And on to why they don’t stock women’s clothing above a small size (because “fat chicks” aren’t cool)… and how they can easily slide into insensitivity on some of their apparel– the “ironic racist” t-shirts, ala this controversy.

None of this permeates this NY Times article on how the company’s sales are down.  Instead a hodgepodge of things that make sense in my world and things that… are from another world than mine.

Sales are down across the shelves of many traditional teenage apparel retailers, and some analysts and others suggest that it’s not just a tired fashion sense causing the slump. The competition for teenage dollars, at a time of high unemployment within that age group, spans from more stores to shop in to more tempting technology.

And sometimes phones loaded with apps or a game box trump the latest in jeans.

Good, good, good… and… now bad.

“It’s enough to make you think the teen is going to be walking around naked,” said John D. Morris, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets. “What happened to them?”

What?  If they’re walking around naked maybe they’re just following some of the store’s ads… Unless, of course…

“You can buy a plaid shirt at Abercrombie that’s like $70,” said Daniela Donayre, 17, standing in a Topshop in Manhattan. “Or I can go to Forever 21 and buy the same shirt for $20.”

Har de har har.  Then there’s the problem with celebrity trend-setters shifting their trends on an increased pace.

“Today, if you saw that Justin Bieber got arrested drag-racing,” Mr. McClintock said, “and you saw in the picture that he had on a cool red shirt, then you can go online and find that cool red shirt and have it delivered to you in two days from some boutique in Los Angeles.

“Ten years ago, teens were dependent on going to Abercrombie & Fitch and buying from the select items that Mike Jeffries, the C.E.O., thought would be popular nine months ago.”

Har de har har.