Breaking Bad: Cashmere Turtleneck Order

Breaking Bad News Assignment
Scenario: Who wouldn’t want to a cashmere zip turtleneck sweater for $18? At the J. Crew Website, many delighted shoppers scrambled to order this unbelievable bargain. Unfortunately, the $18 price was an intern’s typing error—the sweater should have been listed for $218! Before the J. Crew officials could correct the mistake, over a thousand keen e-shoppers had bagged the item in their digital shopping carts.
When the mistake was discovered, J. Crew immediately went into damage control and drafted an email to the soon-to-be disappointed shoppers. The subject line shouted, “BIG MISTAKE!!!!!” Emily Woods, the V.P. of Online Business at J. Crew, began her message with this statement: “I wish we could sell such an amazing sweater for only $18. Our price mistake on your new cashmere zip neck sweater probably went right by you, but rather than charge you such a large difference, I’m writing to alert you that this item has been removed from your recent order. Of course, you are free to re-order this item at its regular price of $218.”
As an assistant in the communication department at J. Crew, you saw a draft of the message that was going to be sent to customers, and you tactfully suggested to your manager that the bad news should be broken differently. Intrigued by your suggestion, your manager has entrusted you with composing a better bad news message.
Your Task: Using the principles that have been discussed in this week’s presentation, write an email that uses the indirect approach to breaking bad news. Your message should thus contain the following four parts:
A buffer that prepares the reader for the bad news
Reasons that explain or justify the bad news
Strategies that cushion the blow of the bad news
A closing that shows goodwill towards the disappointed customers
In the end, J. Crew decided to allow customers who ordered the sweater at $18 to reorder it for $118.80 to $130.80 depending on the size (larger sizes cost more). Customers would be given a special discount code to use at the checkout (you can make it up). As a bonus, if customers purchased additional items and their total order was over $218 (the cashmere sweater`s regular price), J. Crew would waive the shipping fee. For customers who may not want to reorder the sweater at the discounted price, think of another way to address their disappointment.
Important Notes: For this assignment, you will need to bring together the various writing techniques and principles that you have learned this term. Remember to do the following things in your message:
Be concise: eliminate unnecessary wordiness (flabby expressions, long lead-ins, redundant words, empty words) and only say what is essential to your message.
Be clear: ensure that your message is not clouded by trite business expressions, clichés, slang/pretentious words, buried verbs, etc.
Consider your audience: J. Crew customers are young, and like to think they’re hip, so keep the tone of your message upbeat (but at the same time professional).
Consider formatting: use the principles of document design (typeface, fonts, white space, headings, lists, etc.) to ensure that your message looks attractive and is easy to read.
Remember the details: use the specific details in the scenario. You may supply any additional information you need to complete the assignment.
Remember your checklist! 
Clear goal in mindClear instructions from supervisor (legal counsel)Clear understanding of messageClear understanding of audience/readerClear understanding of procedure and protocolClear, neutral openingClear explanation without admission of guilt or culpabilityClear statement of impact or negative newsClear redirect with no reminders of negative newsClear results with acceptance or action on negative news
Grading: Please consult the attached rubric that I will use to evaluate your assignments. Use the rubric as a checklist to ensure that your message meets all the requirements.
Due Date: Submit your assignment in the appropriate dropbox by 11:59pm on Thursday, October 3rd, 2019. As always, please include your last name in the filename you use.