Undercover Boss (2010) s05e06 Episode Script
Alfred Angelo
(Male announcer) Since the premiere of "Undercover Boss," more than 60 bosses have given away nearly $6 million.
I have a check for $250,000.
Oh, my God.
Announcer: And implemented sweeping, company-wide changes As a company, we're actually going to restore the 401(K).
It's a million dollar expense.
Announcer: To benefit the lives of more than 40 million employees.
[Cheers and applause.]
Some people, I just want to punch them in the face sometimes.
Announcer: But not everyone deserved to be rewarded.
Someone's not saying something! Welcome to "Moo's.
" I've had one minute of training.
If you can't do it, then you can't do it.
I know how to grow some really good weed.
[Laughs.]
If you're really interested.
I'm talking, and you come back here, "I need dippin'.
I need dippin'.
" Y'all better chill.
Announcer: Tonight, the latest boss to put it all on the line - is Paul Quentel - What's going on? - Ah! - Oh! Announcer: The president of "Alfred Angelo," one of the largest bridal retailers in the world.
[Laughter.]
It makes you look very voluptuous.
All: [Laughing.]
Yeah.
Announcer: In order to find out what's going on - in his company - So check it out.
I could, like, do these [Laughing.]
Announcer: He'll flex his muscles and go deep undercover.
You can't tell I'm a personal trainer? No.
You could just be a buff guy.
A buff, hot, sweaty guy right now, actually.
I don't know about the hot part, but you might be sweaty.
No, I meant I meant warm, not I call it "shakin' the butt.
" Announcer: By working in the field, this former model will find out what it's like to be a man Hi, ladies.
How are you doing? Announcer: In a women's world.
It really brings out your eyes.
[Laughs.]
I was thinking the same thing.
This is a first for both of us.
Oh, my gosh.
It's like being a newborn.
Announcer: And along the way (Announcer) He'll meet an extraordinary employee that will change his life forever.
(Announcer) Coming up next, on "Undercover Boss.
" Undercover Boss 5x06 - Alfred Angelo Original air date November 1, 2013 (Announcer) Headquartered in Del Ray Beach, Florida, "Alfred Angelo" is the world's leading manufacturer and retailer of bridal apparel.
I like this.
(Announcer) Leading this $90 million-a-year matrimonial mega-brand is one man.
My name's Paul Quentel.
I'm the president of "Alfred Angelo, incorporated.
" "Alfred Angelo" started with Alfred Angelo Piccione, an immigrant from Italy, with his wife, Edythe Piccione, 80 years ago, with a single bridal shop, and has grown today to be a worldwide company.
We operate in all 50 states in the U.
S.
Worldwide we have over 1,500 retailers in 34 countries.
Last year, we produced almost gowns and bridesmaids dresses.
And it's still a family-run business today.
I'm not from the bridal industry, and that's been a very interesting challenge.
But I have a lot of experience in other industries.
I have modeled on and off for more than a decade.
When I made the decision to get my M.
B.
A.
, I quit my job, sold my car, and modeling helped me make ends meet.
How's everything? (All) Good.
Ladies.
I joined "Alfred Angelo" a little more than two years ago, an it was an opportunity to have someone with a fresh set of eyes come in and make a contribution to the organization.
I definitely bring a certain business discipline.
We faced a lot of unique challenges when I joined "Alfred Angelo.
" There was a disconnect between the family culture that exists in this organization and what happens in the front lines.
I love the length.
My job was to help reconnect that.
Accomplishing that goal took a change in management to get the kinds of personalities in place that shared the same ideals for what we wanted to accomplish.
And they can order any color for the dress, any color for the flower.
Professionally, most people describe me as very demanding.
The whole collection will be short and long this time, right? - Yep.
(Paul) - I'm direct.
I don't pull a lot of punches.
And you don't know this, but I'm incredibly funny.
Anybody home? (All) Daddy! Guys? Hey, hey! What's up, B? My family is the most important thing to me.
They're really the cornerstone of who I am.
Who wants to do their marshmallows? - Me! - Me, me, me! Remember, don't burn it.
The real boss of my family is my mom.
Sorry, dad.
Honey, cheers.
Cheers, baby.
Love you.
I love you all.
Where's my drink? [Laughter.]
I'm a little nervous.
Bridal is an incredibly competitive business.
We really have to be doing everything we can to be successful.
We get a lot of positive feedback in our stores, but we also sometimes get negative feedback, and I really want to understand what's happening in those situations.
We really have no margin for error.
Fits perfect.
[Laughing.]
(Paul) You know, now is the time for me to go undercover.
I've made a lot of changes, and I want to know if it's really working.
Currently, we're number two in the bridal market, and it's my job to make us number one.
Throughout my undercover journey, I'll be posing as "Lee Jeffries", a personal trainer and an aspiring entrepreneur competing to win money to start his own company.
My employees will be tricked into thinking that they are on a reality show that isn't "Undercover Boss.
" I wish I could draw like you guys.
I am not talented like you.
You must have got your What's going on? - Ah! - Oh! (All) [Laughing.]
You look so funny! Daddy, that looks nothing like you.
- Daddy? - Yes? This is you.
I think you look hilarious! (Paul) When I joined "Alfred Angelo," I didn't know anything about the bridal industry.
My glasses.
What do you think? Too big.
(Paul) Now I know more, but I've never been fully immersed in the bridal experience and that's what I'm hoping to learn, so I can take this company to the next level.
- Bye, daddy! - Bye.
(Paul) Today I'm in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
I'm going to be working with the store manager.
Our managers have to be good at establishing the tone and environment of the stores and making sure it's an atmosphere that's friendly and inviting and making sure operations run smoothly.
This is one of our top performing stores.
And a year ago, we had a lot of online complaints.
They've turned that around, but I want to see the impact for myself.
Good morning.
Is Alona here? "ALAN-a.
" - Al-LAN-a? - Yes.
Excuse me.
I'm Lee Jeffries.
Nice to meet you, Lee.
Nice to meet you.
(Alona) When Lee walked in, I saw his clothes, and I was like, "where's he going?" "Is he going to the gym or is he coming to work," because he was a little under-dressed for the occasion.
We're going to be doing a couple of things.
Cleaning, taking brides.
- We'll see - All right.
Well, let's do it.
I'm ready.
All right.
Whole floor and fitting rooms.
It probably should take you ten minutes.
- Okay.
- There we go.
All right.
This works for me.
Make sure you (Paul) - Do it quickly? - Yes.
When Lee was vacuuming, he kept looking at himself in the mirror, checking out his muscles.
You know, I'm a personal trainer.
Oh, perfect.
So check it out.
I could, like, do these [Laughing.]
for awhile today.
We don't have time for that.
Lee, you almost done? I have one dressing room to well, I kind of have that whole side to do too.
(Alona) So you only got through two rooms so far? And we have ten of them.
[Laughs.]
I better pick up the pace.
So just go grab the vacuum from him.
So Alona told me I'm going to take over.
Oh, okay.
We needed to open the store, and he was just doing it a little too slowly.
So this is Chrissy.
- Lee Jeffries.
- Hi, Lee.
Nice to meet you.
I I like this.
You like this? Yes.
You look nice.
I try.
You can't tell? I'm a personal trainer.
You know, you could just be a buff guy.
A buff, hot, sweaty guy, right now, actually.
I don't know about the hot part, but you might be sweaty.
No.
I meant I meant warm, not Yeah.
Okay.
Thanks, though.
[Laughter.]
All righty.
(Alona) To get everyone motivated, we need to get super-charged, - so that we're ready for the day.
- Okay.
So we're all going to get super-charged.
And what's super-charged? Super-charged is something that my son does.
One, two, three.
(All) [Grunting.]
Wait.
You didn't do it! I didn't know what you were doing.
(Alona) Super-charging.
- Okay.
Ready? (Alona) - One, two, three.
(All) [Grunting.]
Super-charged! This is our appointment system.
So it says we have two brides.
Because the person that helped her is not here today.
They work on commission? Mm-hmm.
So does she get that if She does.
The thing about our commission here is you don't get it until the dress comes in, which won't be until about three months down the line.
So sometimes it's hard to keep employees here.
I got it.
So like, I've had a lot of really good employees come in here, just like, "I can't survive.
" "You know, I have to" you know.
- Like, girls that can't - Because they need - the money today - They need the money.
Not in three months.
Exactly.
Alona has just raised a really crucial issue.
The associates work on a combination of hourly wages and commission, but they don't actually get the commission until the bride picks up the dress.
It's hard to stay motivated when you're working on $7.
50 an hour.
You know what I mean? That's a problem, because the people who really need the money may have to move on to a different job.
(Alona) Heather? - Yes.
(Alona) - Hello! We have to find a solution.
And me and Heather, we'll take it from here.
That's great.
I'll be waiting right here.
[Sighs.]
All right.
All right.
So she has her slip and her bra on.
And why don't you lace her up? - Okay.
- This is a corset back.
Lace it like a shoe string.
That looks like it'll take a long time.
Is that too tight? No, that's fine.
(Paul) I'm definitely nervous.
This is my first time putting on a bridal gown.
You want to go a little faster, so you don't so she's not holding up her gown.
Who knew a dress would be so complicated, right? Right? Sorry.
Now it's not secured.
I'm not 100% sure I'm doing this right.
Yeah.
I like the Did you tell me to fluff the front? I like the color because Yes, you see where the crinoline [Laughing.]
I don't want to go to jail today.
Lee was definitely out of his comfort-zone.
So you're going to take her measurements.
We take bust, waist, and hips.
Taking a woman's measurements is definitely not something we usually do in the boardroom.
This is a first for both of us.
Oh, my gosh.
(Paul) Yes, come through.
It's like being a newborn.
Lee is talking a little too much.
I once wore peach.
We got married in a gym.
Oh.
Nice.
- You want help? - Okay.
Now give me something, you know, like like a Lee Jeffries kind of.
Nice! I love it.
It needs to be less about him and more about the bride.
You want to dance with her and see if she can dance all night? Sure.
Yeah.
(Alona) Aw.
How nice! I like it.
I call it "shakin' the butt".
I do this sort of thing.
(Paul) So I rock the butt.
Lee does have a lot to learn before he's ready to work here.
So why don't you go ahead and stand up here? - Okay.
- Is this the dress? It might be, I think.
[Laughs.]
It's so pretty.
Beautiful.
Alona is terrific.
She's full of energy, and you can tell that she really enjoys her work.
Thank you.
It was great meeting you.
(Alona) Thanks, Heather.
Bye.
Customers are our customers - for so long - Mm-hmm.
that if we mess up one thing along the way, they become upset, because it's a very sensitive time in their life.
And then they go writing to blogs, writing on the Internet.
You guys get complaints here? We do.
We do get complaints.
It comes with the business.
The bridal industry is one of the most complained about.
Sometimes it is things that my staff has done.
Sometimes it's just like, they're trying to get over on you.
They know that they're wrong and they come in ready for a fight.
"My dress doesn't fit", and you're just like, "okay.
" "Let's see what's going on" and they just they just come in ready for a fight.
So it hurts your feelings.
It's kind of an emotional thing, because you tried so hard.
Alona made an interesting point about the nature of online complaints.
We are dealing with a bride at a very emotional time, on a very emotional topic.
And it makes me realize, as president, that negative comments online don't necessarily reflect the job our employees are doing.
(Alona) So right now, we're going to change one of the mannequins.
It's kind of nice to work in the bridal business and nice and, you know, heartbreaking sometimes.
You see everyone getting married, you're like, "oh, my God!" You're not married, yet? I'm not married yet.
Me and my boyfriend were planning on getting married.
We don't have parents and all that that can pay for a wedding.
We don't have much money.
But you're excited to get married? I am.
I'm excited to get married.
Yes.
This girl that came in, she's actually getting married at the venue that I would like, my dream venue.
Oh, what venue is that? It's called the "Tendenza," in Philly.
(Paul) - Mm-hmm.
- In Philadelphia.
I live in Philadelphia.
And I was just like, "don't show her my dress!" "Don't show her my dress!" Oh, is your dress here? Yes.
That's my dress.
- I love it.
(Paul) - Wow.
I think this is probably going to be the end of what we're going to be doing.
My boyfriend's going to drop off my son right now.
So how does that work? He comes into the store? What do you do? (Alona) My boyfriend works late shifts, so it's all him in the morning, and then kind of all me at night.
And my son, I don't really get to see him as often as I'd like.
- Right.
- He's he walked the other day, and someone told me about it.
I didn't even get to see him.
So that's really hard.
It'll never be his first step ever again, - you know? - Yeah.
So sometimes it makes me feel like a horrible parent.
One day, I hope he understands how hard his mother works, why I made the sacrifices that I made.
And I want to serve as a good example for him.
Come here.
It'll be all right.
- Thanks.
- It's going to be all right.
He's going to know.
Aw, there's my son! Hey! Hello, come here, little boy! Hey, buddy.
What's going on? Hi, how are you? - Lee.
- Ryan.
(Paul) It's obvious that Alona is making big sacrifices, missing time with her son, Max, to come in to work with us.
It's amazing, though, because her enthusiasm and her dedication to work, it still comes through.
Hi, ladies.
How are you? (Announcer) The boss struggles on the sales floor.
Have you picked out your bridal gown yet? Yes.
I bought it a week after I was engaged.
Wow.
That's focused.
So that's okay.
Lee, he's not doing too good.
- Good morning.
- Good morning, Tara.
(Announcer) Paul Quentel, the president of "Alfred Angelo," is a boss undercover in his own company.
I'm Lee Jeffries.
Nice to meet you, Lee.
Nice to meet you.
(Announcer) His employees think he's a contestant on a different reality show, hoping to win money to start his own business.
This is a first for both of us.
Oh, my gosh.
You want help? (Announcer) His journey continues in Pennsylvania.
Today I'm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, working at a bridal show as a sales associate.
Have you ever heard of "Alfred Angelo"? A bridal show is a giant marketplace for newly engaged women to come and learn about the things they'll want for their wedding day.
We don't actually sell merchandise here, but it's a way for us to let people know about "Alfred Angelo" and possibly get them to set up an appointment at one of our stores.
We do over 100 bridal shows a year.
I've never been to one, so I want to see if it's really worth it.
- Deon? - Hello.
How are you? Good.
Lee Jeffries.
Very nice to meet you.
When I first saw Lee, I'm like, okay, he's, you know, a hot guy.
This is Kelly.
Hi, nice to meet you.
Hi.
Lee Jeffries.
Nice to meet you.
And this is Becca.
Girls love a handsome guy, so I thought he would be okay.
The goal for today is basically to talk to people, introduce yourself, and bring them to our table.
Let's pretend like I am a customer.
Okay.
Hi, how are you today? I'm fine.
How are you? - Good.
- Nice to meet you.
My name's Lee.
Do you already have your dress? - Um, yes.
- Oh, no.
I'm looking for, like, a "love's first blush", like a pinkish.
Uh, is "love's first blush" a color? It is.
It is.
If you feel like you're not confident enough to answer the question - for the customer - Yeah? Just say, "I'll get back to you.
" Because it makes you look incompetent.
Yeah, or let me check with Yeah, let me check with my manager or I don't want to look incompetent.
That's not what we want, so I can't wait to see you do this, because I think I'm going to learn a lot.
(Deon) Lee obviously knows nothing about bridal.
He has a lot of work to do.
Come on over.
[Laughing.]
- How are you? - Good.
How are you? Good.
What's your name? - Alyssa.
- Alyssa.
My name is Deon.
So what are you here for today? I just got engaged last week, so Wow! Last week.
Congratulations.
You want to take some of our catalogues and possibly make an appointment at our store? Um, yeah.
I'm watching Deon introduce "Alfred Angelo" to a new bride, and I'm loving everything I hear.
So do you have any bridesmaids dresses? So would you like to make an appointment in our store? We really take pride in making the bride feel happy for her big day.
How you doing, sweetie? Good.
How are you? What's your name? - Tasha.
- Tasha.
- He wouldn't be the groom, would he? - Yeah.
Have you heard of our company, "Alfred Angelo"? - Yes.
- How are you? Come on over.
He has this way about him that's very inviting and very engaging, and people are really responding.
- Thanks.
- Whoa! - Have a good one.
- Thanks.
Thanks for stopping by.
- Bye.
- We'll see you soon.
I can't wait to see you do it.
Do you feel pretty confident? Sure.
Yes.
So relaxed and deep breaths.
(Paul) Deep breaths.
- Hi, ladies.
(Woman) - Hi.
How are you? (Woman) - Good, thanks.
- Good.
[Laughs.]
She looked like she was in a hurry.
You didn't approach her the right way.
When you say, "hi," introduce yourself.
Act like you're talking to your best friend.
I can do that.
Go ahead and try it again.
Are you here looking are you here looking for a dress today? I haven't gotten anything yet, so Oh! Well, look we're down there if you want to visit.
Okay.
All right.
And have a catalogue.
- Thank you.
- Thanks.
Oh, gosh.
You didn't say your name.
You didn't say our company.
Lee, right now, he's not doing too good.
Have you picked out your bridal gown yet? - Yes.
- Okay.
I bought it a week after I was engaged.
Wow.
That's focused.
So that's okay.
Do you have the dress already, like, physically Yeah.
You do.
Okay.
I'm not entirely comfortable talking to strangers in this way.
Hi, ladies.
How are you? I don't think this is going so well.
Did you think color themes yet? - Yeah.
Um - Really? You know, I think we actually have a color called, like blush something.
I think Lee's a great guy.
He has a bright future ahead of him, but I think he should stay away from weddings.
All you have to do is just be yourself.
They they can smell.
Like I said, they can smell if you're not being authentic and genuine, so Right.
I get what you're saying, and it's because they start to feel that relationship with you.
Yeah.
So do you have any questions for me so far? I'm so interested to learn how you got into bridal? I got into bridal because I wanted to go into fashion.
I love fashion.
That's great.
I've done fashion shows.
I've been designing for awhile, just a lot of ideas going through my head, so.
Right.
How do you like the company? I like the company a lot, but as far as communication with the corporate office and the store, it's not too good.
For instance, this dress right here.
Say, for instance, next year that dress is going to be discontinued, which means we can't sell it anymore.
Sometimes we don't get that message.
Well, it's not just that they discontinue it, it's that they don't tell you they're discontinuing it.
That's yeah.
Deon mentioned that they don't always know when a dress is going to be discontinued.
You have a store manager? Have you talked to her about any of this? Yes.
She's like, "it's been happening for years," so Right.
We've got to do a better job of communicating all through the organization, and that really starts with me.
You said you're into fashion.
Yeah.
I have a sketchbook.
You have it with you? - Yes.
- Awesome.
Oh, I like those colors, actually.
Yeah.
I'm you know, I'm real eclectic.
I like color.
Seems like you have a big future ahead of you.
Thank you.
I try.
It wasn't always like that.
I am the only one of my siblings to actually complete college.
You're proud of that, I bet.
I'm very proud.
You should be.
When I walked across the stage at graduation, my nieces and nephews were able to understand that I'm making a big step, and I'm graduating.
Hey, you're a role model to them now.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Do you live with your family, now? - Yes.
- Or what are you doing? I live with my grandfather and my grandmother.
Uh-huh.
I help my grandmother take care of my grandfather.
So you're helping to take care of take care of things there? Yes.
So it can be pretty tough at times.
(Paul) I learned a lot today.
I learned about the value of our bridal shows, in particular.
I think they're a great investment.
And it was great to hear about Deon's passion for fashion.
We better get back to it.
You've done a good job so far.
Ah, it was because of your help.
Come on.
Let's go.
He's just the kind of person that we want in the "Alfred Angelo" family.
You have to know your product.
So everyone here has tried on a wedding dress.
(Announcer) The boss gets in touch with his feminine side.
It really brings out your eyes.
[Laughs.]
I was thinking the same thing.
(Announcer) And later (Announcer) He works with one of the most inspirational employees ever.
Today I'm in Dublin, Ohio, and I'll be training as an assistant manager.
Thank you for calling the "Alfred Angelo Bridal" of Dublin.
I've made a lot of changes to all of our stores in order to make them more efficient.
This is one of our newer stores, so I want to make sure those changes are being implemented and that things are running smoothly.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- How are you? - Leeanne? - Yes.
Lee? - Hi, Lee Jeffries, yes.
- Hi.
Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Are you excited? - I am.
I'm so excited to be here.
Awesome.
I want to show you the goals for the week.
I've gotten dry erase boards for each and every girl on staff.
It gives them their goal for the week.
I really like that.
So this is my goal for the year, which is $1 million.
My assistant has superimposed my face on Dr.
Evil for the $1 million.
[Laughs.]
Bring a little humor to the floor.
I love the creativity of Leeanne.
This is taking ownership of your store and really giving it a fun and friendly feeling.
All right, ladies.
If you want to come over, we're going to have our morning meeting.
I'm going to pull out a stick.
It's going to have an objection, and everybody's going to come up with a way to overcome that.
Okay.
This dress is perfect, but it doesn't fit the theme of my wedding.
Well, it's your wedding gown.
You can really do whatever you want with it.
It doesn't have to match any theme.
Excellent.
Good job, Sheana.
Nice.
Those were good answers.
All right, Lee.
It's your turn.
Are you ready? I'm not really an expert.
I just want to say that.
For bridal gowns.
Okay.
I'm not sure I have I have the money for this right now.
Well, it sounds like [Record scratching.]
I'm sorry.
I'm I'm in character, right? - Yeah.
Absolutely.
- Okay.
Well, you know, we have a lot of options for you.
You can make a deposit and we can work with you to, you know, help you arrange to pay it later.
- Good job.
- Okay.
Well, part of working in bridal retail - is that you have to know your product.
- Yeah.
So everyone here has tried on a wedding dress.
- Yeah.
You know - Your turn.
It's funny 'cause that's probably not gonna happen.
[Laughter.]
No? How do you feel about a veil and a headpiece? That I'll do.
No problem.
- Yeah? All right.
- Yes.
Shouldn't I be in front of a mirror? [Laughing.]
There's a mirror right over here.
And take a look at yourself so you get a sense of what the bride would feel like.
Not surprisingly, I've never worn a veil before.
And I actually thought, "hey, I don't look that bad in it.
" It really brings out your eyes.
I was thinking the same thing.
He had a great big tiara on, and I think that he might have liked that part a little bit.
All right, so I've created a little task for you today.
Mm-hmm.
We get this down from corporate.
They send us our leads.
So we want to put all these people in the system, so they can be contacted.
So we're going to add them.
All these came out of a computer, right? Correct.
So why are you re-typing them into the computer? The computer does not allow you to copy and paste.
Really? It's a waste of time.
That just seems like a lot of work, doesn't it? It is a lot of work.
One of my big responsibilities is to remove obstacles that get in the way of taking care of customers.
All right.
I'm working.
- Takes some time.
- Yeah.
The computer system is obviously obsolete.
I'm about ready to pull hair out.
We've got to find a better way.
We do have a lot to do today.
Okay.
Let me do something.
I actually would really love to take you out for some vendor relations.
- Okay.
- We send business to them.
They send business to us.
It's kind of a way to get traffic in the store.
- Like networking a little, right? - Exactly.
- I'm ready.
- All right.
Let's go.
Today we're gonna go into this music store right here.
Oh, thank you very much.
You're welcome.
- Can I help you? - How are you doing today? Good.
How are you? I'm Abby.
- Abby? - Abby.
Mm-hmm.
[Together.]
Nice to meet you.
Well, listen.
We're looking for opportunities to work with, you know, stores in the center, where we can partner together a little bit on the marketing side.
Something that we would be really interested in would be if you have some bands that would be able to play a reception for a wedding.
Yeah.
I definitely know a few people that might be interested.
Awesome.
Phone number and our e-mail address is there.
Okay, perfect.
Leeanne's really good at knowing how far to explore a relationship.
It's awesome.
So the next place that we're going to is actually a tanning salon.
Uh-huh.
This would be really great for our brides.
A lot of them like to, obviously, be tan.
Yeah.
You know, I try to bronze it up a little myself.
I could tell.
[Laughs.]
Yeah? Let's go on inside and make some connections.
- All right, great.
- Hi.
I work at "Alfred Angelo," right across the shopping center.
People that are getting married, a lot of them want to look good for the day.
So I think there's kind of a natural fit that way.
I agree.
Could we leave you some brochures to keep? Absolutely.
What better opportunity than to partner with a tuxedo shop? - Sure, good luck to you.
- Thank you.
Yeah, I think we made a great connection.
Looking forward to working with you.
Well, thank you.
I'm totally impressed that leeanne took the initiative to start this networking program.
You want to head back to the store? - Let's do it.
- All right.
Let's go.
She does a great job representing our company, and we're lucky to have her.
I was nervous to come in here today.
Really? Why? I'm not really much of a bridal expert.
I think you did all right.
Well, you definitely made it easier.
- Yay! - Yeah.
That's a compliment to me.
I really love the energy in the store.
And have you always been like this? Have you always been very driven and Can't stop, won't stop.
So what are you doing now? I mean, what are your plans? Like, more on a personal level, you know? Um, next year I'm marrying my girlfriend, so I have a wedding to plan for.
- Do you live with your partner? - I do.
And where and your parents and all this? I have been on my own since I was, like, 17.
They weren't comfortable with me in the house anymore, once they found out about my sexual orientation.
- That's that's tough.
- Yeah.
That actually was devastating to me.
Um, and I had to leave.
And there wasn't really any place for me to go, so I just packed a bag and went to someone's house and slept on a couch.
And that just kind of snowballed into never really going home.
I mean, where'd you go? After I overstayed my welcome a few places, I ran out of some place to go.
So I went from there to Penn Station in New York.
So I slept pretty much on a bench and washed my hair in sinks and did what I needed to do.
[Crying.]
It was time for me to get on my feet, and luckily, I just [Sighs.]
um, was looking for a job, and someone was looking for a a salesperson, and from there, I got recruited to work someplace else.
And I just grew into management.
A lot of people think homeless people, there's not really anywhere that they're going to go but down, but if you really want something and you go and get it, you can get it.
- So - Wow.
I'm actually pretty lucky.
When I hear Leeanne and the things that she went through, it's just incredible.
I mean, it's not just all the things that she's overcome, it's the person she is today.
She's taken everything that's happened to her and turned it into something positive, and it's amazing.
All right.
Let's go back and do some work.
I'm in Springfield, Virginia, today, and I'll be working as a bridal stylist.
I'm at the end of my journey now.
You know, so far, I've learned a lot of things, good and bad.
How can I help you? - Oh, Julie? - Yes.
Our bridal stylists have the biggest influence on how our customers feel about their experience in the store, because they're the ones that interact with them the most.
I want to see firsthand if our bridal stylists are creating the kind of family experience that we want our customers to have.
Good morning.
Oh, good morning.
I'm Lee.
Hi, my name is Krysta, and I am deaf, so don't bother.
- Okay.
- I can't hear you.
Sounds good.
- I'm Lee jeffries.
- Hi.
- Nice to meet you.
- So are you ready? Okay.
Sure.
[Phone ringing.]
Hello, thank you for calling "Alfred Angelo.
" This is Krysta.
How can I help you today? Um, yes, hello.
I think the person who helped me when I ordered the dress was Marilla? Okay.
Let me go ahead and put you on hold.
Okay.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
How did you how did you answer the phone? - But you can you can hear? - Yes, I can hear.
- A little bit.
- I can hear a little bit.
Does the company give you special I respect that.
- So - That's awesome.
Hi.
How are you? - Good.
- My name is Krysta.
Hi, Krysta.
I'm looking for a dress.
- I have I actually have a couple of - Oh! Yeah, I was on the website.
[Laughs.]
There's a lot on here, but, I mean, you know, like, sometimes you - Wow! - Yeah.
I know, exactly.
A lot.
I got this.
Don't worry about it.
Okay.
Okay.
Thank you.
Here comes the beautiful bride.
(Paul) Wow.
(Krysta) All right.
That's Take the tour.
Okay, so no.
No.
- Ooh, wow.
- That was quick.
Okay.
She doesn't like it.
It almost came off.
I was - Sorry.
- No, that's all right.
Like it? It's cute, but try something else.
Okay.
[Laughs.]
[Sighs.]
Things with the bride seem to be going just okay.
It's not it.
We haven't found the dress of her dreams yet.
(Mother) Okay.
Don't scream all at once.
[Laughing.]
- Yeah.
- With enthusiasm.
Yeah, she can put that one away.
[Laughter.]
I need it more up here and around.
- Okay.
- Not necessarily diagonal.
- Not on the diagonal.
- Yeah.
It makes her waistline look wide.
I feel like we're so close.
I know.
But you know, I'll definitely make an appointment to come back.
But thank you.
Awesome.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
I've never sold bridal gowns before, and this just proves how hard it is.
Thank you so much for coming by "Alfred Angelo.
" Okay, thank you.
- You're welcome.
- And thank you again.
The most important thing is that we make the bride happy, and even though it's disappointing not to get the sale today, Krysta did a great job creating a relationship with the customer, and hopefully, that will lead her to purchase a dress from us in the near future.
All right.
You go like this.
How how do you like working with "Alfred Angelo"? Have they been supportive of you? Yeah.
Now have you always have you always been hearing impaired? Mm-hmm.
Really? You thought that wouldn't be a possibility? No.
I never thought I could do anything.
Do you have a husband now? Are you married? Wow.
Congratulations.
- Oh, thank you.
- When's the big day? - Next year, May.
- Next year, May? - Wow.
- Yeah.
Really? Krysta's attitude is so inspiring.
She doesn't want any sympathy, and she doesn't want any special treatment.
Should we do the next one? Yes, we should.
Working with people like Krysta this week really reinforces what a great job they do creating a family environment for our customers.
Only the people in the store that interact with these customers can create that, and I need to make sure we treat our associates the same way.
(Announcer) Coming up, the employees think they're going to decide whether or not Lee deserves to win the competition.
How will they react when the boss reveals his true identity? My name is Paul Quentel.
I'm the president of Alfred Angelo.
Hi.
Oh, my God! My week undercover has finally come to an end.
Today I'm at the Rosemont Manor, a wedding venue in Berryville, Virginia.
All the people that I worked with think they have been called here to give feedback on whether or not I deserve to win the money to start my own business.
They have no idea why they are really here.
Hello.
How are you? Hi.
[Laughs.]
Can you tell me a little bit about Lee? Lee was fun.
Nice.
You recognize me? Um, did you shave? Cut off all your hair? I was Lee Jeffries.
Yeah, right.
[Laughs.]
My real name is Paul Quentel.
- Hi! - Hi.
I'm the president of "Alfred Angelo.
" Oh, my God! And you're on Undercover Boss.
- Okay.
- It's nice to meet you.
It's nice to meet you.
- It's nice to meet you as me.
- Aw, yeah.
Deon, from my perspective, you're a phenomenal ambassador for "Alfred Angelo.
" Well, I got into bridal because, um, I wanted to go into fashion.
I am fashion.
- Wow.
- I love fashion.
I was really impressed.
Thank you.
You showed me your portfolio of sketches, which I really enjoyed, by the way.
Thank you.
[Laughing.]
We'd like to send you on an all-expense-paid, four week, $15,000 design internship with our design department down at our corporate headquarters in South Florida.
Wow.
I don't know what to say.
You got a suitcase? I have a huge one.
[Laughs.]
You inspired me with your story about how you were one of the first in your family to graduate from college.
So the "Alfred Angelo" family would like to make an investment in you and provide you with $10,000 to help support you to enroll in a formal design school education of your choice.
Are you serious? I'm totally serious.
I'm just 25-year-old Deon from the midwest.
It's awesome.
So thank you.
Thank you.
It's an amazing feeling.
It's something I've never it's like a feeling I've never felt before.
It was awesome.
Thank you so much.
Nice meeting you.
I've learned that work hard, be honest, be yourself, and dreams can come true.
How did I do? You did amazing.
I totally enjoyed our time together.
Thank you so much.
My name is Krysta.
Hi, Krysta.
- Okay, thank you.
- Yeah.
Your story about how you overcame your hearing impairment, it was a complete inspiration to me.
Well, thank you so much.
- It was amazing.
- Mm-hmm.
And there's a couple of things I'd like to do because of that.
One is that I'd like to have you come down to our corporate office and help us work on a committee to find ways that we can employ people with impairments and give them more opportunities in our organization.
Oh, my gosh.
I would love to work with that.
Thank you so much.
Another thing we'd like to do is to provide $10,000 donation to any charity that you choose [Gasps.]
Oh, my God.
Thank you.
To help people to make themselves better.
Thank you so much.
You know, we talked a lot about the challenges you face and you're such the strong desire you have to be - independent - Mm-hmm.
And how you and your fiance want to start - a new life together.
- Yeah.
We'd like to give you $15,000 to help build your life and your independence.
[Sniffs.]
I'm proud that I worked for it, and I'm proud of everything that's happened to me.
Thank you so much.
I'm feeling great, very overwhelmed.
Thank you so much.
All right? And you're welcome so much.
I felt like my life changed a lot.
Oh, my God.
I'm sorry.
Alona, you did an incredible job.
[Laughs.]
You know, I had some experiences in the store I've never had before.
This is a first for both of us.
I learned, and you were a great coach for me.
[Laughing.]
One of the most important points that I learned this whole week undercover was when you told me that you have trouble keeping employees because of the commission system.
So we're going to make a change to ensure that the commission is paid right away.
Oh! That's awesome.
I had a lot of experiences in the store that day, but the best part for me was meeting your fiance and your son Max.
I thought long and hard about what you told me about the challenges you face in raising him.
We'd like to give you $10,000 to use for childcare or whatever Max may need.
[Crying.]
Thank you.
- You all right? - Yes.
You know, you told me you love your job.
You love what you do, but at the same time, you sort of know in the back of your mind, you won't ever be able to afford that dream wedding or that dream gown.
[Crying.]
What was that place that you told me you wanted to get married at? [Laughing.]
The Tendenza.
The Tendenza? - Well, guess what.
- Oh, no.
We're going to get you a wedding at the Tendenza.
Oh, my God! [Sniffling.]
We're going to pay for the whole thing.
Oh! [Crying.]
Now, there's more.
You know that dress? [Crying.]
Yes.
I'd like you to have that dress Oh, my God.
On behalf of the entire "Alfred Angelo" family.
Thank you.
We can't wait to see you in that dress.
Oh.
Oh, my gosh.
That's so amazing.
[Sniffs.]
Oh, my God.
I'm so super charged! Oh, my God! [Laughing.]
- Keep up the good work.
- Thank you.
- You all right? - Oh! You make me very proud.
Thank you so much.
I'm going to dance at my wedding.
[Humming.]
Yay! I'm so excited! (Paul) Leeanne, I had an amazing experience with you in the store.
I can't believe you got me in a veil and a headpiece.
Does this suit me well, this one? It does.
It really brings out your eyes.
I was thinking the same thing.
You got to be a team player.
Yeah, apparently.
You know, I learned some important lessons working with you, too.
And one of them was working in the computer system.
[Laughs.]
The company's going to make an investment of over $2 million to upgrade our computer systems.
Yay! That's awesome! You recognize this? Yeah, a million dollar bill.
I loved how you created fun incentives and games and the piggy bank and all the things that you had in the store, so I'd like you to come to our headquarters and lead a committee to develop ways to provide incentives for the employees.
I would love that.
You know, you shared an incredible personal story with me, and you told me you wanted to get married.
Mm-hmm.
And you told me you were having - your dress specially made.
- Mm-hmm.
But I want to make sure "Alfred Angelo" provides you with any other dresses you need.
[Crying.]
For your bridesmaids, flower girls, and most importantly, your fiance.
[Sniffing.]
Thank you so much.
You know, probably the most incredible part of your story? Hmm? And I get emotional thinking about it, so excuse me was how you told me about being homeless for a period of time.
You know, lots of people have struggles in life.
So "Alfred Angelo" and the "Alfred Angelo" family would like to give you $25,000 Shut up.
[Crying.]
Towards a deposit of whatever home Oh, my God.
[Crying.]
Oh, my God.
[Crying.]
You and your partner ultimately get.
[Sobbing.]
Oh, my God.
[Sniffs.]
And we're just so proud to have you in the "Alfred Angelo" family.
Oh, my God.
And we thought of something else.
- I can't - Yeah, I know.
How can you top that? Well, we figured you were going to need furniture and Oh, my God.
And probably have some moving expenses, so we'd like to give you $10,000 to help furnish and move yourself into whatever home that is.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome so much.
[Crying.]
Can I hug you? You sure can.
I'd love a hug.
He just gave me so much! No one in my family has ever owned a house, so I will be the first person in my family.
Thank you again.
You're welcome.
Oh, my.
[Phone ringing.]
- Hello? - Babe? I'm on "Undercover Boss".
Um and they just gave us $25,000 to put down on a house.
- What? - And $10,000 For moving expenses and furniture.
Say what? Remember when you said things good things like this don't happen to people like us? You were wrong! [Laughs.]
I have a check for $250,000.
Oh, my God.
Announcer: And implemented sweeping, company-wide changes As a company, we're actually going to restore the 401(K).
It's a million dollar expense.
Announcer: To benefit the lives of more than 40 million employees.
[Cheers and applause.]
Some people, I just want to punch them in the face sometimes.
Announcer: But not everyone deserved to be rewarded.
Someone's not saying something! Welcome to "Moo's.
" I've had one minute of training.
If you can't do it, then you can't do it.
I know how to grow some really good weed.
[Laughs.]
If you're really interested.
I'm talking, and you come back here, "I need dippin'.
I need dippin'.
" Y'all better chill.
Announcer: Tonight, the latest boss to put it all on the line - is Paul Quentel - What's going on? - Ah! - Oh! Announcer: The president of "Alfred Angelo," one of the largest bridal retailers in the world.
[Laughter.]
It makes you look very voluptuous.
All: [Laughing.]
Yeah.
Announcer: In order to find out what's going on - in his company - So check it out.
I could, like, do these [Laughing.]
Announcer: He'll flex his muscles and go deep undercover.
You can't tell I'm a personal trainer? No.
You could just be a buff guy.
A buff, hot, sweaty guy right now, actually.
I don't know about the hot part, but you might be sweaty.
No, I meant I meant warm, not I call it "shakin' the butt.
" Announcer: By working in the field, this former model will find out what it's like to be a man Hi, ladies.
How are you doing? Announcer: In a women's world.
It really brings out your eyes.
[Laughs.]
I was thinking the same thing.
This is a first for both of us.
Oh, my gosh.
It's like being a newborn.
Announcer: And along the way (Announcer) He'll meet an extraordinary employee that will change his life forever.
(Announcer) Coming up next, on "Undercover Boss.
" Undercover Boss 5x06 - Alfred Angelo Original air date November 1, 2013 (Announcer) Headquartered in Del Ray Beach, Florida, "Alfred Angelo" is the world's leading manufacturer and retailer of bridal apparel.
I like this.
(Announcer) Leading this $90 million-a-year matrimonial mega-brand is one man.
My name's Paul Quentel.
I'm the president of "Alfred Angelo, incorporated.
" "Alfred Angelo" started with Alfred Angelo Piccione, an immigrant from Italy, with his wife, Edythe Piccione, 80 years ago, with a single bridal shop, and has grown today to be a worldwide company.
We operate in all 50 states in the U.
S.
Worldwide we have over 1,500 retailers in 34 countries.
Last year, we produced almost gowns and bridesmaids dresses.
And it's still a family-run business today.
I'm not from the bridal industry, and that's been a very interesting challenge.
But I have a lot of experience in other industries.
I have modeled on and off for more than a decade.
When I made the decision to get my M.
B.
A.
, I quit my job, sold my car, and modeling helped me make ends meet.
How's everything? (All) Good.
Ladies.
I joined "Alfred Angelo" a little more than two years ago, an it was an opportunity to have someone with a fresh set of eyes come in and make a contribution to the organization.
I definitely bring a certain business discipline.
We faced a lot of unique challenges when I joined "Alfred Angelo.
" There was a disconnect between the family culture that exists in this organization and what happens in the front lines.
I love the length.
My job was to help reconnect that.
Accomplishing that goal took a change in management to get the kinds of personalities in place that shared the same ideals for what we wanted to accomplish.
And they can order any color for the dress, any color for the flower.
Professionally, most people describe me as very demanding.
The whole collection will be short and long this time, right? - Yep.
(Paul) - I'm direct.
I don't pull a lot of punches.
And you don't know this, but I'm incredibly funny.
Anybody home? (All) Daddy! Guys? Hey, hey! What's up, B? My family is the most important thing to me.
They're really the cornerstone of who I am.
Who wants to do their marshmallows? - Me! - Me, me, me! Remember, don't burn it.
The real boss of my family is my mom.
Sorry, dad.
Honey, cheers.
Cheers, baby.
Love you.
I love you all.
Where's my drink? [Laughter.]
I'm a little nervous.
Bridal is an incredibly competitive business.
We really have to be doing everything we can to be successful.
We get a lot of positive feedback in our stores, but we also sometimes get negative feedback, and I really want to understand what's happening in those situations.
We really have no margin for error.
Fits perfect.
[Laughing.]
(Paul) You know, now is the time for me to go undercover.
I've made a lot of changes, and I want to know if it's really working.
Currently, we're number two in the bridal market, and it's my job to make us number one.
Throughout my undercover journey, I'll be posing as "Lee Jeffries", a personal trainer and an aspiring entrepreneur competing to win money to start his own company.
My employees will be tricked into thinking that they are on a reality show that isn't "Undercover Boss.
" I wish I could draw like you guys.
I am not talented like you.
You must have got your What's going on? - Ah! - Oh! (All) [Laughing.]
You look so funny! Daddy, that looks nothing like you.
- Daddy? - Yes? This is you.
I think you look hilarious! (Paul) When I joined "Alfred Angelo," I didn't know anything about the bridal industry.
My glasses.
What do you think? Too big.
(Paul) Now I know more, but I've never been fully immersed in the bridal experience and that's what I'm hoping to learn, so I can take this company to the next level.
- Bye, daddy! - Bye.
(Paul) Today I'm in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
I'm going to be working with the store manager.
Our managers have to be good at establishing the tone and environment of the stores and making sure it's an atmosphere that's friendly and inviting and making sure operations run smoothly.
This is one of our top performing stores.
And a year ago, we had a lot of online complaints.
They've turned that around, but I want to see the impact for myself.
Good morning.
Is Alona here? "ALAN-a.
" - Al-LAN-a? - Yes.
Excuse me.
I'm Lee Jeffries.
Nice to meet you, Lee.
Nice to meet you.
(Alona) When Lee walked in, I saw his clothes, and I was like, "where's he going?" "Is he going to the gym or is he coming to work," because he was a little under-dressed for the occasion.
We're going to be doing a couple of things.
Cleaning, taking brides.
- We'll see - All right.
Well, let's do it.
I'm ready.
All right.
Whole floor and fitting rooms.
It probably should take you ten minutes.
- Okay.
- There we go.
All right.
This works for me.
Make sure you (Paul) - Do it quickly? - Yes.
When Lee was vacuuming, he kept looking at himself in the mirror, checking out his muscles.
You know, I'm a personal trainer.
Oh, perfect.
So check it out.
I could, like, do these [Laughing.]
for awhile today.
We don't have time for that.
Lee, you almost done? I have one dressing room to well, I kind of have that whole side to do too.
(Alona) So you only got through two rooms so far? And we have ten of them.
[Laughs.]
I better pick up the pace.
So just go grab the vacuum from him.
So Alona told me I'm going to take over.
Oh, okay.
We needed to open the store, and he was just doing it a little too slowly.
So this is Chrissy.
- Lee Jeffries.
- Hi, Lee.
Nice to meet you.
I I like this.
You like this? Yes.
You look nice.
I try.
You can't tell? I'm a personal trainer.
You know, you could just be a buff guy.
A buff, hot, sweaty guy, right now, actually.
I don't know about the hot part, but you might be sweaty.
No.
I meant I meant warm, not Yeah.
Okay.
Thanks, though.
[Laughter.]
All righty.
(Alona) To get everyone motivated, we need to get super-charged, - so that we're ready for the day.
- Okay.
So we're all going to get super-charged.
And what's super-charged? Super-charged is something that my son does.
One, two, three.
(All) [Grunting.]
Wait.
You didn't do it! I didn't know what you were doing.
(Alona) Super-charging.
- Okay.
Ready? (Alona) - One, two, three.
(All) [Grunting.]
Super-charged! This is our appointment system.
So it says we have two brides.
Because the person that helped her is not here today.
They work on commission? Mm-hmm.
So does she get that if She does.
The thing about our commission here is you don't get it until the dress comes in, which won't be until about three months down the line.
So sometimes it's hard to keep employees here.
I got it.
So like, I've had a lot of really good employees come in here, just like, "I can't survive.
" "You know, I have to" you know.
- Like, girls that can't - Because they need - the money today - They need the money.
Not in three months.
Exactly.
Alona has just raised a really crucial issue.
The associates work on a combination of hourly wages and commission, but they don't actually get the commission until the bride picks up the dress.
It's hard to stay motivated when you're working on $7.
50 an hour.
You know what I mean? That's a problem, because the people who really need the money may have to move on to a different job.
(Alona) Heather? - Yes.
(Alona) - Hello! We have to find a solution.
And me and Heather, we'll take it from here.
That's great.
I'll be waiting right here.
[Sighs.]
All right.
All right.
So she has her slip and her bra on.
And why don't you lace her up? - Okay.
- This is a corset back.
Lace it like a shoe string.
That looks like it'll take a long time.
Is that too tight? No, that's fine.
(Paul) I'm definitely nervous.
This is my first time putting on a bridal gown.
You want to go a little faster, so you don't so she's not holding up her gown.
Who knew a dress would be so complicated, right? Right? Sorry.
Now it's not secured.
I'm not 100% sure I'm doing this right.
Yeah.
I like the Did you tell me to fluff the front? I like the color because Yes, you see where the crinoline [Laughing.]
I don't want to go to jail today.
Lee was definitely out of his comfort-zone.
So you're going to take her measurements.
We take bust, waist, and hips.
Taking a woman's measurements is definitely not something we usually do in the boardroom.
This is a first for both of us.
Oh, my gosh.
(Paul) Yes, come through.
It's like being a newborn.
Lee is talking a little too much.
I once wore peach.
We got married in a gym.
Oh.
Nice.
- You want help? - Okay.
Now give me something, you know, like like a Lee Jeffries kind of.
Nice! I love it.
It needs to be less about him and more about the bride.
You want to dance with her and see if she can dance all night? Sure.
Yeah.
(Alona) Aw.
How nice! I like it.
I call it "shakin' the butt".
I do this sort of thing.
(Paul) So I rock the butt.
Lee does have a lot to learn before he's ready to work here.
So why don't you go ahead and stand up here? - Okay.
- Is this the dress? It might be, I think.
[Laughs.]
It's so pretty.
Beautiful.
Alona is terrific.
She's full of energy, and you can tell that she really enjoys her work.
Thank you.
It was great meeting you.
(Alona) Thanks, Heather.
Bye.
Customers are our customers - for so long - Mm-hmm.
that if we mess up one thing along the way, they become upset, because it's a very sensitive time in their life.
And then they go writing to blogs, writing on the Internet.
You guys get complaints here? We do.
We do get complaints.
It comes with the business.
The bridal industry is one of the most complained about.
Sometimes it is things that my staff has done.
Sometimes it's just like, they're trying to get over on you.
They know that they're wrong and they come in ready for a fight.
"My dress doesn't fit", and you're just like, "okay.
" "Let's see what's going on" and they just they just come in ready for a fight.
So it hurts your feelings.
It's kind of an emotional thing, because you tried so hard.
Alona made an interesting point about the nature of online complaints.
We are dealing with a bride at a very emotional time, on a very emotional topic.
And it makes me realize, as president, that negative comments online don't necessarily reflect the job our employees are doing.
(Alona) So right now, we're going to change one of the mannequins.
It's kind of nice to work in the bridal business and nice and, you know, heartbreaking sometimes.
You see everyone getting married, you're like, "oh, my God!" You're not married, yet? I'm not married yet.
Me and my boyfriend were planning on getting married.
We don't have parents and all that that can pay for a wedding.
We don't have much money.
But you're excited to get married? I am.
I'm excited to get married.
Yes.
This girl that came in, she's actually getting married at the venue that I would like, my dream venue.
Oh, what venue is that? It's called the "Tendenza," in Philly.
(Paul) - Mm-hmm.
- In Philadelphia.
I live in Philadelphia.
And I was just like, "don't show her my dress!" "Don't show her my dress!" Oh, is your dress here? Yes.
That's my dress.
- I love it.
(Paul) - Wow.
I think this is probably going to be the end of what we're going to be doing.
My boyfriend's going to drop off my son right now.
So how does that work? He comes into the store? What do you do? (Alona) My boyfriend works late shifts, so it's all him in the morning, and then kind of all me at night.
And my son, I don't really get to see him as often as I'd like.
- Right.
- He's he walked the other day, and someone told me about it.
I didn't even get to see him.
So that's really hard.
It'll never be his first step ever again, - you know? - Yeah.
So sometimes it makes me feel like a horrible parent.
One day, I hope he understands how hard his mother works, why I made the sacrifices that I made.
And I want to serve as a good example for him.
Come here.
It'll be all right.
- Thanks.
- It's going to be all right.
He's going to know.
Aw, there's my son! Hey! Hello, come here, little boy! Hey, buddy.
What's going on? Hi, how are you? - Lee.
- Ryan.
(Paul) It's obvious that Alona is making big sacrifices, missing time with her son, Max, to come in to work with us.
It's amazing, though, because her enthusiasm and her dedication to work, it still comes through.
Hi, ladies.
How are you? (Announcer) The boss struggles on the sales floor.
Have you picked out your bridal gown yet? Yes.
I bought it a week after I was engaged.
Wow.
That's focused.
So that's okay.
Lee, he's not doing too good.
- Good morning.
- Good morning, Tara.
(Announcer) Paul Quentel, the president of "Alfred Angelo," is a boss undercover in his own company.
I'm Lee Jeffries.
Nice to meet you, Lee.
Nice to meet you.
(Announcer) His employees think he's a contestant on a different reality show, hoping to win money to start his own business.
This is a first for both of us.
Oh, my gosh.
You want help? (Announcer) His journey continues in Pennsylvania.
Today I'm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, working at a bridal show as a sales associate.
Have you ever heard of "Alfred Angelo"? A bridal show is a giant marketplace for newly engaged women to come and learn about the things they'll want for their wedding day.
We don't actually sell merchandise here, but it's a way for us to let people know about "Alfred Angelo" and possibly get them to set up an appointment at one of our stores.
We do over 100 bridal shows a year.
I've never been to one, so I want to see if it's really worth it.
- Deon? - Hello.
How are you? Good.
Lee Jeffries.
Very nice to meet you.
When I first saw Lee, I'm like, okay, he's, you know, a hot guy.
This is Kelly.
Hi, nice to meet you.
Hi.
Lee Jeffries.
Nice to meet you.
And this is Becca.
Girls love a handsome guy, so I thought he would be okay.
The goal for today is basically to talk to people, introduce yourself, and bring them to our table.
Let's pretend like I am a customer.
Okay.
Hi, how are you today? I'm fine.
How are you? - Good.
- Nice to meet you.
My name's Lee.
Do you already have your dress? - Um, yes.
- Oh, no.
I'm looking for, like, a "love's first blush", like a pinkish.
Uh, is "love's first blush" a color? It is.
It is.
If you feel like you're not confident enough to answer the question - for the customer - Yeah? Just say, "I'll get back to you.
" Because it makes you look incompetent.
Yeah, or let me check with Yeah, let me check with my manager or I don't want to look incompetent.
That's not what we want, so I can't wait to see you do this, because I think I'm going to learn a lot.
(Deon) Lee obviously knows nothing about bridal.
He has a lot of work to do.
Come on over.
[Laughing.]
- How are you? - Good.
How are you? Good.
What's your name? - Alyssa.
- Alyssa.
My name is Deon.
So what are you here for today? I just got engaged last week, so Wow! Last week.
Congratulations.
You want to take some of our catalogues and possibly make an appointment at our store? Um, yeah.
I'm watching Deon introduce "Alfred Angelo" to a new bride, and I'm loving everything I hear.
So do you have any bridesmaids dresses? So would you like to make an appointment in our store? We really take pride in making the bride feel happy for her big day.
How you doing, sweetie? Good.
How are you? What's your name? - Tasha.
- Tasha.
- He wouldn't be the groom, would he? - Yeah.
Have you heard of our company, "Alfred Angelo"? - Yes.
- How are you? Come on over.
He has this way about him that's very inviting and very engaging, and people are really responding.
- Thanks.
- Whoa! - Have a good one.
- Thanks.
Thanks for stopping by.
- Bye.
- We'll see you soon.
I can't wait to see you do it.
Do you feel pretty confident? Sure.
Yes.
So relaxed and deep breaths.
(Paul) Deep breaths.
- Hi, ladies.
(Woman) - Hi.
How are you? (Woman) - Good, thanks.
- Good.
[Laughs.]
She looked like she was in a hurry.
You didn't approach her the right way.
When you say, "hi," introduce yourself.
Act like you're talking to your best friend.
I can do that.
Go ahead and try it again.
Are you here looking are you here looking for a dress today? I haven't gotten anything yet, so Oh! Well, look we're down there if you want to visit.
Okay.
All right.
And have a catalogue.
- Thank you.
- Thanks.
Oh, gosh.
You didn't say your name.
You didn't say our company.
Lee, right now, he's not doing too good.
Have you picked out your bridal gown yet? - Yes.
- Okay.
I bought it a week after I was engaged.
Wow.
That's focused.
So that's okay.
Do you have the dress already, like, physically Yeah.
You do.
Okay.
I'm not entirely comfortable talking to strangers in this way.
Hi, ladies.
How are you? I don't think this is going so well.
Did you think color themes yet? - Yeah.
Um - Really? You know, I think we actually have a color called, like blush something.
I think Lee's a great guy.
He has a bright future ahead of him, but I think he should stay away from weddings.
All you have to do is just be yourself.
They they can smell.
Like I said, they can smell if you're not being authentic and genuine, so Right.
I get what you're saying, and it's because they start to feel that relationship with you.
Yeah.
So do you have any questions for me so far? I'm so interested to learn how you got into bridal? I got into bridal because I wanted to go into fashion.
I love fashion.
That's great.
I've done fashion shows.
I've been designing for awhile, just a lot of ideas going through my head, so.
Right.
How do you like the company? I like the company a lot, but as far as communication with the corporate office and the store, it's not too good.
For instance, this dress right here.
Say, for instance, next year that dress is going to be discontinued, which means we can't sell it anymore.
Sometimes we don't get that message.
Well, it's not just that they discontinue it, it's that they don't tell you they're discontinuing it.
That's yeah.
Deon mentioned that they don't always know when a dress is going to be discontinued.
You have a store manager? Have you talked to her about any of this? Yes.
She's like, "it's been happening for years," so Right.
We've got to do a better job of communicating all through the organization, and that really starts with me.
You said you're into fashion.
Yeah.
I have a sketchbook.
You have it with you? - Yes.
- Awesome.
Oh, I like those colors, actually.
Yeah.
I'm you know, I'm real eclectic.
I like color.
Seems like you have a big future ahead of you.
Thank you.
I try.
It wasn't always like that.
I am the only one of my siblings to actually complete college.
You're proud of that, I bet.
I'm very proud.
You should be.
When I walked across the stage at graduation, my nieces and nephews were able to understand that I'm making a big step, and I'm graduating.
Hey, you're a role model to them now.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Do you live with your family, now? - Yes.
- Or what are you doing? I live with my grandfather and my grandmother.
Uh-huh.
I help my grandmother take care of my grandfather.
So you're helping to take care of take care of things there? Yes.
So it can be pretty tough at times.
(Paul) I learned a lot today.
I learned about the value of our bridal shows, in particular.
I think they're a great investment.
And it was great to hear about Deon's passion for fashion.
We better get back to it.
You've done a good job so far.
Ah, it was because of your help.
Come on.
Let's go.
He's just the kind of person that we want in the "Alfred Angelo" family.
You have to know your product.
So everyone here has tried on a wedding dress.
(Announcer) The boss gets in touch with his feminine side.
It really brings out your eyes.
[Laughs.]
I was thinking the same thing.
(Announcer) And later (Announcer) He works with one of the most inspirational employees ever.
Today I'm in Dublin, Ohio, and I'll be training as an assistant manager.
Thank you for calling the "Alfred Angelo Bridal" of Dublin.
I've made a lot of changes to all of our stores in order to make them more efficient.
This is one of our newer stores, so I want to make sure those changes are being implemented and that things are running smoothly.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- How are you? - Leeanne? - Yes.
Lee? - Hi, Lee Jeffries, yes.
- Hi.
Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Are you excited? - I am.
I'm so excited to be here.
Awesome.
I want to show you the goals for the week.
I've gotten dry erase boards for each and every girl on staff.
It gives them their goal for the week.
I really like that.
So this is my goal for the year, which is $1 million.
My assistant has superimposed my face on Dr.
Evil for the $1 million.
[Laughs.]
Bring a little humor to the floor.
I love the creativity of Leeanne.
This is taking ownership of your store and really giving it a fun and friendly feeling.
All right, ladies.
If you want to come over, we're going to have our morning meeting.
I'm going to pull out a stick.
It's going to have an objection, and everybody's going to come up with a way to overcome that.
Okay.
This dress is perfect, but it doesn't fit the theme of my wedding.
Well, it's your wedding gown.
You can really do whatever you want with it.
It doesn't have to match any theme.
Excellent.
Good job, Sheana.
Nice.
Those were good answers.
All right, Lee.
It's your turn.
Are you ready? I'm not really an expert.
I just want to say that.
For bridal gowns.
Okay.
I'm not sure I have I have the money for this right now.
Well, it sounds like [Record scratching.]
I'm sorry.
I'm I'm in character, right? - Yeah.
Absolutely.
- Okay.
Well, you know, we have a lot of options for you.
You can make a deposit and we can work with you to, you know, help you arrange to pay it later.
- Good job.
- Okay.
Well, part of working in bridal retail - is that you have to know your product.
- Yeah.
So everyone here has tried on a wedding dress.
- Yeah.
You know - Your turn.
It's funny 'cause that's probably not gonna happen.
[Laughter.]
No? How do you feel about a veil and a headpiece? That I'll do.
No problem.
- Yeah? All right.
- Yes.
Shouldn't I be in front of a mirror? [Laughing.]
There's a mirror right over here.
And take a look at yourself so you get a sense of what the bride would feel like.
Not surprisingly, I've never worn a veil before.
And I actually thought, "hey, I don't look that bad in it.
" It really brings out your eyes.
I was thinking the same thing.
He had a great big tiara on, and I think that he might have liked that part a little bit.
All right, so I've created a little task for you today.
Mm-hmm.
We get this down from corporate.
They send us our leads.
So we want to put all these people in the system, so they can be contacted.
So we're going to add them.
All these came out of a computer, right? Correct.
So why are you re-typing them into the computer? The computer does not allow you to copy and paste.
Really? It's a waste of time.
That just seems like a lot of work, doesn't it? It is a lot of work.
One of my big responsibilities is to remove obstacles that get in the way of taking care of customers.
All right.
I'm working.
- Takes some time.
- Yeah.
The computer system is obviously obsolete.
I'm about ready to pull hair out.
We've got to find a better way.
We do have a lot to do today.
Okay.
Let me do something.
I actually would really love to take you out for some vendor relations.
- Okay.
- We send business to them.
They send business to us.
It's kind of a way to get traffic in the store.
- Like networking a little, right? - Exactly.
- I'm ready.
- All right.
Let's go.
Today we're gonna go into this music store right here.
Oh, thank you very much.
You're welcome.
- Can I help you? - How are you doing today? Good.
How are you? I'm Abby.
- Abby? - Abby.
Mm-hmm.
[Together.]
Nice to meet you.
Well, listen.
We're looking for opportunities to work with, you know, stores in the center, where we can partner together a little bit on the marketing side.
Something that we would be really interested in would be if you have some bands that would be able to play a reception for a wedding.
Yeah.
I definitely know a few people that might be interested.
Awesome.
Phone number and our e-mail address is there.
Okay, perfect.
Leeanne's really good at knowing how far to explore a relationship.
It's awesome.
So the next place that we're going to is actually a tanning salon.
Uh-huh.
This would be really great for our brides.
A lot of them like to, obviously, be tan.
Yeah.
You know, I try to bronze it up a little myself.
I could tell.
[Laughs.]
Yeah? Let's go on inside and make some connections.
- All right, great.
- Hi.
I work at "Alfred Angelo," right across the shopping center.
People that are getting married, a lot of them want to look good for the day.
So I think there's kind of a natural fit that way.
I agree.
Could we leave you some brochures to keep? Absolutely.
What better opportunity than to partner with a tuxedo shop? - Sure, good luck to you.
- Thank you.
Yeah, I think we made a great connection.
Looking forward to working with you.
Well, thank you.
I'm totally impressed that leeanne took the initiative to start this networking program.
You want to head back to the store? - Let's do it.
- All right.
Let's go.
She does a great job representing our company, and we're lucky to have her.
I was nervous to come in here today.
Really? Why? I'm not really much of a bridal expert.
I think you did all right.
Well, you definitely made it easier.
- Yay! - Yeah.
That's a compliment to me.
I really love the energy in the store.
And have you always been like this? Have you always been very driven and Can't stop, won't stop.
So what are you doing now? I mean, what are your plans? Like, more on a personal level, you know? Um, next year I'm marrying my girlfriend, so I have a wedding to plan for.
- Do you live with your partner? - I do.
And where and your parents and all this? I have been on my own since I was, like, 17.
They weren't comfortable with me in the house anymore, once they found out about my sexual orientation.
- That's that's tough.
- Yeah.
That actually was devastating to me.
Um, and I had to leave.
And there wasn't really any place for me to go, so I just packed a bag and went to someone's house and slept on a couch.
And that just kind of snowballed into never really going home.
I mean, where'd you go? After I overstayed my welcome a few places, I ran out of some place to go.
So I went from there to Penn Station in New York.
So I slept pretty much on a bench and washed my hair in sinks and did what I needed to do.
[Crying.]
It was time for me to get on my feet, and luckily, I just [Sighs.]
um, was looking for a job, and someone was looking for a a salesperson, and from there, I got recruited to work someplace else.
And I just grew into management.
A lot of people think homeless people, there's not really anywhere that they're going to go but down, but if you really want something and you go and get it, you can get it.
- So - Wow.
I'm actually pretty lucky.
When I hear Leeanne and the things that she went through, it's just incredible.
I mean, it's not just all the things that she's overcome, it's the person she is today.
She's taken everything that's happened to her and turned it into something positive, and it's amazing.
All right.
Let's go back and do some work.
I'm in Springfield, Virginia, today, and I'll be working as a bridal stylist.
I'm at the end of my journey now.
You know, so far, I've learned a lot of things, good and bad.
How can I help you? - Oh, Julie? - Yes.
Our bridal stylists have the biggest influence on how our customers feel about their experience in the store, because they're the ones that interact with them the most.
I want to see firsthand if our bridal stylists are creating the kind of family experience that we want our customers to have.
Good morning.
Oh, good morning.
I'm Lee.
Hi, my name is Krysta, and I am deaf, so don't bother.
- Okay.
- I can't hear you.
Sounds good.
- I'm Lee jeffries.
- Hi.
- Nice to meet you.
- So are you ready? Okay.
Sure.
[Phone ringing.]
Hello, thank you for calling "Alfred Angelo.
" This is Krysta.
How can I help you today? Um, yes, hello.
I think the person who helped me when I ordered the dress was Marilla? Okay.
Let me go ahead and put you on hold.
Okay.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
How did you how did you answer the phone? - But you can you can hear? - Yes, I can hear.
- A little bit.
- I can hear a little bit.
Does the company give you special I respect that.
- So - That's awesome.
Hi.
How are you? - Good.
- My name is Krysta.
Hi, Krysta.
I'm looking for a dress.
- I have I actually have a couple of - Oh! Yeah, I was on the website.
[Laughs.]
There's a lot on here, but, I mean, you know, like, sometimes you - Wow! - Yeah.
I know, exactly.
A lot.
I got this.
Don't worry about it.
Okay.
Okay.
Thank you.
Here comes the beautiful bride.
(Paul) Wow.
(Krysta) All right.
That's Take the tour.
Okay, so no.
No.
- Ooh, wow.
- That was quick.
Okay.
She doesn't like it.
It almost came off.
I was - Sorry.
- No, that's all right.
Like it? It's cute, but try something else.
Okay.
[Laughs.]
[Sighs.]
Things with the bride seem to be going just okay.
It's not it.
We haven't found the dress of her dreams yet.
(Mother) Okay.
Don't scream all at once.
[Laughing.]
- Yeah.
- With enthusiasm.
Yeah, she can put that one away.
[Laughter.]
I need it more up here and around.
- Okay.
- Not necessarily diagonal.
- Not on the diagonal.
- Yeah.
It makes her waistline look wide.
I feel like we're so close.
I know.
But you know, I'll definitely make an appointment to come back.
But thank you.
Awesome.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
I've never sold bridal gowns before, and this just proves how hard it is.
Thank you so much for coming by "Alfred Angelo.
" Okay, thank you.
- You're welcome.
- And thank you again.
The most important thing is that we make the bride happy, and even though it's disappointing not to get the sale today, Krysta did a great job creating a relationship with the customer, and hopefully, that will lead her to purchase a dress from us in the near future.
All right.
You go like this.
How how do you like working with "Alfred Angelo"? Have they been supportive of you? Yeah.
Now have you always have you always been hearing impaired? Mm-hmm.
Really? You thought that wouldn't be a possibility? No.
I never thought I could do anything.
Do you have a husband now? Are you married? Wow.
Congratulations.
- Oh, thank you.
- When's the big day? - Next year, May.
- Next year, May? - Wow.
- Yeah.
Really? Krysta's attitude is so inspiring.
She doesn't want any sympathy, and she doesn't want any special treatment.
Should we do the next one? Yes, we should.
Working with people like Krysta this week really reinforces what a great job they do creating a family environment for our customers.
Only the people in the store that interact with these customers can create that, and I need to make sure we treat our associates the same way.
(Announcer) Coming up, the employees think they're going to decide whether or not Lee deserves to win the competition.
How will they react when the boss reveals his true identity? My name is Paul Quentel.
I'm the president of Alfred Angelo.
Hi.
Oh, my God! My week undercover has finally come to an end.
Today I'm at the Rosemont Manor, a wedding venue in Berryville, Virginia.
All the people that I worked with think they have been called here to give feedback on whether or not I deserve to win the money to start my own business.
They have no idea why they are really here.
Hello.
How are you? Hi.
[Laughs.]
Can you tell me a little bit about Lee? Lee was fun.
Nice.
You recognize me? Um, did you shave? Cut off all your hair? I was Lee Jeffries.
Yeah, right.
[Laughs.]
My real name is Paul Quentel.
- Hi! - Hi.
I'm the president of "Alfred Angelo.
" Oh, my God! And you're on Undercover Boss.
- Okay.
- It's nice to meet you.
It's nice to meet you.
- It's nice to meet you as me.
- Aw, yeah.
Deon, from my perspective, you're a phenomenal ambassador for "Alfred Angelo.
" Well, I got into bridal because, um, I wanted to go into fashion.
I am fashion.
- Wow.
- I love fashion.
I was really impressed.
Thank you.
You showed me your portfolio of sketches, which I really enjoyed, by the way.
Thank you.
[Laughing.]
We'd like to send you on an all-expense-paid, four week, $15,000 design internship with our design department down at our corporate headquarters in South Florida.
Wow.
I don't know what to say.
You got a suitcase? I have a huge one.
[Laughs.]
You inspired me with your story about how you were one of the first in your family to graduate from college.
So the "Alfred Angelo" family would like to make an investment in you and provide you with $10,000 to help support you to enroll in a formal design school education of your choice.
Are you serious? I'm totally serious.
I'm just 25-year-old Deon from the midwest.
It's awesome.
So thank you.
Thank you.
It's an amazing feeling.
It's something I've never it's like a feeling I've never felt before.
It was awesome.
Thank you so much.
Nice meeting you.
I've learned that work hard, be honest, be yourself, and dreams can come true.
How did I do? You did amazing.
I totally enjoyed our time together.
Thank you so much.
My name is Krysta.
Hi, Krysta.
- Okay, thank you.
- Yeah.
Your story about how you overcame your hearing impairment, it was a complete inspiration to me.
Well, thank you so much.
- It was amazing.
- Mm-hmm.
And there's a couple of things I'd like to do because of that.
One is that I'd like to have you come down to our corporate office and help us work on a committee to find ways that we can employ people with impairments and give them more opportunities in our organization.
Oh, my gosh.
I would love to work with that.
Thank you so much.
Another thing we'd like to do is to provide $10,000 donation to any charity that you choose [Gasps.]
Oh, my God.
Thank you.
To help people to make themselves better.
Thank you so much.
You know, we talked a lot about the challenges you face and you're such the strong desire you have to be - independent - Mm-hmm.
And how you and your fiance want to start - a new life together.
- Yeah.
We'd like to give you $15,000 to help build your life and your independence.
[Sniffs.]
I'm proud that I worked for it, and I'm proud of everything that's happened to me.
Thank you so much.
I'm feeling great, very overwhelmed.
Thank you so much.
All right? And you're welcome so much.
I felt like my life changed a lot.
Oh, my God.
I'm sorry.
Alona, you did an incredible job.
[Laughs.]
You know, I had some experiences in the store I've never had before.
This is a first for both of us.
I learned, and you were a great coach for me.
[Laughing.]
One of the most important points that I learned this whole week undercover was when you told me that you have trouble keeping employees because of the commission system.
So we're going to make a change to ensure that the commission is paid right away.
Oh! That's awesome.
I had a lot of experiences in the store that day, but the best part for me was meeting your fiance and your son Max.
I thought long and hard about what you told me about the challenges you face in raising him.
We'd like to give you $10,000 to use for childcare or whatever Max may need.
[Crying.]
Thank you.
- You all right? - Yes.
You know, you told me you love your job.
You love what you do, but at the same time, you sort of know in the back of your mind, you won't ever be able to afford that dream wedding or that dream gown.
[Crying.]
What was that place that you told me you wanted to get married at? [Laughing.]
The Tendenza.
The Tendenza? - Well, guess what.
- Oh, no.
We're going to get you a wedding at the Tendenza.
Oh, my God! [Sniffling.]
We're going to pay for the whole thing.
Oh! [Crying.]
Now, there's more.
You know that dress? [Crying.]
Yes.
I'd like you to have that dress Oh, my God.
On behalf of the entire "Alfred Angelo" family.
Thank you.
We can't wait to see you in that dress.
Oh.
Oh, my gosh.
That's so amazing.
[Sniffs.]
Oh, my God.
I'm so super charged! Oh, my God! [Laughing.]
- Keep up the good work.
- Thank you.
- You all right? - Oh! You make me very proud.
Thank you so much.
I'm going to dance at my wedding.
[Humming.]
Yay! I'm so excited! (Paul) Leeanne, I had an amazing experience with you in the store.
I can't believe you got me in a veil and a headpiece.
Does this suit me well, this one? It does.
It really brings out your eyes.
I was thinking the same thing.
You got to be a team player.
Yeah, apparently.
You know, I learned some important lessons working with you, too.
And one of them was working in the computer system.
[Laughs.]
The company's going to make an investment of over $2 million to upgrade our computer systems.
Yay! That's awesome! You recognize this? Yeah, a million dollar bill.
I loved how you created fun incentives and games and the piggy bank and all the things that you had in the store, so I'd like you to come to our headquarters and lead a committee to develop ways to provide incentives for the employees.
I would love that.
You know, you shared an incredible personal story with me, and you told me you wanted to get married.
Mm-hmm.
And you told me you were having - your dress specially made.
- Mm-hmm.
But I want to make sure "Alfred Angelo" provides you with any other dresses you need.
[Crying.]
For your bridesmaids, flower girls, and most importantly, your fiance.
[Sniffing.]
Thank you so much.
You know, probably the most incredible part of your story? Hmm? And I get emotional thinking about it, so excuse me was how you told me about being homeless for a period of time.
You know, lots of people have struggles in life.
So "Alfred Angelo" and the "Alfred Angelo" family would like to give you $25,000 Shut up.
[Crying.]
Towards a deposit of whatever home Oh, my God.
[Crying.]
Oh, my God.
[Crying.]
You and your partner ultimately get.
[Sobbing.]
Oh, my God.
[Sniffs.]
And we're just so proud to have you in the "Alfred Angelo" family.
Oh, my God.
And we thought of something else.
- I can't - Yeah, I know.
How can you top that? Well, we figured you were going to need furniture and Oh, my God.
And probably have some moving expenses, so we'd like to give you $10,000 to help furnish and move yourself into whatever home that is.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome so much.
[Crying.]
Can I hug you? You sure can.
I'd love a hug.
He just gave me so much! No one in my family has ever owned a house, so I will be the first person in my family.
Thank you again.
You're welcome.
Oh, my.
[Phone ringing.]
- Hello? - Babe? I'm on "Undercover Boss".
Um and they just gave us $25,000 to put down on a house.
- What? - And $10,000 For moving expenses and furniture.
Say what? Remember when you said things good things like this don't happen to people like us? You were wrong! [Laughs.]