Abercrombie & Fitch reviews

Very low work/life balance, zero to none creative freedom, ridiculous office politics and a "big brother" type HR department. You feel as if every move is being scrutinized, which is a joke considering how asinine the company has become in recent years. They BLAST the god-awful soundtrack in work spaces, and you hear the same 30 songs, multiple times, all day, every day, for months on end. You are required to buy the clothes, and look and act the part of an Abercrombie employee (which is to say, young, attractive, popular, etc). You are not allowed to wear black or purple, and the CEO is honestly delusional. The company will spend itself to death if it doesn't kick him out soon and replace him with someone with a fresher vision. The chain of command is inefficient- too many non-creatives have a say in the finished product and doesn't allow for any creative growth. Literally every season looks the exact same as the last. They require you to sign a 3 year contract upon being hired that, if you leave prior, kills you with penalty fees (paying back something like $9000 in bonuses and relocation costs).

-EXTREMELY under appreciated. -The amount of work expected is work more than minimum wage. -In a round about way you actually are expected to wear the clothes, but they get around it by saying the current cut style, fit and colors as long as its not any other brand..which no one else makes muscle fit clothes for guys. -Expected to do a lot of physical work in attire that isnt physical work friendly. Like having to wear skinny jeans a tucked in tee and a button up while having to move 50 boxes. -The required look doesn't always fit with the weather. For instance its 105 degrees outside and once again having to wear skinny jeans, a tucked in tee and a button up. -While some of the music is great, you sometime are stuck with an awful soundtrack for up to 3 months which plays over and over and over. -Unless you're really good at sucking up or your DM likes you, don't count on being promoted unless a time of desperation happens. Like store managers all quitting at many stores at once. -Too many rules for selling "jeans and Tshirts" -Not supposed to bring outside of work problems to work which is fine, but required to do work outside of work..like recruiting kids who no longer wear AnF or Hco and definitely will not do it for minimum wage. -The company does not listen to store associates feed back. Basically if you have an opinion about something keep it to yourself. -It's never the company's fault. What happened is all tied back to you and what you should have done. -The company takes itself too seriously. -Stores are being shut down left and right in the US while over seas they're being open every week. I think someone has'nt learned a lesson. Trends are just that.. -Not very keen on trends. More so for guys. The guys clothes have been basically the same since I was in high school in the early 2000's. -You can not live alone, and have a social life with what the company pays managers. -Home Office associates more often than not,haven't worked in stores in so long they can't relate or understand to help with the problem you're having in the store. -Micro-managing does not work with everyone and the company calls it "follow up" -No differences in the brands. What you see in AnF you will find at Hollister and Gilly Hicks with a different logo. -Very promotional sales based. The clothes show it. IE.. 2 tees for 20 and so on. -Incentives for certain things are candy boxes for associates. - You get 50% off on two tops and a bottom with each major floorset. Including managers who have to wear it 40-50 hours a week. A month in your current "look" is faded and stretched out from washing it so much. The flip flops break often and you only get 50% off on those one a year. -It's your fault recruits always say no.