A&F "Sponsors" Gossip Girl and 90210 (Abercrombie & Fitch)

Member Name: mattconnect

Product:	Abercrombie & Fitch
Date:	29/06/09 (118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: unique store

Disadvantages: EXPENSIVE, Very socialite, not very good range.. bad atmosphere

Abercrombie and Fitch is an American fashion brand, and i came across this when my friend took me to the London store.

~~~LOCATION~~~
The location of A & F in London is rather peculiar and out of the way. It was rather difficult to find, just off Regent Street, halfway between Oxford Circus and Picadilly Circus, and you had to go through several backstreets to access.

However, it occupies one large building which is rather impressive, although i did not spot any windows, and wandered in with my friends.

~~~ATMOSPHERE~~~
Upon entering, two staff by either doors greeted us, whilst in front of us was an uber hench topless male model with bulging everything, taking free polaroid pictures with shoppers. Whilst this will be a rather positive consumer "attraction" for women, it IS a clothing store, and being topless isn't going to sell CLOTHES.

One word to sum up the atmosphere is DARK. It is extremely dimly lit, and i stumbled quite a few times. Also, things were incredibly difficult to find, rather like a palace, and you had to do alot of walking around to find what you are looking for. I, personally, were not looking FOR anything, so was able to observe, and it is apparant that it is immensely dark, and difficult to see the products on sale. Also, the colour is inevitably going to be different in store and in natural sunlight, which is rather inconvenient, if it appears different in real life.

What's also an annoyance is the really loud party music, which vibrated my clothes and i could feel the vibrations on me.

Whilst this atmosphere may appeal to its target market, it feels uber "Gossip Girl" and the whole store feels like a Blair Waldorf Upper east side party without drinks.

~~~PRODUCTS AND PRICE~~~
But what is more annoying than the atmosphere, are the products themselves. They look very generic and are NOT unique, as you would expect from a premium fashion label. You can most likely find these products from other high street stores such as H&M or Topman. My friend who wore A&F shorts found the exact same pair, pretty much identical in NEXT, for almost 1/4 of the price.

The products, to be summed up in one word, is "socialite" and anything you see on Gossip Girl or 90210 can probably be found in here! It appears to have a small target market, and does not have a great range of clothes, mostly casual to smart casual. They do not seem to have a formal section, but if so we were not able to find it!

They have a whole denim section which is a plus, and they have a t-shirt, shorts, trousers section etc, and is very neatly piled, and ordered. However, i have to criticize the high walls of products, making it almost impossible for the average consumer to reach, and thus MUST ask a staff for assistance, which is rather inconvenient during busy times.

Prices are also rocket high, and out of the items we've viewed, shirts are around £50, shorts around £40 and T-shirts around £30. And once again, i stress that similar items can be purchased for much cheaper elsewhere, hence you are ultimately buying the label only, which in my opinion is VERY pointless and a waste of money during this credit crunch.

~~~STAFF AND SERVICE~~~
The store feels overstaffed. Everywhere you look, there are one or two staff members, making you feel like they are watching you, but they aren't really helping. Most of them just talk to each other, some dancing to the loud music, others just walking around aimlessly. The don't seem to have a defined uniform either, which made it inconvenient if you needed assitance. Some wore checkered shirts, others wore grey tops... and this made it very very confusing, as i even saw quite a few male staff try on in store clothes and wear those instead!

The queues at the checkout were also massive, and they seemed to have a limited amount of cashiers, perhaps 5, but less than 3 were functioning today. This would've been a major negative factor if i purchased at this store!

~~~OVERALL~~~
I am sure many people love this store and the clothes, but personally, I do not see myself wearing 80% of these clothes, nor do i see the price tag suiting my finances right now! Again, the clothes shout "US socialite" and "Gossip Girl", and are completely not what i would wear, as they appear generic, and for this price, really big NO.

The atmosphere is not for a shop, and more of a nightclub, and on a hot and stuffy day, you just don't want to be there.

Perhaps going and visiting will be an experience, and seeing different shops. I have to say it is rather unique as I've never visited a store like this, but I certainly won't be visiting again for the products.

NOTE: When google imaging this brand, pages of topless torsos appear... It IS a clothing brand right?

Summary: good if its your style, if not, avoid.