i don't understand -- the prices to me are, you know, whatever. you have to take a mortgage out. but the handbags and if you loo at it, gucci, chanel, there are big style symbols out there, but you can afford to buy them >> and what about literal prices in stores in terms of sales and where inventories are, where inflation is, where you are sourcing your cotton from and your fabrics >> today -- what was the first question i always go off on a tangent >> what you are seeing on the ground now in terms of inflation and pricing an and discounting. bloated inventory is such an have you >> and the big thing is 9 press. there is cc springsteen and food.t9 press. there is springsteen and food.hg9 press. there is springsteen and food.e9 press. there is springsteen and food. press. there is springsteen and food. press. there is springsteen and food.e press. there is springsteen and food cars, subscriptions. daily things but up 90% from two or three years ago. and i ask a lot of people and they tell me i work only with 25 people, we have a bullpen like you do in the finance business but i think that it is tougher sale you mentioned, i callt shopping mall bingo. oh, i paid 50 today and now it is 39. if you go online, it tells you the story of every company we had too much in my day. and i wanted to go with a nice company that has integrity and we have a july sale in december and that is it we don't have the resources of the big pockets, but it is a tradeoff i mean, you know, you have to be optimistic and supervision and that is what keeps me going. i don't like losing a bit of money every year we're small and not really capitalized that well. but i think that we have a great future >> and when you do look out into the big picture, besides ourselves obviously, who is doing it well, who do you think is doing it well >> sometimes i get into trouble before there are few winners out there -- >> and i'm not asking you to sk criticize because i knew you wouldn't >> but i'm better at -- not to change the subject, but i like quotes and a lot of people don't understand me in a sense i say don't praise me, criticize me and i say that i'm walking around to see what we can do better and i don't say just great job we're all expected to poll vault higher and i don't know if you know the rules of poll vaults, you have to keep jumping up you fail. >> who set the bar up highthen >> they say jump, you win the competition. you keep jumping until the stick or whatever it is called falls down that is what we do >> would you be an investor in a publicly traded retail company today given how concerned you are about how where we are you said that there are too many of us implying that some need to go away. >> i'm not a good investor in stocks and when i do retail, i fall in love with the potential of thinking if it is run this way so you are investing in leadership in every company in my opinion >> you said that you had a really interesting quote, inventory is a temporary problem, leadership is a permanent problem. >> i said that i like that. >> you said that >> well, leadership is -- >> there are good leaders out there. >> there are terrific leaders. yes, there are who i admire and respect. the list is not long enough for me but i'm a perfectionist. my standards are what they are and i always like to like up at people and i learn from anyone, not what to do, but to do, and i know all of them and look at their stores or their online that is a reflection of the leadership and the other reflection is i always review my team members from bottom up no knows better than the people who work for them. >> and you are no longer on the apple board. but when you look at the whole retail experience, when you go into an apple store, what do you think? >> well, i had something to do with the original store. i love steve by the way. i think he was the best retai er ever and i'm not a technology person. i don't even know how to work this computer. i do ipads and iphones but i think when the store is that -- look,iphones are a monopoly so i think that i wish i had something that was a monopoly. but he is incredible and tim is doing a great job it is a great company. >> are you still a shareholder in apple >> a little. did well with it >> i'm sure you did. >> 1999, you know. >> that is why you are who you are. thank you so much for being here that is mickey tight. statistic ahead, key names that you need to be watching as we head toward the close. less than 30 minutes away from netflix numbers. lily! welcome to our third bark-ery. oh, i can tell business is going through the “woof”. but seriously we need a reliable way to help keep everyone connected from wherever we go. well at at&t we'll help you find the right wireless plan for you. so, you can stay connected to all your drivers and stores on america's most reliable 5g network. that sounds just paw-fect. terrier-iffic i labra-dore you round of a-paws at&t 5g is fast, reliable and secure for your business. ♪♪ alex! mateo, hey how's business? great. you know that loan has really worked wonders. that's what u.s. bank is for. and you're growing in california? -yup, socal, norcal... -monterey? -all day. -a branch in ventura? that's for sure-ah. atms in fresno? fres-yes. encinitas? yes, indeed-us. anaheim? big time. more guacamole? i'm on a roll-ay. how about you? i'm just visiting. >>> abo