I saw A&F in the news lately for it's idiot ceo blabbing about the company's opinons. They are practiced at all levels of the company, unfortunately. I can tell you all about how I slaved away at a overrated retailer that upholds the worst values. I am ashamed to ever have had anything to do with them. Proof

Comments: 251 • Responses: 74  • Date: 

manboy1047 karma

Did you ever have to turn down someone who applied because they're "fat"?

RappingRaptorPants78 karma

I have. I have also hired great people who are definitely what the company would've considered "too fat" but I really liked them and needed them.

Pizza_bagel37 karma

Will employees be fired if they get fat while working at A&F?

RappingRaptorPants75 karma

Ha. Yes I've seen it. People get fat or new managers come in who disagree with the looks and bodies of the staff-very common problem. So that manager will fire them or take away all their hours, etc. It's pretty scandalous shit really but all too common. It is downright encouraged from the district managers and their bosses however. If your boss visits your store and ugly person, fat person or someone out of dress code is working, then you're in big trouble. fucked up huh?

apostrophie18 karma

What is considered "too fat"?

RappingRaptorPants45 karma

Too fat is in the eye of the beholder.The company requires managers to "recruit" daily. However, realistically, that only happens about once a week on average. When recruiting, two managers are supposed to walk around public places, hunting down attractive people to work as clerks, what A&F calls "Models" in the stores. You literally look at people, mumble to each other, "Are they cute enough? Skinny enough? Attractive? Hmm.." It's horrible and awkward. You learn what the company wants by studying the official Look Book (I forgot what it's officially called) every Tuesday. The Look Book highlights the People department of our company. There are pictures from our stores around the world of our models who exemplify what we want. Smiling, sexy, skinny, clear skinned, confident, people. There is no paper that says, too fat and your boss won't say it. You decide it when you're out recruiting.

The key word that the company uses to define everything we want--and what our customers should want, from us and from our image is: "ASPIRATIONAL". If you are not acting or looking aspirational, and the people you hire are not aspirational then you are not going to get promoted. So it's not necessarily simply "not" too fat.

marshallll9 karma

haha oh man, if you look at Jeffries' Wednesday Facebook apology about the 2006 quote, he calls A&F an "aspirational" company, which, according to my computer, is not a word.

RappingRaptorPants28 karma

and he's not aspirational. I bet a million bucks that there's child porn on his computer too. creep.

It's said in the company that he has extreme OCD and that's why everything in the company is sooo particular. There's something called standard where piles of clothing have a specific way of being displayed. The stacks have to be folded in a perfectly level and uniform way with all sides perfect, the edges and corners perfect and the height even. That's why employees are always folding and ignore you.

cmelbye21 karma

To be fair, most stores I've seen look beautiful inside.

RappingRaptorPants25 karma

Yes they can be immaculate

EazyCheez38 karma

What is it with the scent of all the stores? Is that mandatory?

RappingRaptorPants95 karma

oh god. Fierce Cologne, supposedly #4 in the world. It's mandatory to "spritz" 10 pumps of cologne several inches from the clothes every hour, in addition to the scent spraying machines that only some stores have.

That amount of alcohol in the air makes your nails brittle and eyes red, if you work there all day like I did.

RappingRaptorPants56 karma

Don't worry no one actually spritzs that much-but it still reeks. The employees hate it as much as you.

FightThePowersThatBe26 karma

[deleted]

RappingRaptorPants9 karma

that's exactly how I got hired.

turquiose25 karma

I used to work at A&F. One day my manager told me he needed to take a picture of me to send to the company. When I asked him why, he told me they needed to make sure there were "nice faces" working in the store that day. How often does this happen? Is this something managers do to everyone or do they only do it to certain employees? Nothing ever happened after that day, but I was scared I might get fired because they didn't like the way I looked.

RappingRaptorPants32 karma

this is very common and true. The manager thought you were attractive and wanted to show a picture of you to her boss to see if they'd approve you to be on the cast of list (see above) OR show you off as a hire and get feedback.

WHWells3 karma

When I worked there (quit before I completed the training process) they did the same thing, I wasn't sure why at the time, and now I know. I am so glad I didn't stay to actually work there.

RappingRaptorPants13 karma

It's so weird to take a guy in the backroom and make him take his shirt off, pull down his jeans right to his pubes and then take his picture. We have to do this to search for greeters. Fucking awkward. Of course, with everyone in the fucking company having OCD, they made us do it like ten times with these people off the clock!

castlecraver22 karma

When helping someone find an item, how are employees supposed to tell a customer if A&F doesn't offer their (larger) size?

RappingRaptorPants46 karma

You just tell them blatantly, "We don't make XL for women." Back in 2005 and earlier, Abercrombie & Fitch trained its employees to purposely ignore, not help, and be snotty to it's customers. This created a "too good" image for them and was encouraged. The company and the program have literally no shame. years later, we now are forced to greet everyone you see and the program has changed.

napstarz19 karma

Thanks for answering my first question. I actually find it amazing that A&F has gotten so much attention recently, especially since I can't imagine anyone beyond high schoolk wearing A&F. Also thought it was well known that they don't make large sizes.

Anyway, do you still work in retail?

RappingRaptorPants38 karma

No. I hope to never work in retail again. I have noticed that everyone who shops there is usually foreign and trying to assimilate, or a douche who has bad taste, or a young american teen trying to be popular. Mostly foreigners trying to assimilate.

emmarose32911 karma

When I lived in Germany I noticed that A&F and Hollister was insanely popular. Did you notice a lot of German tourists?

RappingRaptorPants20 karma

We get people of all kinds. Chinese, Korean and Japanese are the most popular. In retail, there's something called buyers. These people hoard certain namebrands and sell them overseas at 300-500% markup, easily. Asian buyers come in, buy as much as they can at a time and leave with duffel bags full of nasty clearance clothing that they sell for hundreds overseas.

JohnCassius2 karma

Can you tell me a little more about this? So they are buying lots of discounted clothes that isn't selling well and then presumably selling it in their home country for a huge mark-up?

I'm wondering if there would be any repercussions for an American doing buying those and then going to China to sell them.

RappingRaptorPants9 karma

Yes. What you said is correct. They buy clothes at full price or sale price or clearance and sell them for hundreds of dollars a piece abroad. It is a highly successful business. These buyers have networks of people who scour store locations and make large purchases. Sometimes they bribe us or beg us to let them buy more than the limit. They can buy thousands of dollars worth but we're supposed to stop them at twenty items total. If sales are low and it'll make us look good, we'll let them do it. I usually told them to leave, because it is a shameful business. There are repercussions. However, since it's not a violent crime, it is not taken as seriously as it could be. It's more of a copyright, brand issue. Making money off someone else's product is ripping off A&F and it's "store experience". The store learned from it however--for once-- and now opens about 3 to 5 foreign flagship stores per month abroad! Now you can buy a piece of clothing at 300-500% markup abroad from the actual store. yay, not. This demand fuels a huge professional theft ring of what are called Boosters. Maybe there's a wiki page on it. You can also find bootleg, stolen A&F goods at flea markets in the US, etc. crazy shit we gotta deal with.

trickface17 karma

As an ex-A&F worker, glad you got out. Smell the cologne-free fresh air!

The store I worked at was hit several times by shoplifters with bags that bypassed the magnetic security readers usually out front. Did you have issues like that, or with shoplifting in general?

RappingRaptorPants21 karma

You know every store does

trickface11 karma

It got frustrating when my manager started to check employees for shoplifting after closing hours, as well. That, and the cheesy intro video for every employee about the same thing.

Thanks for doing this.

RappingRaptorPants11 karma

ya well i hated having that too, especially as a model, not just a manager. But if you think about it, everything that's stolen goes through those doors and we still don't see it happen.

pccrooks11 karma

Is the company as loathe to hire minorities as it is unattractive or fat people?

RappingRaptorPants19 karma

Ya. More than anything, A&F hates and says blatantly in its interview guide to not hire a person if they are an "introvert".

There's a thing called the "Cast-of Tracker" that is your top ten most attractive and outgoing female and male models(salesfloor staff). (It is okay and encouraged for an ugly or chubby employee to only work in the back or with the night crew and not be on the salesfloor.) Every year the cast of gets their photo taken and submitted to corporate. Calendars and video propaganda are made and dispersed congratulating the sexiest store locations, etc. Models on the walls and bags are chosen from a national selection process that filters these cast of people. So looks are incredibly important to get corporate attention and therefore promotions.

pccrooks11 karma

Have you ever actually witnessed a person being discriminated against on the basis of race, or material actively condoning this type of action?

RappingRaptorPants35 karma

Yes, after I got promoted, I hired a new staff. Existing employees had no problem making comments to me about how I had "jungle fever" for hiring black people and questioned why I hired an Indian girl. I worked with them over time to exemplify and tell them how our generation needs to make conscious decisions about how we are going to treat people and that we need to reflect all the customers. Sales went up and the customers appreciated it. That is the mindset of my upbringing though, not Abercrombie's.

A Spanish only speaking woman and her sons came into our store and were ridiculed by an associate of mine. The father translated to me their horror and embarrassment. I profusely apologized and felt just awful. The woman was crying. I disciplined that kid and he quit before I could get another reason to legally fire him. He had a clique of asses that worked there and I had to get rid of each of them for different reasons.

TakenToTheRiver11 karma

With all the negative publicity and stereotypes about A&F, what are some positive things you've experienced? (about the company, clothes, anything)

RappingRaptorPants25 karma

The jackets and hoodies fit really well. Although the pieces are all from the same sweatshops that other cheap clothes are from, they sometimes come out fitting well and slimming, for a petite person like me. All the other things we make are riddled with problems though. Uh...other good things about the experience: good and cheap health benefits. I'm sure they existed so that no one would go 'ugly' or too 'sick' to be gone long. My favorite part of the job was my kids, my staff. I like to hire and train them and hear about where they are in their lives, etc.

motionless1911 karma

Why do you no longer work there?

RappingRaptorPants42 karma

I always hated it and regretted it. I finally quit after I had a manager who wouldn't leave me alone. This manager would call me before and after work and encourage us to work on our days off. Ugh just a horrible, fake, shallow person. It made me realize that I needed to spend more time on me, my life and family and what I really want in a career.

josh90p9 karma

[deleted]

RappingRaptorPants12 karma

Tps reports!

motionless195 karma

Well good for you! Glad to hear they didn't fire you because you were fat. Just kidding. No but really.

RappingRaptorPants40 karma

I can out eat a fat person. I loves to eat.

BrandSeph4 karma

May I ask, what is it that you want in a career?

RappingRaptorPants25 karma

I want freedom of creativity and to have some control, a salary that I consider fair, the option of benefits and less stressful environment that allows me to sit, think, not stand the entire time, not limit my ergonomics, and provides me with two consecutive days off a week. Mostly, I want to work for a company that I believe in whole heartedly and that makes a difference.

Slinkyfest20051 karma

I wish you well in your search. A job like that, most particularly a job you can believe in is hard to come by.

It seems employee's are another resource to most companies and treated as such.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

Thanks. Especially in this day and age, I think I'll just have to seize the internet and make my own thing to be happy. If it takes off, great. A decent day job will have to pay the bills meanwhile.

silkhidingsteel11 karma

[deleted]

RappingRaptorPants26 karma

That is stemming from a HUGE fucking lawsuit that happened more than ten years ago. (racism is more evident in the company, moreso than other companies however) From that lawsuit, all employees of color were paid a few thousand dollars and several measures were put in place. One of them being, "the diversity tracker". Abercrombie was mandated, indirectly from the court case, to count how many diverse people it hired and keep these numbers in the positive at each location. I believe in like 2011, the arrangements put in place from this court case ended. Now there is no diversity tracker, but the company boasts something like 51% of its employees identify as "people of color". I didn't see anyone flat out deny hiring someone because of race. But I did encounter backlash for hiring Blacks who were attractive and qualified, even by Abercrombie standards. Upper management never condoned hiring diverse people, just stupid co workers and staff.

captain_obvious_scum6 karma

Sooo did you see any Asian people working at those stores?

My buddy probably wouldn't want to work there either.

RappingRaptorPants7 karma

Yeah there's asians. I'd say it's pretty obvious that white people get promoted and white models get selected to do the ads more than any other group however. But from a marketing standpoint, white people are who the company is trying to attract and imitate and whites have a more "disposable" income demographically speaking.

MultiOstrich11 karma

I just want to say thank you for hosting a GREAT AMA :) Do you see any hypocrisy when people call him ugly, while he is being attacked for similar reasons? (Although he's a far worse case for sure)

RappingRaptorPants13 karma

lol. You're right. There is hypocrisy but I never thought of it that way. I just feel frustrated that many CEOs and people in powerful positions are literally so stupid, useless and immature. I think if they were more educated and caring, we could really be in a much better place with better leaders to follow and companies that we could trust and support.

SmallTownMinds7 karma

What's up? I heard that employees are required to say what's up when they make eye contact with a customer, is this true?

RappingRaptorPants15 karma

You're required to say the current tagline to anyone within 15 seconds of them entering the store and that has been for a long time, "Hey What's up". That's the simplest one. One time it was long and stupid, "Hey How's it going? Have you tried our jeans? They'll make you look like a star. "

If we say, "Can I help you find something to go with that item you're holding?" It means we're onto you trying to steal whatever you're holding.

kwoodward1306 karma

Do you agree with the company's hiring policies? And if they are ever "too fat" to hire do you tell them why they didn't get the job? Edit: spelling.

RappingRaptorPants16 karma

I do not agree with the company in any way. I took the job after college when I couldn't find a job in my major and really really really needed the money for my family. I also was dying to work a full time job for the first time! What a disappointment. People are never told why, or why not they are hired. There is a script for those questions and a script for nearly everything. Everything at the company has a predetermined response that we memorize. This predetermined agenda is referred to as "The Program".

Notmyrealname5 karma

Can you give us some examples?

RappingRaptorPants22 karma

person: "The music is too loud." A&F: Our music is set to an adjusted level. We can check to make sure this level is set correctly. Would you like to file a volume complaint so our technician can come check it?

person: Do you have anything in Black? A&F: We don't make Black.

person: Are you a racist company? A&F: A&F is proud to be a supporter of several diverse organizations and scholarship funds such as.... person: "Can i go in the fitting room with my friend?" A&F: "No." Not unless you tell me physically disabled or that is your child that you want to go in with.

Secret shoppers actually check on these responses by testing employees undercover twice a month.

waitingawhile9 karma

Why don't they make black?

RappingRaptorPants19 karma

I think that would be too common of a color for them to make. They would sell a lot more though, and instead make neon colors that no one buys. Like I said, they don't do a lot of things that make sense.

morgan_freemun6 karma

So we've established that the front-line low level people have to be slim, attractive, etc..

What about the management that doesn't work the front lines? District manager and up. What did they look like? Did you find them all attractive/thin, etc?

RappingRaptorPants17 karma

everyone has to be thin and attractive. Everyone up the ladder has to be thin enough to fit in our clothing and wear them everyday in the corporate Home Office in Ohio. Oh it's so sad when someone gets too pregnant to fit into our clothes or has to lose baby weight. The pressure is unbelievable. I have noticed that older men get to have facial hair and they can wear anything from the store, where as store employees have to wear limited items. The only people who don't wear our stuff are servicemen who are contracted from outside the company. Even undercover security wears our clothes which blows their cover!

fuckthisshit915 karma

So what happens when a pregnant woman can no longer fit into the clothes? Are they then allowed to wear their own?

RappingRaptorPants10 karma

She has to squeeze into them. You are allowed to wear other similar clothes but it's asking to be fired.

Guardiancode6 karma

I worked at a&f kids for about two weeks until my overly anorexic manager told me there was a mistake with one of the hires (they do group interviews) and had accidentally hired an over weight girl, I was told to watch her and report absolutely anything I thought could merit them firing her... I asked why and he told me we had to wear their clothing to work and she just wasn't going to fit them right for the brand... I walked out and have never stepped foot in that place again!

RappingRaptorPants3 karma

aw how sad

shinelime6 karma

I remember seeing an article years ago about a girl who was black who was hired on and was only allowed to work in the backroom. Were you pressured to hire by race? and was the area you worked in predominantly white? and if so were you instructed to treat customers and employees differently?

RappingRaptorPants10 karma

We were pressured to hire by race back when the diversity was a bigger issue. Each store has a diversity scorecard. You want to balance out those numbers and keep them in the positive because of the high turnover rate. A kid who interviews great but isn't scored as "Great" looking can get hired as a backroom/stockroom employee. But hey, there's some good looking kids there too. I got to say that. Obviously, you can't stretch things too far. If the kid isn't even close to the ideal A&F look, it's going to be a constant battle with upper management to keep that kid on staff. You have to vouch for ugly hires. Even if they are the only ones who get the job done, management does not want to see them ever again.

flipflops26 karma

Glad you got out! What do you do now?

RappingRaptorPants14 karma

I'm still happily unemployed and have been focused on taking a break. Working there kept me on my feet for over 40 hours a week. Chairs and sitting are not allowed, and the floors were concrete. My feet and back were shot for too long. I am doing some indie shorts now, something I'd always wanted to do.

thedeaux5 karma

How much did you make as manager? Just out of curiosity, only answer if you want to!

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

29k as starting manager, 39k as a store manager. You can't really argue or bargain with them, even if you threaten to leave. Theyre very stingy with money and pay the least of all retailers, I hear. They are annual raises but usually amount to cents or a a few bucks.

Doakbag4 karma

Not to start an argument here but you guys realize that we live in a CAPITALIST society? I think this is a genius strategy from a marketing perspective. Everyone's complaining about this, but it's how our economy works! We are attracted to others based on physical attributes and strive to be fit and healthy by nature. It's not their fault they used this to their advantage.

RappingRaptorPants10 karma

I think opposers just want to support virtue and not simple capitalism. Its clever to a degree.

unclekutter4 karma

I don't really have a question but just wanted to say your username is awesome.

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

Ya I know. thanks! I can't wait for the chickensaurus to come out. Please support.

SOCIALCRITICISM3 karma

im interested in how you dress now? is it in anyway influenced by the abercrombie style? (firefox corrects abercrombie to beachcomber lol)

im not a female but ive recently discovered /r/femalefashionadvice and although i go there not so much for learning but more so to look at attractive well dressed women it seems like a good place that a person involved with the industry like yourself could inhabit

RappingRaptorPants5 karma

I am not interested in fashion or what others are wearing. I wear whatever I want. A lot of dresses and skirts, rarely pants. I like different, interesting, feminine and unusual stuff. I like to be comfy so dresses are my preference. I always joke that if I had balls, theyd be pretty happy to just hang out under a dress(but not if youre like a guy lol) I also live in flip flops, another thing that A&F liked about me. A&F also favors extremely feminine clothing for women and very low cut shirts.

PrinceParadox3 karma

[deleted]

RappingRaptorPants8 karma

I don't believe I was there when this memo came through to instruct employees to remove tags. Sounds like one of the sweatshops printed a label that didn't comply with a federal fabric standard and you had to remove them for legal safe sale or something. In retail, there's a lot of mindless labor like that without explanation and that's why we are paid so little. But hey, we pick the job too!

BeanGallery3 karma

Whats your favorite kind of ice cream?

RappingRaptorPants19 karma

mint and chip. lol

mistertofu3 karma

What's one of the most outlandish things you've seen in regards to the dress code rules. Are there any rules in regards to the dress code you thought were particularly ridiculous?

RappingRaptorPants13 karma

Wearing sandals is mandatory. We are allowed, on paper, to wear some select shoes, but it is not encouraged. In fact, my bosses over the years are very disappointed and angry when they see you wearing shoes. I hate wearing the tight tight pants or jeggings. They're so tight, you get yeast infections and can't really move well enough to do your job. The dye on the jeans makes your legs turn blue.

We're forced to wear flat sandals with no support or padding. Over time, employee's feet actually flatten. Their shoe size changes because the arch collapses in their foot. I think that it's weird that even the CEO and corporate people have to wear the jeans, because it looks unprofessional.

Hropkey3 karma

My friend worked a seasonal job at hollister and they had to buy clothes from there to work there, and if they wanted to stay on after the season they'd have to buy more clothes for spring/summer. She didnt stay on. Did you guys have the same requirement? It was so expensive, even with the discount. And I can't even imagine about the shoes. I have flat feet and weak ankles and I work part time in food service, where I'm required to wear sneakers. I can't even imagine what a mess my feet and ankles would be if I wasn't wearing good shoes- they're already pretty sore after I work.

RappingRaptorPants5 karma

ya I have diagnosed health problems just from standing there so long. Not to mention the stress from my crazy boss kept me up at night. Then he'd complain I didn't look good enough in the morning to be there. ugh. Yes you pretty much spend all of your paycheck on your outfit even though you get half off your expensive outfit. At minimum wage, for 8-12 hrs a week, it just isn't worth it.

It's rare to get a lot of hours at A&F. To keep employee morale and energy up, model and stockroom shifts are 3-4 hours long. Just long enough to deny a mandatory paid break.Therefore, they maximize their dollar and leave you penniless and wearing their clothes.

RappingRaptorPants10 karma

Oh yeah, whenever I wore my glasses, i was quietly advised to not wear them again.

tribbing13373 karma

Do all the stores smell that bad?

RappingRaptorPants5 karma

I bet. It is mandatory but I haven't stepped into all of the stores. A different scent is used in Hollister and in Abercrombie Kids, also our "brands" and stores.

napstarz3 karma

Could you ever get that horrible stench out of your clothes?

RappingRaptorPants8 karma

It would take more than one wash to do so. Some people really crave that smell. The colognes are shoplifted every hour, guaranteed. Some customers beg you to spray it on their purchases. Guess what it does when you spray it on the clothes as much as we do? It permanently stains them! stupid stupid illogical Abercrombie.

Notmyrealname3 karma

Do you or other employees have any idea what the conditions are in the places where they make the clothes? What are the company instructions to say when people ask about that kind of thing?

RappingRaptorPants6 karma

There is a bit on their website about the sweat shop conditions. They have gone through some steps to make sure they are like certified and official but I believe that doesn't mean anything. It usually means that, in that country of origin, the factory is vetted and workers get like a standard wage. That usually is equivalent to still just pennies in US dollars however.

I know that their contracted sweatshops are located almost all over the world from China to Bangladesh, Vietnam, Japan, etc. The shipments arrive with bugs in them from all over the world, how beautiful!

RappingRaptorPants6 karma

Oh ya, we're supposed to say, Abercrombie does its job to make sure our sweatshops are safe and proper, blah, blah, blah. A&F does give to charities in other countries too. (They give nearly nothing though!)

Jlocke984 karma

The shipments arrive with bugs in them from all over the world, how beautiful!

that just sounds so illegal/dangerous.

Stevegap6 karma

I work at the store mentioned in my Username, and we once got a (very) dead frog in a shipment. That and a bag of one inch Ball-bearings that were inscribed with Chinese symbols.

RappingRaptorPants12 karma

one time i got like a two foot hair from a sweat shop in the shipment. I thought it was special and a link to who knows who on the other side of the world. I kept it in my pocket that day. Yes. Creepy me.

tocatchafly3 karma

Did this job ever get you laid?

RappingRaptorPants7 karma

Don't think so. I don't tell most people that I work there because they'll think I'm stupid and racist and shallow. But there is a lot of sex and scandal within the company.

_SHoCkWaVE_3 karma

What was the stupidest question you got? Also, were customers stuck up often?

RappingRaptorPants12 karma

We have some stuck up customers. A lot of celebrities shop there too surprisingly. The stupidest questions we get are the pranks. People prank abercrombie a lot, like prank calling. People come in and take their shirts off and dance to the loud music to make fun of us, etc. Not aggravating though, just dumb. We ask for it.

Exziled3 karma

What would they do if they saw homeless people wearing their shirts? Would they attempt to buy them off the "fat" homeless people?

RappingRaptorPants3 karma

We get so many people, out of the demographic A&F targets, shopping there. They can only limit so much by price and select sizing. I know that whatever doesnt sell after going to outlets, doesn't get marked down and sent to Ross. It gets destroyed. A lot of companies literally incinerate their old and unbought products to keep its value. Hallmark used to do it, may still.

Exziled1 karma

Do you think that should result in less/no tax breaks for an organization that destroys their unsold items?

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

No, because that'd be impossible and silly to regulate. It would mean a government branch that watches what people dispose or destroy. That's just impractical. I think it's wrong, but am not sure what I'd do about it.

PrinceParadox3 karma

[deleted]

RappingRaptorPants30 karma

Good question. There is a lot of unusual, impractical and just bad practices that stem down from upper and corporate management (the ceo) that the company practices. For example, placing nude men standing next to each other as if they're butt humping, on all the shopping bags. Not a good idea and not necessarily popular from a marketing perspective. As to "WHY?", i think it's because there is a lot of closeted gay men in the company, and a lot of advertising, in-company media and propaganda that is borderline child porn.

RappingRaptorPants19 karma

The corporation does have naked women moreso affiliated with Gilly Hicks. There are videos that circulate throughout the company to boost morale of our own brands. One is a bare buttocked woman riding a horse. There's also like topless women painting, and other...really degrading, soft porn, weird shit. It's like "Look at how high class we are" and "I'm so oblivious to my naked sexy body".

addison9263 karma

I didn't see this question posted anywhere else on here but since you mentioned it, how does the company/hiring managers feel about gay workers?

RappingRaptorPants6 karma

If a person talks, looks or acts gay, they are not supposed to be hired. This company builds itself on people. People are it's "only advertisement". The people they put on a pedastal are straight, clean, young, usually white people with clear skin and natural look. That means they must act and dress straight.

I've had a woman interview who was a great fit. She told me, I'm gay but I'll wear whatever the dresscode is for women. I asked my boss before hiring her. He said no. There are a lot of higher-up, male managers that are in the closet, now that I think about it. There are also still simply gay and flamboyantly gay people on staff. They get in. (We have ugly people too. People hire their friends, etc.)

A&F provides benefits for same sex couples. A&F just prefers straight acting people. It really is like this: they don't like gays but are gay.

guamaniantreerunner2 karma

Proof?

crickontour2 karma

Only paid 22k/yr? I hope you live somewhere affordable.

RappingRaptorPants3 karma

it was 29k before taxes and i was living in a very expensive town where the cost of living is closer to 60k!

djIDGAF2 karma

[deleted]

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

They do background checks on everyone.

ryuker162 karma

What did you think of ruehl ?

Do adults still buy and wear the brand ? I went to a wealthy high school and AF became a uniform. I wonder if those guys still shop there when older.

What is the best qualit item you have to guys?.

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

Ruehl was such an impractical idea: a store targeted toward coed youth where each item costs hundreds of dollars,in the u.s. Abercrombie has failed to learn that girls and mothers make the purchasess in their stores and thats who they need to be appealing to to make any money.

Yes, adults do buy the clothes and people with identity problems like middle aged men, elderly women and people covered in plastic surgery like the CEO.

dittokiddo2 karma

Is there any schedule to the sales, or a "best time" to shop there? Obviously the clearance rack, but any secrets about the pricing or how it works would be cool to know. I actually do like some of their clothes (I'm 31 and probably not hot enough to work there) but just can't imagine spending that much on clothes, yknow?

RappingRaptorPants3 karma

the older something is, the cheaper it is. The best time would be in december because holiday sales. And right before school starts, there's always a huge jean sale that gets pretty good. Mens clothing is marked down every other Thursday and women's clothing is marked down every other Wednesday. You also can get coupon codes and good prices online or if you sign up for emails/text. They'll always let you know when the sales are. There's better clearance online. The outlets aren't worth your time either.

zombie_JFK2 karma

Do you have any proof?

RappingRaptorPants6 karma

proof i worked there or proof of the managers? http://imgur.com/KYKioce

stealthismatt1 karma

So you only made 22k as a manager? How many hours did you work? Salary or hourly?

RappingRaptorPants6 karma

As a new manager, you start at 29K. pretty pathetic. A store manager, who is usually top dog at a location gets 39K and that usually takes a year or 2 to get to. District managers make almost 60k and get a company car, but still have to work on their weekends.

RappingRaptorPants4 karma

dude like 40-60 hrs a week. Theres only overtime when your a new manager so it gets worse when that goes away.

RappingRaptorPants1 karma

Yea, I'll go get it some mail or paperwork with both our names on it. I just don't want my specific identity to be exposed for potential legal reasons.

CeeDiddy822 karma

What did you think about the ordeal with Jersey Shore's Situation? He was asked not to wear their clothes, then A&F came out with a shirt that said "Fitchuation" and he sued them...

RappingRaptorPants20 karma

I'm proud to say I have never watched that show and am not familiar with the situation. Sounds comical, both lose. The people who design the clothes are former managers who go live at the Home Office- pretty much the nazi camp of Abercrombie. It's a literal campus in this Ohio forest with real deer and everyone wears flannel. Theres a cafeteria and a building for every department. They drink their own bottled "Abercrombie & Fitch" water. Lame. I joke that it's an Aryan breeding ground and a big eugenics conspiracy.

drinking4life2 karma

I definitely stole from that store all the time when I was in high school. Nobody ever greeted me, or even really looked at me, so I grabbed what I wanted, and just walked out.

Any stories of thieves?

RappingRaptorPants4 karma

Sooo many thieves. Hundreds. I've learned that there are two kinds: one who have a conscious and those who don't. The ones who don't have a conscious just deny everything when you catch them redhanded! I've caught them stealing while wearing stuff they stole previously. Lot of repeat offenders too.

courtFTW1 karma

Why do you think the company is allowed to discriminate on every level and openly not be an equal opportunity employer? Do they have really good lawyers? How often do they get sued? Do y'all have HR people at all?

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

yes theres HR. Theres a lawsuit about once a week it seems. Great lawyers. Everythings very careful and they settle all lawsuits. If you work here, you get more class action payouts than bonuses and raises combined.

[deleted]1 karma

[deleted]

RappingRaptorPants1 karma

Model is a salesfloor associate. Impact team member is a stock room associate. They are meant to stay in the separate places. Models are outgoing and help people, maintain floor, operate register, fitting room, etc. Impact deal with replenishing sold items, prepping items, putting away shipment, maintaining stock. If you're not outgoing or scored as "great" looking, you are considered for a impact team member.

sevenlols1 karma

Are they more likely to hire some one who has played a certain sport?

RappingRaptorPants12 karma

Yes, or if you do anything outgoing or extracurricular. They love people who have been on reality shows or are in greek sororities and fraternities. They also love anyone who kisses ass and pretends to do what the brand is about. ex: I love abercrombie so I have a pet moose. or I love Hollister and I like surf all the time.

jakestrictor1 karma

Question; would you hire someone who looked nice but was somewhat still an introvert?

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

Oh ya. I hired a lot of people I shouldnt have by their standards. The interview guide is word for word. It tells you how to evaluate them. It says if the person is great looking and fits the brand style, then they are pretty much a shoe in.

Sometimes I got sappy and hired people who really needed a job and seemed hardworking, even though they werent great looking but just amazing, smart, dedicated, professional teenagers man. I hated turning those kids down because they didn't do anything wrong. We get great interviews from not great looking people and have to send them away. Real shame.

Pyro_drummer1 karma

Are you instructed to do anything differently if an ugly person or "loser" walks in to purchase clothes?

RappingRaptorPants2 karma

absolutely not.