Abercrombie is paying the price

As a parent, I think that mother has bigger problems with her daughter than not being able to buy some trendy, overpriced rag.

If your child is so label- and brand-conscious that she fears she'll have no friends if she doesn't wear the "right" clothes...well, then I'm sorry but you're failing in a critical part of your child's upbringing. Self-worth comes from the inside, mama, not the outside. Take her to Kohl's and, better yet, take away her iPod, cell phone and computer for a few weeks. Oh! The horror!

Perhaps consumers are finally realizing that the merchandise is of poor quality and redundant.

smalltown wrote:

Perhaps consumers are finally realizing that the merchandise is of poor quality and redundant.

And made in 25 cents an hour sweat shops that the great mighty Wal-Mart was instrumental in creating.

My slender leg couldn't fit into a size Large Abercrombie shirt. This store is ridiculous!

Harborgal wrote:

My slender leg couldn't fit into a size Large Abercrombie shirt. This store is ridiculous!

If you're trying to put your leg into a shirt, you're doing it wrong.:)

This is simply parents telling their kids "no." It has nothing to do with a falling out with their target customer (kids). When adults feel more confident in the economy they will spend like never before and companies like Abercrombie will thrive like they never have before. These things go in cycles.

Aren't there strict standards on appearance for working at the stores? Also, I agree that the sizes are tiny. Come on now - teens come in all sizes just like the rest of the U.S. The retailer wanted to be exclusive,now it is really hurting.
Our young people are learning thrift and practicality, and this is a good thing.

I have so missed beautiful and brilliant colors because of the constant gray, bland navy, dusty pink, and dull maroon that dominate Abercrombie and Holister. While the uncreative and redundant blandness remains, it has not gone unnoticed by me the recent change in attitude of the staff in the stores: suddenly so friendly, saying please and thank you, generally dropping the stuck-up-popular-kid-at-my-sch ool attitude.

I've never set foot in A&F and I don't plan to start. My kids have friends who have higher priorities than wearing A&F.

I think it's about time this happened. I always thought people that wore AF were douche bags. I don't care if they gave the clothes away, I wouldn't wear anything AF.

Every overpriced preppy brand has it's deathlike stages - some repeatedly. Polo has gone in and out of style more times than I can count. Lacoste was in a coma for 20 years before it came back stronger than ever.

The immediate problem for A&F ??? The IMMATURE parents who rationalized spending $100-$200 on A&F jeans were the same parents who were living off credit card debt that was eventually paid off by HELOC loans. The big, long IMMATURE HELOC party is over and so is spending tens of thousands of dollars / yr on "Shopping Mall Bling."

Bigger Problems wrote:

As a parent, I think that mother has bigger problems with her daughter than not being able to buy some trendy, overpriced rag.
If your child is so label- and brand-conscious that she fears she'll have no friends if she doesn't wear the "right" clothes...well, then I'm sorry but you're failing in a critical part of your child's upbringing. Self-worth comes from the inside, mama, not the outside.

Anyone who's studied retail marketing will tell you... The FEAR that a child won't be popular is much more ingrained in the parents than it is the child. Parents FEAR that their kid won't be popular, so they buy their kids all the right toys and eventually all the right clothes.

So a peddler of garbage falls on hard times and who gives a crud. We've all grown weary of the pretensiousness of this retailing filth.

You weren't the popular kid in school. Your parents didn't splurge on you once in a while. You had to walk 5 miles to school. You don't understand Abercrombie as a brand nor their unique marketing techniques. You are simply too fat or too old to wear their clothes.

For everyone who's posted criticism about Abercrombie in this thread, pick one of the aforementioned excuses (truths).

Fact is Abercrombie is not for everyone, but so what? Neither is rogaine or nose hair clippers. I hate to to see any company go under in a down economy, it's one less place people will spend money (which keeps the economy going). They admit they didn't plan well, but their doors are still open (unlike the countless other retailers who are now defunct). I'm 36 and I still wear Abercrombie clothes now and then. If you look past the "image" and negative press, you'll see that a lot of their clothes are well-made. Overpriced, somewhat, but if you can afford it then who the **** cares?

Yeah, I don't understand paying that kind of money for "grunge". My advice: Leave the price tag on the garment after buying it; otherwise, no one will appreciate how really chic and trendy it is.

Abercrombie has and continues to be overpriced, their customer service is horrible, I used to shop at Abercrombie for my kids until they forget to put a bottle of cologne in my bag and since I didn't live in Columbus I called and ask to make other arrangements instead of driving another hour to come back to get something they forgot, well needless to say I drove back to get it and was very angry since then I have not shopped at the store and won't. Their music is too loud and the cologne smell about knocks you down when you walk thru the door.$100 for a pair of jeans is unbelievable. Hollister is a little more affordable and their clothes outlast Abercrombie. No wonder the store is going down hill!!!!

Just Sayin wrote:

<quoted text>
If you're trying to put your leg into a shirt, you're doing it wrong.:)

Too funny!! ha ha ha ha ha you are doing wrong!!

Too dang funny!!!

Just Sayin wrote:

<quoted text>
If you're trying to put your leg into a shirt, you're doing it wrong.:)

Making a point that any slim person is still to large to fit into any Abercrombie size clothes.

BigDaddy wrote:

<quoted text>
Too funny!! ha ha ha ha ha you are doing wrong!!
Too dang funny!!!

You're over doing it.

What is the matter with all you crazy skinny people? Go eat a cheeseburger, devour some chocolate coated bacon and by all means drink some beer.