Added 3/23/09: Closing comments because nobody will ever top Maribel.
Added 4/14/10: Reopened for more funnies.
I hate Hollister. And Aeropostale. And Abercrombie & Fitch. And all the other brands that jack up prices on ordinary items just because their name is on them. Hollister is the current fad from what I can tell (did know know their stores play music louder than OSHA allows?), and kids all over my school are wearing Hollister this and Hollister that.
I’m not talking about brands that are famous, mind you. Levi’s are famous because they are quality jeans. Converse is famous because Chuck Taylors have a distinct look. Pacific Sun has wild prints that they are known for. Even semi-existential brands like No Fear still stand for something – if you wear a No Fear shirt, you are conveying a message about yourself about being a daredevil, shirking authority, etc. Life is Good encourages being carefree, having an active lifestyle, etc. But Hollister and friends have none of these distinctions.
If you interrupted the assembly line at an Aeropostale factory before the name went on the clothes, you’d still have perfect normal, wearable clothes that would cost a lot less. The only association they can make is “we’re cool.” And therefore, if you wear Aeropostale, you’ll be cool too! That’s enough reason to jack up the price 40%, right? No! I don’t care if you think “oh but wearing Hollister shows that I like surfing and stuff,” it doesn’t. Wearing Hollister shows that you like Hollister, because there is absolutely nothing unique about the clothes they make. Like I said, I’m not talking about Puma shoes here, those are distinctive. But Seven jeans are just jeans.
And just in case anybody thinks I’m being a hypocrite, I want to mention that Hello Kitty does not fall under this category. The company’s name is Sanrio, and little girls don’t go ga-ga for Sanrio – they do it for Hello Kitty.
Wearing A&F says only one thing about you. It says that you are willing to pay extra for a regular t-shirt that happens to have their name on it. As always, I am open to discussion on this rant, but you will never get me to like Hollister.
by Mirella!
11 Jan 2009 at 22:52
ahha i love how people think she doesnt like those brands because she can’t afford them.
get this-
she ACTUALLY has good taste in clothes ;]
by Hannah
13 Jan 2009 at 23:29
yeah. i totally agree. every person at my school wears frickin hollister crap. its for people who think they are better than everyone else cuz they can buy ridiculously expensive stuff. preps, stop wearing that stuff. its pathetic. i understand if like there is a cute abercrombie jacket thats your favorite color and its at a second hand store! so its cheap! and fav color so….. as long as you dont buy it cuz u think it makes you cooler.
by Ellen
14 Jan 2009 at 19:19
I totally agree! Hollister and Abercrombie take the creativity out of clothing! They are already ripped before you buy them! Hell, Abercrombie could come out with a line of paper bag dresses and you know what everyone would be wearing the next day? You got it! And did you know Abercrombie has a \no cornrows policy\ because they want theie employees to look \natural\. Well here’s news for you! Bleach blonde hair, breast implants and fake tans do NOT look natural! I think we all know what they are trying to get at! They completely racist! I went there this weekend and I am usually a medium or large in regular places like Old Navy. But I am at LEAST an X-large there and it is still too small! The quality is so poor you could see right through my shirt! So why again do we pay 50$ for a paper thin t-shirt? Becaus it’s \cool\! right… Who would but stuff made from child labour? ew! And then Hollister! I couldn’t even get IN to Hollister! There were (no doubt) at least sixty people outside waiting to get in! I am totally against A&F and Hollister!
by Caitlin
20 Jan 2009 at 21:43
i couldn’t agree with oyu more, hollister is like the new taliban. its taking over teens everywhere! i dont shop anywhere near those stores. my friend is prep and when ever we go to the mall and walk by hollister i have to say “dont let the force reel you in!” LOL HOLLISTER SUCKS
I </3 HOLLISTERRRRRRRRR
by none of your beezwax!
10 Feb 2009 at 18:42
Dear Meradith,
However, I do agree that $20 is WAY too much for a plain t-shirt.
I am fully aware that this is YOUR blog, but I would just like to state something. I do not go to Hollister, nor do I plan on going but don’t you think it’s a bit harsh insultig the PEOPLE that shop there? Some of my friends love it, and they are perfectly creative and original, so instead of hating on just don’t shop there!
~Cheers,
NOYBEEZWAX!
by Miss Petite
11 Feb 2009 at 20:05
Okay, Im going to be the person that’s on the fence instead of both sides. I wanna point out that we all are titled to freedom of speech and this is Meradith blog. But here goes. . .
#1 Aeropostale is the cheapest of the \Popular\ stores.
They are ALWAYS having some type of sale. I mean stuff can go down as low as Target and Walmart stuff. So really they are not expensive at ALL.
Okay. I work at Hollister, and being an employee, me and my co-workers including managers RARELY buy stuff at the original price even with the discounts they give us. Cause EVERYTHING eventually goes on clearance 3weeks later or when we get new shipment or a season.
Example: This Plaid Peacoat original price was $200
They came in 3 weeks before christmas. I was gonna buy one for my mom with my discount. (Im part time so my discounts not alot) it would of been $160. My manager told me to wait until after christmas because we getting the Spring Preview update and the coat was going to go WAYY down on clearance. Sure enough the day after Christmas the coat was priced at $79.99 So even with my discount the coat went WAYY pass my discount. And as the weeks went the coat eventually went as far as $29.99. Its all about shopping smart!
And I learned that you never suppose to shop the current season. Me, personally I buy my winter clothes off line during the spring and summer when they are at their cheapest. And my spring/summer clothes during the winter.
Like the current solid color Flip Flops are $16 at Hollister now. . .but when I started working at Hollister back in October the SAME Flip Flops were $6.90. So its all about shopping smart. I wear and shop at Hollister and Im not stuck up/snotty/bitch/hoe or etc. I wear the clothes cause they actually FIT. And out of Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and Abercrombie, Hollister tends to be alittle less priced.
But stated before Aero is the absolute cheapest.
I think of it as:
When it all boils down to it. . .regardless if its a clothing brand or a shoe brand. . .all the company wants is your money. And its all about your likes and dislikes. Some people are just influence by what they like by how the people they seen act in the clothes they are in.
That’s just my opinion. Like belly buttons we all have one.
Later days guys. :]
by Antonios Popescu
15 Feb 2009 at 01:16
Holy Crap!! I hate these gay blogs and groups that are all about hatin on hollister or w.e. If you don’t like it THEN WHO CARES !!! Honestly, get a life.
Go make a blog about something that you actually like instead.
by Brooke
15 Feb 2009 at 10:35
Eh, I couldn’t agree more.
I actually like Hollister, some of their clothes are cute, but I could never buy there. They have some really cute jeans but they’re super expensive, not only that, but the biggest size is a size 11.
Why do that? It’s kinda like “lulz ur fat gtfo my store~”
you know?
It’s pathetic. Hollister is for skinny rich girls.
But I do like American Eagle and Aeropostale. A&F is ridiculous.
by Grace
21 Feb 2009 at 01:20
omg, I TOTALLY agree with you Meredith!!! I freakin hate all those stores: Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, American Eagle, etc. All of the clothes from there are practically THE SAME in all of those stores just with a different name pasted on them!!! its SOOOO ANNOYINGGG!!! and practically EVERYONE at my school and everyone I see wherever I go wheres those stupid brands ALL THE TIME!!!! O_O I can’t STAND IT!!!
And I’m not jealous at all either, I just hate everything from it!!!
I have ONE sweater from Aero but thats it. the rest of the stuff I hate…. blecgh..
by Vivian
22 Feb 2009 at 01:57
I LOVE ABERCROMBIE & FITCH AND I LOVE HOLLISTER!!!!!! I think that their clothes are awesome n cute but that’s my OPINION!!! for those of you who think that everyone who wears it is stuck-up or a prep you guys are STUPID!! Since when is it bad to want to dress nice? I admit that you can’t be really fat if you want to wear A&F n Hollister but if they made it in really big sizes abercrombie wouldn’t be in that much demand. I HATE AEROPOSTALE!! THEY’RE STUFF IS JUST A CHEAP STUPID KNOCKOFF OF ABERCROMBIE N FITCH!! AND ABERCROMBIE N FITCH IS NOT THAT EXPENSIVE! EXPENSIVE WOULD BE JUICY COUTURE N THEY’RE STUFF IS CUTE!!
Also you guys should stop arguing about the people who shop there. A lot of good people shop there (WHO ARE NOT PREPS OR STUCK UP)!!!! and for those people who like AEROPOSTALE I only have 2 words to say to you guys
FUCK YOU!!!!!
by Mike
04 Mar 2009 at 17:30
Ok I have one question for all you Hollister/A&F lovers.
What are you going to wear when a new trend comes around
and all the Hollister and A&F clothing is out of style?
And don’t tell that you’re going to still wear Hollister or A&F.
by nicoletteTORI
12 Mar 2009 at 16:53
Wow. You’re an idiot. You’re probably one of those weird goth/emo/weird kids that in anti hollister because everyone who can afford it and LIKES the style wears it. I’m not a mindless idiot because I shop there? I just tend to like their outfits. and to Mike, I don’t care if it “falls out of style”. I’ve been shopping there before it even became SUPER FAMOUS. I’ll still wear it because I like it. Gah, people are such haters because some people can afford cute good quality clothing.
by Ellie
13 Mar 2009 at 19:13
I HATE HOLLISTER!!! Nicolette TORI if you say You wore hollister before it came famous, then why do you were the shirts that have the name plasterd all over them?? I LOVE to stand out…. so if all u hollister lovers want to give in to pressure and become popular, be my guest!!
by Daisy
22 Mar 2009 at 16:36
To the people who hate Hollister, grow up and stop being so negative towards the people who love it. I’m a girl I shop in hollister get over it. Its not expensive. They way I look at it is I’m getting good quality clothes for decent money. So to all the haters out there GROW UP
by Maribel
23 Mar 2009 at 00:04
ok, first let me just say this:
ur being a total bitch for trashing hollister
and abercrombie and aero.
its so not cool.
if you hate the stores then just dont
walk it them.
clothes are clothes sure and all that blah blah blah.
i get where ur coming from
but you dont have to publicly
trash hollister and abercrombie and aero
and maybe if ud stop being a hippie for
two seconds and walk into a hollister,
ud see how many cute clothes they have
and not to mention the cute guys.
so in other words:
get a life
stop being such a hypocrite
and stop being a hippie.
oh, and let me just say this again,
ur a bitch.
go die.
fuck u for not liking hollister
and fuck u in general
by Meredith's a bitch
14 Apr 2010 at 17:00
Meredith your a fucking bitch!!!!
by Meredith
14 Apr 2010 at 17:06
Aww, I accidentally reopened comments (had some database issues) and this one got reopened. Okay, let’s have some more fun!
by Larry
17 Apr 2010 at 13:59
Lol, you’re not a bitch.. I bet the hate comments are from holister-wearers who are angry you are a little angry with holister..
You have a point! The people with hate comments are wearing holister! Stuck up bitches DO wear holister!
by Kimber
23 Apr 2010 at 00:20
You’re complaining about A&F, Hollister, Aero, etc. being expensive? And saying they don’t last and are poor quality and overpriced? I bought one pair of Hollister jeans three years ago. I am still wearing them. You mentioned Levi jeans being famous for quality? Well Levis were also a trend. Their jeans are just as expensive as A&F and are significantly more expensive than Hollister and Aero. Hollister may display their logo on everything they put out, but that’s their distinction just like PUMA shoes are known for how they look. These stores are no different than people trying to wear skate clothing to try and convince others they skate. Hollister, Aero, A&F cater to a certain demographic. That’s the reason these stores are so successful. People like the way the clothes are; plain and simple.
by Ann
23 Apr 2010 at 21:12
I love how people are telling u NOBODY CARES wen obviously THEY care enough to make nice little hate comments about ur post.
In any case, I totally get where you’re coming from, and people who are calling you a bitch are just crazy-ass fans of very overrated stores. I never go to Hollister or A & F because they’re pretty epensive but Aero actually has clothes that are extremely cheap and fit pretty nicely. Keep in mind there are definitely people who wear it just because its popular, but some also wear it because they have clothes that fit them the best.
In my school, alll the freshmen loooooove to wear these brand-name clothes and be like everyone else, but by sophomore year, most have transitioned into a more creative style that is more original and really defines themselves. So maybe thats why everyone hates frshmen…
by Ann
23 Apr 2010 at 21:22
and to Maribel:
That was a very nice poem you wrote. Maybe you should get it published. And yes, they do have cute guys…that is, if you’re talking about the half naked ones on the huge posters wen u walk in.
by Create your own Hoodie
21 May 2010 at 17:05
I have to agree… I have always wondered why people flock to support a brand name because of peers when they might not even know what the company owning the brand stands for! I’m a huge fan of sites like http://www.youdesignit.com because you can make whatever graphic you want and upload it or use the design center and make your own label. Become your own brand!… course you might have to work harder to make it popular
by Christina G.
12 Jun 2010 at 00:44
Well, Aeropostale is not a bad store, their prices are actually pretty reasonable. Abercrombie is expensive, Hollister is up there too. But, I don’t see why people have to make a big deal just because “everyone is wearing it”. Just because lots of people seem to wear it, doesn’t mean its a bad thing. It just means that the company is successful, I mean, if I started my own business, I would want it to do the best it can. And they just doin’ what they do best [; Nothing wrong with it, people like it, there happy, let it be.
by olivia
23 Jun 2010 at 20:37
abercrombie and fitch and hollister are my favorite stores and i buy their clothes because i like the way it looks. oh and btw wat skool do u go 2 bcause if i were to wear target clothes to my school they would tease me.
by Adrienne
11 Jul 2010 at 20:14
I go shopping at thrift stores because it is recycling clothes, they fit all sizes of everyone, they’re all dirt cheap (five shirts for $3, for fucks sake), and they don’t have the brand name all over it. Chucks are great because they give me ankle support and they are comfortable to walk around in, but sometimes I wear Doc Martens because they, too, are very comfortable and reasonable. Personally, those are some really good choices as they are practical, reasonable, and affordable. Instead of buying a shitload of stuff using daddy’s trusty money, I get things that I earn myself and I am very happy with them.
And who the fuck cares if people look down upon you? Think of great musical artists (mainly grunge era) who didn’t give a crap what people said about them? Those are the people to look up to. They don’t care if they get teased, they transfer their anger into beautiful music instead of going mainstream “just because”.
Now some of their clothes are reasonable, but I think that going cheap and going to thriftstores are a great choice because they are durable and you know that you are recycling old things. Practical, reasonable, affordable. That’s all you need to fucking worry about, not if it looks “OMG TOTALLY CUUTE!”. What a disgrace that people have come to that nowadays.
by Adrienne
11 Jul 2010 at 20:18
Oh, and yes, I’m a girl, but I HATE stores that aren’t practical and are $17 for jeans, $15 for a shirt. Why not get a pair for $5 and shut the fuck up…
by Camilla
20 Jul 2010 at 10:52
Ok. Well, actually Aero is not that expensive, and actually if you shop on the sales rack you can get Abercrombie jeans for $20-$25. I don’t like Hollister. It’s even more dark than Abercrombie, and it’s stuffy and crowded. I like Abercrombie and Aero, but I do have converse (My favorite freaking shoes ever!). Look if you want to shop in other stores, I COMPLETELY understand, but you shouldn’t go around trashing the stores a lot of people like. Don’t trash my stores, and I won’t trash yours. Just I’m getting sick and tired of Abercrombie haters.
by Dahlia
22 Jul 2010 at 23:18
Hey, Im going to come here and totally trash your blog about how you hate overpriced clothes, dark stores that play their music too loud and have perfume sprayed every god damn where because what you say is too much truth for me to handle.
by emily
24 Jul 2010 at 03:12
Well ever since i was little my mom always kept me away from these big brands. I was in a private school too and we wore uniforms It was like a whole nother world. We didnt know anything about name brands, latest movies, etc. We talked about good books. Lol pretty nerdy huh? But anyway then I got into middle school and high school. I noticed everyone was wearing theese shirts with the name Hollister , Aero , AF, etc plastered over them. So I kinda got curious and did a little research. I looked on the internet and what appeared to me back then were these bizarrely over priced t-shirts ( back then i shopped at cheap places like kohls gap etc, whatever appealed). And by the way lemme get this straight. I wear clothes for the comfort while looking decent at the same time. To give you an idea, i had like one or two pairs of jeans(and it isnt because wer oiir or anything) and i only wore them when it was super cold. I just didnt think jeans were as comfortable as shorts. I wore shorts like basketball shorts and tennis shorts and that type of stuff. I mean I never really cared that much about looks. My friends just accepted that as my personality and that was just what I liked and how I was
.Oh and by the way, Im not the mall type of kid. Like ive barely ever been to the mall. Maybe a couple times? 
So anyway one day we went to the mall and we walked my the hollister store and the aero store. I noticed that these two stores seemed to be the brand that everyone was wearing. So I dragged my mom in and we took a look. It turned out that if you really dug around in hollister at the clearance section, you can get some pretty good deals. And at aero you can get even better deals. Like the same price as target, walmart, gap, etc as aforementioned. And they were actually really comfortable. So I have like uhmm i dunno 3 shirts from there? i mean i dont wear that stuff everyday so im not totally obsessed with it. In conclusion, i guess its a decent brand, but you have to look for deals. Its pretty cheap if you buy only sale items.
And btw guys, do I really sound like an annoying preppy bitch that only wears hollister to boost my self esteem and be popular? Im more of the nerdy type but anyway yeah. People these days make quick assumptions about EVERYTHING. Thanks for reading if you actually read my extremely long paragraph :]
by jen
26 Jul 2010 at 23:32
I have never seen a point in buying the clothes from those store. I usual shop in the clearance at old navy and Target. I love getting shirts between .99 – 5.99. And really cheap jeans. I usually get jeans for $10 each. I don’t see the point in spending $ 30-80 on jeans that have a popular label or rips on the entire legs of the jeans. Give me a pair of jeans and I’ll throw them under a lawn mower for 2 bucks and you’ll get the same affect. I can afford those clothes but I refuse to buy them I like my clothes and there’s nothing
by jen
26 Jul 2010 at 23:51
* in those stores that will ever suit my tastes. I’m the happiest person to know that I saved money for something better than what’s “in” and it saves lots of money for my family. I’m proud to say I don’t look like the average 15 year old girl in school I don’t follow a crowd, but I’m friends with everyone….Meredith you’re AWESOME!
by Shy (:
23 Aug 2010 at 19:34
Lulz. Hollister’s stuff is actually pretty fucking cheap if you get it on sale. Their prices are pretty normal as well, for mall clothes. $20 a shirt on normal price
$10 a shirt on sale. Which is what you can get at fucking walmart- $10 shirts- except, this is hollister, not walmart
you can look good for a decent price? WOAHH.
A lot of my wardrobe is Hollister
I got a shirt at American Eagle for $2, once.
Your arguement is stupid.
:3