Abercrombie Losing Its Shirt in the Market; Pants to Follow

Abercrombie and Fitch is having a tough time in the weakened economy. For nearly two years now, the retailer’s sales have been dropping faster then a pair of distressed cargo shorts off an Abercrombie catalog model. Turns out, when people lose their jobs and money is tight, they don’t want to buy $60 t-shirts. And cheaply-made ones at that. I guess gratuitous nudity will only keep a store in business for so long.

Speaking of gratuitous nudity, can we just reflect for a minute on the days when there was all that drama over those scandalous Abercrombie catalogs? Those were the good old days. At least, Abercrombie’s CEO Michael Jeffries probably thinks so. Now, instead of naked models grabbing headlines for the store, the news is that for the 21st consecutive month, same-store sales are down. People are going elsewhere to get similar items at cheaper prices. The retailer promised to lower prices, but either they didn’t lower them enough or it just didn’t do a damn thing to improve business. I guess the Abercrombie brand isn’t what it used to be. Then again, this news isn’t surprising. Does anyone even shop there anymore? By my guess, that store became irrelevant around five years ago.

I work at the Grove in Los Angeles and I must say, if the company goes under, I wont miss the stench of the Abercrombie perfume that pollutes the air throughout the entire shopping center. But, I sure will miss the shirtless male models being pimped out in front of the store. So long, boys. Look at it this way, you’re not the only ones to have lost your shirts in this economy.