Abercrombie & Fitch CEO explains why he only caters to thin and beautiful people

[Grizz]

This guy can do what he wants.
That's not to say that, given the opportunity and the upper body strength, I would punch him in the face in a heartbeat, not only for his rude comments, but for his smelly store overpowering the Cinnabon at my local mall! I want to smell sugary shit, not chemical shit! Where do you expect the fat people to go if you ruin Cinnabon for them anyway?

[rumborak]

I mean, most places give you the shirt for free if it has the company's name on it. I guess it's am achievement in marketing to convince those suckers to pay extra money for it.
Kinda reminds me of this: https://technologizer.com/2008/08/05/the-first-1000-iphone-application/

[Perpetual Change]

Yeah, I've never liked that either, and I kinda despise the whole culture really. Like, you can get the same shit at Kohls, or Walmart, or wherever, and the only difference on your version would be it's lacking the annoying logo.

[Tick]

and when wearing your Abercrombie & Fitch shirt in cold weather, be sure to bundle up with a nice jacket from North Face. Cause its all about the labels, yo.

Some thin people are anorexic, I wonder if plastic face approves of those types of people wearing his clothes? I would hate to see his plastic face melt from displeasure.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

[bout to crash]

God, that's hot.

[Tick]

"OH NO!!!!FAT PEOPLE!!! ARRRRRRR!!!! I'M MELTING!!!!!"

[wolfking]

I got no problem with this.  Fat stores don't cater for thin people, so whatever.

[Neon]

I could never shop in that store simply because it smells horrible.  Well, that and I refuse to wear anything that has a brand name plastered across it. 

[pogoowner]

It wasn't necessarily a good idea for someone to come out and say it like that, but it's a perfectly valid business strategy. I have no issue with it.

[Jaq]

It wasn't necessarily a good idea for someone to come out and say it like that, but it's a perfectly valid business strategy. I have no issue with it.

Angering potential customers is a valid business strategy?

This fucker isn't targeting a demographic, he's saying "only if you meet my incredibly narrow standards do you get to wear my clothes." He's annoying people who FIT in his overpriced crap. And being a pompous ass at the same time. So yeah, if deliberately reducing your market share is a valid business practice, he's doing it right. Pretty sure that cutting off potential profits isn't a valid business strategy though.

[reneranucci]

It wasn't necessarily a good idea for someone to come out and say it like that, but it's a perfectly valid business strategy. I have no issue with it.

Angering potential customers is a valid business strategy?

This fucker isn't targeting a demographic, he's saying "only if you meet my incredibly narrow standards do you get to wear my clothes." He's annoying people who FIT in his overpriced crap. And being a pompous ass at the same time. So yeah, if deliberately reducing your market share is a valid business practice, he's doing it right. Pretty sure that cutting off potential profits isn't a valid business strategy though.

Knowing people's arrogant and self-important mentality, many of the brand's customers will feel better about themselves now, and keep buying their clothes there.

[rumborak]

His demographic is the one that wants to know that others are shut out because they're not good looking enough.  He is targeting exactly that conceited group of people,  and him saying it publicly increased that value even more.

[MetalJunkie]

This thread gives me an idea. I should start a website consisting of overweight models posing in Abercrombie and Fitch. Make it a whole new trend.

[black_biff_stadler]

I will not work for less than $20 a day.

[Ħ]

I have a chubby friend who constantly complains about the A&F culture. And I'm pretty sure it's because "bulk runs in his family" and so he detests skinny guys. He hates it a little too much (it is just clothing, after all), but I see his point. Really, this is going to sound very anti-feminist or whatever, but in my observation, men are not men in the western world anymore. Honestly, how many real men do you know under the age of 30? I'm not one at all, but I feel like I can still step back and try to look at it objectively. This present obsession with looks (which includes taste in mere labels of brand names on your clothes) is making men pansies.

Obviously the dude is allowed to market to whomever he wants, but just sayin'.

[black_biff_stadler]

I agree that a decent chunk of dudes are frilly pussies these days.

[antigoon]

Honestly, how many real men do you know under the age of 30? I'm not one at all, but I feel like I can still step back and try to look at it objectively. This present obsession with looks (which includes taste in mere labels of brand names on your clothes) is making men pansies.

Oh wow, I didn't know men caring about how they looked was a "present obsession."

[antigoon]

REAL MEN ONLY WEAR BAND TEES

[Ħ]

Honestly, how many real men do you know under the age of 30? I'm not one at all, but I feel like I can still step back and try to look at it objectively. This present obsession with looks (which includes taste in mere labels of brand names on your clothes) is making men pansies.

Oh wow, I didn't know men caring about how they looked was a "present obsession."

I feel like clothing has always been a status symbol (as in royalty, for example), but isn't this obsession with physical "hotness" or whatever a fairly recent thing? At least for men, I think it is.

[antigoon]

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.

[rumborak]

I have a chubby friend who constantly complains about the A&F culture. And I'm pretty sure it's because "bulk runs in his family" and so he detests skinny guys. He hates it a little too much (it is just clothing, after all), but I see his point. Really, this is going to sound very anti-feminist or whatever, but in my observation, men are not men in the western world anymore. Honestly, how many real men do you know under the age of 30?

Just pointing out here, the day and age you probably consider the time where men were still "real men", there essentially were no overweight men. Just sayin'.

[Ħ]

I have a chubby friend who constantly complains about the A&F culture. And I'm pretty sure it's because "bulk runs in his family" and so he detests skinny guys. He hates it a little too much (it is just clothing, after all), but I see his point. Really, this is going to sound very anti-feminist or whatever, but in my observation, men are not men in the western world anymore. Honestly, how many real men do you know under the age of 30?

Just pointing out here, the day and age you probably consider the time where men were still "real men", there essentially were no overweight men. Just sayin'.

i'm talking about maybe three to five decades ago. There were definitely overweight people then.

[Ravenheart]

I have a chubby friend who constantly complains about the A&F culture. And I'm pretty sure it's because "bulk runs in his family" and so he detests skinny guys. He hates it a little too much (it is just clothing, after all), but I see his point. Really, this is going to sound very anti-feminist or whatever, but in my observation, men are not men in the western world anymore. Honestly, how many real men do you know under the age of 30? I'm not one at all, but I feel like I can still step back and try to look at it objectively. This present obsession with looks (which includes taste in mere labels of brand names on your clothes) is making men pansies.

Obviously the dude is allowed to market to whomever he wants, but just sayin'.

I can't even begin to imagine where I fit into your pantheon of types of men.

[rumborak]

I have a chubby friend who constantly complains about the A&F culture. And I'm pretty sure it's because "bulk runs in his family" and so he detests skinny guys. He hates it a little too much (it is just clothing, after all), but I see his point. Really, this is going to sound very anti-feminist or whatever, but in my observation, men are not men in the western world anymore. Honestly, how many real men do you know under the age of 30?

Just pointing out here, the day and age you probably consider the time where men were still "real men", there essentially were no overweight men. Just sayin'.

i'm talking about maybe three to five decades ago. There were definitely overweight people then.

3-5 decades ago men were still real men? I think you have a very rosy-eyed view of the past.

[Ħ]

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.

Do you mean to say that you disagree with my post, or that you literally are not following what I am saying? I thought I was clear. All I meant was that boys/men nowadays are obsessed with looks. And I mean "obsessed" in a very literal sense. Of friends my age, it's at the forefront of their minds, priorities, and values. And it didn't used to be that way in previous generations. Is that so disagreeable?

[Ħ]

I have a chubby friend who constantly complains about the A&F culture. And I'm pretty sure it's because "bulk runs in his family" and so he detests skinny guys. He hates it a little too much (it is just clothing, after all), but I see his point. Really, this is going to sound very anti-feminist or whatever, but in my observation, men are not men in the western world anymore. Honestly, how many real men do you know under the age of 30?

Just pointing out here, the day and age you probably consider the time where men were still "real men", there essentially were no overweight men. Just sayin'.

i'm talking about maybe three to five decades ago. There were definitely overweight people then.

3-5 decades ago men were still real men? I think you have a very rosy-eyed view of the past.

Perhaps you're right (I do have an affinity towards the 50s, 60s, 70s), but certainly there were more real men than my generation.

[Ħ]

I get the impression that people here are rolling their eyes. Is what I'm saying really that radical? I thought it was a pretty common position that the West is unhealthily obsessed with physical attractiveness, and that men aren't as tough, hard-working, or value-driven as they used to be. You may disagree with that, but it's not something no one has ever said before. This is a common position people have.

[DebraKadabra]

REAL MEN ONLY WEAR BAND TEES

 

On topic, however...

I could never shop in that store simply because it smells horrible.  Well, that and I refuse to wear anything that has a brand name plastered across it. 

I'm totally with you, girl.

[rumborak]

I get the impression that people here are rolling their eyes. Is what I'm saying really that radical? I thought it was a pretty common position that the West is unhealthily obsessed with physical attractiveness, and that men aren't as tough, hard-working, or value-driven as they used to be. You may disagree with that, but it's not something no one has ever said before. This is a common position people have.

It's a position that's mostly born out of ignorance of other cultures. Look at Italy and Spain. Men there, for as long as I have heard of, have been essentially peacocks with gelled-backed hair, more concerned with their own looks than anything else. Unless you don't consider Souther European countries as western culture.
Your idea of the "good ol' times" never existed, IMHO.

[Ħ]

You don't think so? Well, even if you are correct, then I think that my main point still stands, that the West is still overly obsessed with looks.

[rumborak]

No offense, but you say that because you've only seen the West. Go to the Middle East, and frankly men there aren't all that much different than in Italy or Spain.

[Ħ]

It's a good thing I didn't commit myself to saying that only the West is overly obsessed with looks, then, isn't it?

[antigoon]

And besides, there's nothing wrong with wanting to look good. Not sure what that has to do with being a real man, either. Where is the obsession you're seeing?

[rumborak]

The only obsession I see right now is that of a cookie-cutter view of how a man should be that only ever a minority of men really adhered throughout history and cultures.