Abercrombie &…What’s That Smell?
Posted by Andrew | Filed under Here's an Idea
You are walking through your local mall. It’s a convenient place to shop at all of your favorite stores and get tons of errands done in one shot and even grab a bite to eat at a Panda Express. So, you’ve just left the Payless with a new pair of running shoes that you intend to use, but never will, and you’re on your way to buy an over-priced pack of batteries from the Radio Shack. Suddenly, you stop dead in your tracks. A horrible disgusting over powering smell has just hit you like a brick wall. You have walked in front of the Abercrombie & Fitch store.
You can tell it’s an A&F store not only because it smells like an Axe delivery truck collided with a manure truck, but just the appearance of it. First of all, you can’t see the interior of the store until you actually walk in and get tag teamed by sales people with double digit IQs. All you can see is wooden facade and provocative banners featuring shirtless men. I don’t think Abercrombie sells shirts for men, and if they do, they should really rethink their advertising strategy.
But that smell drives me up the wall and makes me want to raid the Proactiv kiosk and shove two whole tubes up my nostrils. I think it’s some special formula developed in a bio-lab somewhere (most likely underground) that was especially designed to attract douche bags. That’s the reason why you can’t see into the store from the hall, no one in there wants to admit that they shop there. If only it wasn’t for the fact that every single thing that they sell has there logo on it. By the way, you are going to pay a premium for the privilege. A regular blue t-shirt costs a buck to make and Wal-Mart will seel it to you for 5, but stamp “Abercrombie” across the front and it’s going for $36.
Now, I’m a Mac user, you can start throwing the whole “Apple tax” rubbish, but at least Macs are original over their competitors in terms of design and innovation. I don’t think there is much innovation going on in the clothing and apparel industry, I think all of the concepts and designs have been ironed out. So, here’s an idea (that’s the category I’ve chosen for this), if you shop at this store or one of it’s clones, known as competitors, like American Eagle, Aéropostale, and Abercrombie’s subsidiary for real adventurers, Hollister, you should stop. I hear that Goodwill has some great deals, and it goes to a good cause.
