It Serves Them Right!

THEY CAN'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN THEM!

You might have noticed the financial crisis we are experiencing on this planet...yes, I said "planet." Every country I read about is on an economic roller coaster, though the vomit-and-scream-inducing drops are far more precipitous than the exhilarating rises. This is not news: you knew that already; the news is that teenagers are feeling the pinch as well. Those freewheeling get-the-card-from-Mom-and-head-to-the-mall days are over, boys and girls, and it's evident everywhere, especially at the malls of America (as opposed to THE Mall of America which can always count on Russian tourists and the overflow crowd from IKEA). Noted teen money holes like Abercrombie & Fitch are feeling the pain like never before. Teens used to drop $80 on jeans and $30 on a T-shirt like you and I would on a talle mocha frappaccino (hold the whipped cream) at Starbucks. Moms didn't flinch (much) because, well, they HAD to have SOMETHING to wear, and kids wouldn't even GO to school if they had to wear something from Macy's or, gasp, Sears. No longer, it seems.
Teen spending is off 14%, say those who track such things. Abercrombie & Fitch stores across America saw a 34% decrease in sales duing the month of March compared with last year's sales in the same month. Why? It's simple, according to Chelsea Orcutt of Buffalo, New York: "It's the crisis." Not everyone is suffereing equally, though. A&F traditionally doesn't advertise sales as a way to bring in customers. Seldom does an A&F store even HAVE a sale. Other places like Hot Topic and The Buckle capitalize on advertising as well as having prices 15% lower. Of course, Hot Topic has benefitted from merchandise tied to the "Twilight" series of books and movies as well as those red hot "Hello Kitty" hoodies that are "must-haves" this year! (Yeah, I don't get it, either).
But I'm not at all sad to see Abercrombie & Fitch struggle...it serves them right. I TOLD them in a letter to the corporate headquarters to cease and desist using pictures of me in their stores, advertising clothing for young men. Their response was that those guys pictured were not me...but when I showed up at the local A&F and, doffing my shirt, struck a pose which is pictured at the top, they could hardly deny it. Still, no money was offered, and the photos stayed in the store on display.
Serves 'em right!