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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow Abercrombie Went From Cool to Creepy
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/why-abercrombie-fitch-losing-teen-appeal-152756672.htmlThis attitude was no accident. "We go after cool kids," CEO Mike Jeffries told Salon.com in a 2006 interview. "A lot of people don't belong and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely." One part of being cool in Jeffries mind was being thin. Abercrombie & Fitch didn't carry sizes above 'large' or pants bigger than size 10 for women....
In the age of social networking, aloof isn't cool. It's just boring. Selfies and social networking are all about sharing and being inclusive and being part of a bigger community. There's nothing welcoming about a store that's roped off and seemingly guarded by a buff wall of "ab-tastic" teenagers. Abercrombie's sepia-toned ad campaigns with scantily clad teens romping around on beaches or in locker rooms aren't hip and inviting. They're just... creepy. "It's uncomfortable to shop (there)" as Sozzi puts it, "You don't want to go in there and talk to a (clerk) with your mom or your dad." Rest assured dads don't want their daughters talking to those guys either.
Forced to grovel to its customers with slightly expanded sizes and lower prices only makes Abercrombie look worse. It's long past time for the 69-year old Jeffries to be sent out to pasture in favor of someone with slightly more familairity with millennials.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)spanone
(135,862 posts)money meets vanity meets some kind of ugly
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)xfundy
(5,105 posts)Or at least in the recovery room:
"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JZlkIxJjSjE/TqOBeD6xzUI/AAAAAAAACHY/m0HE8sGm9m8/s1600/CAT+WOMAN+FACE+3.jpg
Pic of the cat lady, I don't know why it won't show.
Response to xfundy (Reply #7)
Cali_Democrat This message was self-deleted by its author.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)FSogol
(45,524 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)Dash87
(3,220 posts)frazzled
(18,402 posts)This is only one part of the story. It's amazing they've stayed in business as long as they have.
http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-and-fitch-worst-controversies-2013-8
Brother Buzz
(36,458 posts)Back when they actually sold fishing stuff, their San Francisco store at Union Square had a trout stream under the stairs. How cool is that?
Generic Other
(28,979 posts)to torture them. Let the "we not cool" kids mess with their heads a bit.
As I recall cool kids went for the slovenly "who gives a rat's ass" look when I was young.
Earth_First
(14,910 posts)It wasn't until the failing company was purchased by The Limited brands in 1988 and brought Jefferies onboard did it become what it is today.
OnionPatch
(6,169 posts)a better plastic surgeon.
smokey nj
(43,853 posts)the face with a shovel or a cast iron skillet.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)remember Lark Voorhies from Saved By The Bell?
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)At the risk of sounding like an old fart, the music was deafening. I thought my ears were going to start bleeding. Also, if you have fragrance issues DO NOT set foot in there. It was hard to breathe -- the whole place had a choking smell of overpowering cologne. Then you get to pay $50 for a crappy, poorly made sweater.