One more reason I hate Abercrombie and Fitch

[NMAmy]

I will say that the store has a very nice "smell." I'm trying to figure what the scent is that they are piping in. Bergomet? Hollister also smells that way.

See and that's one reason I hate shopping there with dd. That smell is overpowering--between that and the blasting loud music, I feel like I'm in a bar. Now, if they served alcohol, that might make my whole shopping experience better.

DD and I went shopping for a winter coat for her last weekend. We saw virtually identical coats at both Hollister and A&F. Only difference was the logo and the coat at A&F was $100 more. When dd was explaining to her friend about the price difference, her very label conscious friend said, "Oh, the moose at A&F is cuter." I was so proud when dd said, "Not $100 cuter!"

 

[Christine]

I always just figured it was their own, somewhat overpowering, perfume.

No, the perfume doesn't smell that way and the smell is all over the store and spills out into the mall. I guess it could be perfume but when I pick up the bottle, it doesn't smell anything like what the air smells like. Also, in our outlet, I think I've only seen the perfume once.

Then, when you get the clothes, sometimes they even have that smell after the first wash. Weird.

And, as I said, Hollister has the same smell.

 

[kasar]

As if I needed one more reason to hate that store!

There are lots of cute jeans out there - I just want to scream, "girls, please don't give these mysogynistic stores your money" but it wouldn't make any difference, I'm afraid.

 

[malibuconlee]

I wasn't aware that they only sold small sizes in there. Now, I usually shop at their outlet and they have plenty of sizes like 9's and 11's. Granted, they don't carry plus sizes, but they aren't just for teeny-tiny people either.

I think what the OP was referring to was the fact that many of their clothes run very small. I wear a Large shirt. I was with friends shopping a couple of years ago and picked up a "Large" t-shirt off a table. Held it up. It covered about half of my chest. They got a big kick out of me saying "THIS is a large?" So did the two guys standing next to me.

The clothing also tends to be cut so that it's only flattering to small sized people.

True funny story. I accidentally walked into the Ambercrombie childrens store when shopping alone. I didn't even realize it until I got to the regular store later in the day. That's how small their cothing seems to me, it could easily be children's clothing.

 

[Stephanie218]

I will say that the store has a very nice "smell." I'm trying to figure what the scent is that they are piping in. Bergomet? Hollister also smells that way.

I work at Abercrombie and they don't pipe in any smells....however we do spray the current perfume's alllll over the store several times a day. It's called misting - we spray the enterance, all the mannequins, and most clothing piles.

While I wouldn't wear some of the tee-shirts with the sayings mentioned above, I don't really care if someone else wears them. Besides, I get a great discount on the clothes that I do wear from there.

 

[Beth76]

I work at Abercrombie and they don't pipe in any smells....however we do spray the current perfume's alllll over the store several times a day. It's called misting - we spray the enterance, all the mannequins, and most clothing piles.

And the difference is........

 

[Stephanie218]

And the difference is........

i thought of piping in as mechanically though tubes distributing the mist. whatever.....

 

[wdwgirl03]

Wow. Now I know why I don't get clothes from there...and the fact that their stuff is so ridiculously priced doesn't help either.

 

[Christine]

i thought of piping in as mechanically though tubes distributing the mist. whatever.....

That's what I meant by "piping in". I thought they had some system that kept pumping out fragrance. But, I'm glad you told me about the "misting" because it was just starting to be one of those things I couldn't stop wondering about... I know, I need to get a life.

 

[brittsmum1998]

Me & DH were talking about this the other nite. While I would defend anyone who wants to wear this JUNK, my DD better NEVER wear it!! Of course I can still tell her what to wear she's only 7, but in a perfect world when she is 15 I will NOT be letting her out in public in those shirts (hopefully ) I guess I can't understand why that store would still be in business after being so degrading to girls and young girls at that

 

[Chicago526]

I must shop in the wrong places, because I don't encounter this vanity sizing at all! I'm a 10 no matter what I buy or where I shop!!! Then again, everything I wash tends to shrink...in fact I buy larges for t-shirts because after the first wash, they become mediums!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I have two boys and they are both real Anti-A&F this year.
I had bought some A&F sweaters (still with the tags on) at Goodwill over the summer -- all excited because I got them for like $2 each. Now my son won't even look at them.

The kid who Umps some of our baseball game works at A&F. He was telling us one night about the "how to be snooty" training they get. They are also instructed on how to size up people who come in....do they look like the A&F type or should we slightly encourage them to leave the store? It was hilarious.

 

[Marilyn Mc]

I guess I can't understand why that store would still be in business after being so degrading to girls and young girls at that

Because there are plenty of Paris Hilton wannabes out there that wear shirts like that proudly.

They are also instructed on how to size up people who come in....do they look like the A&F type or should we slightly encourage them to leave the store? It was hilarious.

Ugh. That just irritates the heck out of me! Someone might not "look" like their ideal customer, but they may be there willing to spend big bucks on gifts for other people.

 

[disneymom3]

I have two boys and they are both real Anti-A&F this year.
I had bought some A&F sweaters (still with the tags on) at Goodwill over the summer -- all excited because I got them for like $2 each. Now my son won't even look at them.

EBAY!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

EBAY!

Yeah, most likely. I really need to clean his closet out anyway. Between hand downs from his brother and what I buy, the kid probably HAS more clothes than Paris Hilton.

 

[agotta]

I have two boys and they are both real Anti-A&F this year.
I had bought some A&F sweaters (still with the tags on) at Goodwill over the summer -- all excited because I got them for like $2 each. Now my son won't even look at them.

The kid who Umps some of our baseball game works at A&F. He was telling us one night about the "how to be snooty" training they get. They are also instructed on how to size up people who come in....do they look like the A&F type or should we slightly encourage them to leave the store? It was hilarious.

A&F used to be part of the Limited Co, but broke off several years ago because the had a "different" idea about how to run a business. I always thought those were rumors. I used to hear that they purposely ignore the customer. I don't get it. I worked in retail for over 10 years and NEVER in my life would I enourage one of my employees to IGNORE a customer. Dh and were talking about this last night while shopping for sneakers. None of the teenagers that manned these stores had a clue. We were ignored in one because he was flirting with a pretty girl. Another one kept asking us what we wanted DH's shoes to look like. I must have told him 10 times, we don't care what they look like, he just needs good running shoes. Sorry didn't mean to hijack the thread. Vent over.

 

[caitycaity]

They are also instructed on how to size up people who come in....do they look like the A&F type or should we slightly encourage them to leave the store? It was hilarious.

i'll admit a large part of my af hatred comes from the fact that a few years ago (when i weighed a lot more than i do now) i was doing some xmas shopping for my skinny minnie cousin who happened to really want some sweater from a+f. i went in and within 5 minutes i had some snooty teenager look me up and down and actually tell me that there was nothing there for me!

 

[cardaway]

Did you notice it comes in black, which of course is very slimming. Couldn't be that the AF crowd has something to hide as well.

 

[lilboo]

They've had some pretty vile Ts. And their clothes and really the allure of the whole image is just bewildering.

I guess the media attention it's recently received, how ever negative, is just more free advertising to the kind who'd be attracted to this sort of thing.

I'm happy to report that our local A&F was pushed right out of business, though.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

i had some snooty teenager look me up and down

That is what I think is so funny. I mean, it is slightly hilarious to have a 19 year old kid not even earning enough money to pay for the overpriced ratty sweater on his back performing a physical and psychological analysis on you.

Anyway, he told me that I would be pegged right away as "Mom with credit card shopping for kid." So I would get a polite Hello. I guess that is supposed to be flattering.


You know what is really odd though? My older son loves to buy the band t-shirts from Hot Topic. Those pierced and purple headed kids dressed in the black stuff with buckles everywhere --- They have some of the best customer service I've gotten anywhere around.