There is sad and there is good

[Shabo]

I love American Eagle and Aeropostale for the fact that they have cute, preppy-type stuff I can wear to work, but it's better quality than A&F/Hollister and it doesn't make me homicidal shopping in their stores.

Uh... I don't know what Aero you shop at, but their clothes are cheap and fall apart after you wash them twice around here.

A&F and Hollister are always very dimly lit, very strongly scented of cologne and have the music WAY too loud

I have had friends that work at Hollister, and they actually have to go around every hour and spray cologne, 2 pumps, at every shelf. I like the smell of that cologne, but it is waaaayyyy too strong. And yes, their music is obnoxiously loud. I've been in there a few times. I really like their pants, and that's about the only thing I buy from them anymore.

I've noticed that a few people were commenting on target demographics of stores. I'll help you guys out a bit, since I just did a project on AEO's marketing for one of my classes. (I also used to work there, and know the most about them.)

*clears throat, dons marketing cap* American Eagle Outfitters, aka AEO, markets their products to 18-24, although the customers that usually shop there start at around 14 years of age. They claim to be the "Denim Destination" for back to school, saying that they sell more denim than their competitors. They go for the college look. Casual, comfortable, well fitting. That look passes down really well into high schoolers who want to look older and more mature. Their sizes are accurate for today's size student, and yes, they outsource their manufacturing to other companies. AE has also come up with a new brand, Osa + Martin, that targets 35+ market. Those clothes are expensive, but made of high quality materials like cashmere and silk. Not my thing, but then again, I'm still 22.

Abercrombie and Fitch used to be a sportswear store until the 80's, but when that wasn't doing so good, they were bought out by The Limited and switched into the 18-24 "trendy" market. They are direct competitors with AEO, but considerably more expensive, which means people are more likely to pass up A & F for AEO. They have a sub-brand of Hollister, which targets the 14-18 demographic. That's partly why their clothes are so small, and why there are always tons of tweens and young teens in that store. They have another sub-brand called abercrombie, which targets 7-14 year olds. All three brands are very pricey, but good quality and very trendy.

Aeropastle targets the 11-18 target market, and competes with A & F as a whole brand, as well as AEO. Aero tends to have the cheapest clothing, but it is also the lowest quality. Most college age students get out of wearing Aero clothes because they tend to have slightly better income, and the Aero clothes just don't last for them.

*wipes forehead, takes off sweaty marketing cap*

So there you go. That's why, for those of you who don't fit in those target markets, you will never understand the pull and appeal of those places. They weren't designed for you, or you outgrew that style.

For Blas, Yes. For some strange, bizarre reason, we didn't really get any SC's at AEO when I worked there. I think, that because of the great sales and awesome prices they have on their clothes, plus the amount of power the associates are given to please the customer, helps keep SC's away. For example, (I love this part!) We are out of something in the store that you really want? Tell an associate to order it for you. That store gets credit for the sale, and they will ship to your door, *free of charge*! Yes, you will have to wait, but at least you get what you want, and at no extra cost. They can also call around to other stores to see if anyone else around has it, but that's a hit or miss really since you have to describe the item to the other associate, and hope that you get someone to answer that has time to go check on the product. Tough, but oh well. Because of how they run their sizes (as in, they never change them and everything is always the same size!) and because it's always great service, I go there for my clothes.

I think the reason the employees are happier at AEO is because the company gives them a great discount, and the job is fairly laid back. It was my favorite job to work at, even though it wasn't the highest paying, and I ended up spending more money than I made there anyway. Hollister pays minimum wage, gives the employees a crappy discount, and crap for hours. They hire new people all the time to avoid keeping the ones that actually got a raise to keep costs down. I'm not sure about A & F since there aren't any around where I live, and I don't want to spend that much on my clothes anyway.

[tollbaby]

It's funny because it's true.

It is, that's the sad part. LOL My ex-husband still phones me up to ask what size underwear he needs.

[myswtghst]

Uh... I don't know what Aero you shop at, but their clothes are cheap and fall apart after you wash them twice around here.

Hey now...I didn't say good quality. I just said better than A+F and Hollister. I've had jeans from A+F that ripped the very first time I wore them. And AEO is definitely better quality than any of the above, by far.

[blas]

Hell, I've had notebook paper that was more durable than Hollister tshirts.

I won't buy their shirts anymore unless they are like sweaters and hoodies. Those are the only ones that don't get snags and holes in the laundry.

[Shabo]

Thanks for the info on American Eagle, Shabo! My (now ex-)friend worked there for a while and her discount was some unbelievable percentage off.

You're very welcome! They have the best discount around, even after they lowered the discounts for employees. They gave me, the last time I worked there, 50% off of anything full price for the first two weeks it was out, then it dropped to 40% as long as it was still full price, and when they put it on sale or clearance, the discount was still a fantastic 25%. They could have changed it by now, but a word of advice to anyone looking to get a job with them: Do it. Best store to work in as far as atmosphere goes, and usually good coworkers. (The bad ones tend to get weeded out). However, don't do it for your source of primary income, unless you are going for management, because you'll fall in love with their clothes and not make any money.