Aberzombie and Hollowster: The Worst Clothing Stores of All

Allison Koehn

Few enjoy, most shocked, and almost all are appalled by the greeting of a half naked male or female model (billboard or real) when entering a Hollister or Abercrombie clothing store. These companies claim to advertise their merchandise to teens; but also preteens are lured into the social pressures of purchasing their clothing. Based on sex appeal, status, and belongingness, Hollister and Abercrombie market their products in arguably a provocative fashion. Along with disgust of the moral standards of the companies, shoppers also articulate other complaints dealing with the dark lighting, the clothing quality, and high prices. Because of the atmosphere, merchandise, and experience, Abercrombie and Hollister are the worst clothing stores of all.

Across the United States and even spreading to Europe, Hollister and Abercrombie are infamous for their half naked male models. Most occasions the models are showcasing the stores’ jeans however, in this particular photograph it happens to be swim wear and a female model displaying a summer outfit (even though the date happens to be late November in South Dakota when this photo was snapped).

Are the bare-chested displays of style worth the innocence of vulnerable preteens and teens?

The shutters guarding the precious merchandise in Hollister do not scream, “Please come look at our clothes! “ or “You are welcome here!” Feeling isolated and shut out are the vibes shoppers sense from outside the dark barricades. Hollister gives off the impression you must be V.I.P. to enter the shop—increasing the club-like atmosphere (Paxman).

Immediately they control you. For example: from the moment you walk in Hollister controls which side of the store you must enter and browse in. The ladies and gentlemen sides’ are kept separate throughout the dark excursion leaving a consumer in wonderment about the happenings on the other side of the divider.

One of the highly groused nuisances of Abercrombie and Hollister is the dim lighting throughout. Shoppers have realized the shirt or pants they have just purchased are indeed not the color they thought it was inside the store (Hurst). The lights themselves resemble spotlights (highlighting the V.I.P. theme once again). Another irritant shoppers experience remains the deafening techno music blaring through speakers. This music definitely does not rank as muffled background music.

Many horrifying stories have circled about the poor customer service, but one stands out as completely inappropriate. One woman from Kenmore, Washington took her twelve year old daughter and eight friends to Abercrombie and Fitch for a birthday party. They approached the cash register to pay with a twenty five dollar gift card. The cashier said the card was empty and called her manager over. The manager was irritated and rudely claimed the card was empty. The mother calmly tried to explain but the manager began yelling at the woman telling her to get out of her store. The confrontation escaladed and security ended up being called. No fight occurred but the worst part was these young girls witnessed this episode (“My Horrifying Experience at Abercrombie and Fitch”).

What are shoppers are really purchasing? The logo. Here for example are just regular multicolored sweatpants and the reason Hollister can charge forty dollars for them is because they slapped the logo along the side. A subtle rearrangement of the logo creates the only change in sweatpants from Hollister in the last ten years.

Here, a pair of shorts are highlighted via spotlight. Perhaps, if one buys the booty shorts they will be under a “spotlight” in their social arena. The length of the plaid, low-rise shorts would not be found appropriate in public. However, ignorant customers will purchase the expensive pajama shorts.

Curiosity compels nearly everyone to journey into the store at least once in a lifetime. Thankfully, most are repelled right out after experiencing the materialistic and self-centered aura of the shop.

The pictures below are visible proof of the distorted image Hollister and Abercrombie think girls need to resemble. “Super Skinny” and size zero rank as the only beautiful size to wear. Ladies who cannot squeeze into these garments feel ashamed of themselves and the pressure to lose weight is justified. The media has a negative effect on these maturing women (Hawkes).

Can Hollister and Abercrombie be blamed for high Eating Disorder rates among young women?

Socially known for avoiding clothing stores in general, some men are still captured in Hollister and Abercrombie’s traps. The stores attack men by showcasing men with impressive physiques surrounded by a couple beautiful women. Before reality hits him, his wallet willingly hands over forty dollars for one dress shirt.

One of the most irritating sights to be observed in Hollister—messy sale racks. Another example of how little customer satisfaction means to the business.

By far the most popular complaint from all ages remains the putrid, ubiquitous cologne aroma. Workers douse the merchandise repeatedly throughout the work day and the smell never ceases to dissipate. A quick five minute stroll through the store will cause the cologne to linger with you for the remainder of the day.

Clearly all couples interact like these two when taking a picture. Ironically, the couple below the billboard gives a true representation of an average couple. The corner of the billboard notifies shoppers Hollister stays connected on Twitter ( making the company look relatable).

Even though this sign leads to the dressing room, the humor does little to cover up the underlying message. Responsible, loving parents should not allow their children to shop in stores who influence their sons and daughters in such provocative methods.

Unlike their customers, the marketing managers of Hollister and Abercrombie are quite intelligent. Every aspect of their business reflects their sex appeal and free-spirited theme.

The provocative billboards in Abercrombie are how the company lures its prey: teenagers. These adolescents do not understand that they are being brainwashed by the advertisements.

Thankfully consumers are realizing the poor taste and quality of these two clothing lines. The dissatisfaction in the products reflects the 2.5 percent slip in the last fiscal year and 71 stores closing nationwide. An estimated 180 additional stores are projected to close by the end of 2015. In desperation, the companies are taking business overseas. Even this effort looks grim with a 26 percent drop in sales within the second quarter of the last fiscal year (Maheshwari).

The atmosphere, merchandise, and experience of Abercrombie and Hollister are forceful reasons why they are the worst clothing stores of all. From the dark lighting to sleazy overpriced shirts and pants, Abercrombie and Hollister hold nothing of quality. By means of advertising their products, the companies exploit their male and female model’s bodies to claim all clients will resemble their models if they wear Hollister or Abercrombie clothing. Shoppers must critically critique their shopping destinations and certainly avoid Aberzombie and Hollowster.