Hollister Reign Waning?

Some people love to shop at Hollister, but so many people hate how the lights are always so dim and the scent of the perfume is so strong—so much so that people have joined a group on Facebook that adopts the motto “When you enter Hollister, you need to use a flashlight and gas mask.” Even Mr. Houp has had a bad experience at Hollister. “I once bought a winter jacket in Hollister that I really liked. When I took it home, I realized it was a completely different color than I wanted, but the lights are so dim in the store that I couldn’t see what color it truly was. I returned it the next day,” Houp recalls.

Many Hollister employees who were approached for this article insisted on maintaining anonymity, and they offered some of the following information. A new recruit at Hollister has to be 17 years old or older to work there. Most employees enjoy the experience, but the majority of the staff seems short and skinny. In fact, they all look the same. Among the employees, their attire is usually the same style, only in varying color schemes. Even the Hollister staff admits that the music is too loud, and trying to talk to friends in the store is pointless because no one can hear anything but the repetitious pulse of the radio. It is even hard to navigate the store without hitting anything because the aisles are so narrow.

Many students have heard about Hollister, but how many of them shop there? In an impromptu poll administered in the Fleetwood Area High School, 7 out of 15 girls admitted that they shop at Hollister. Senior Hanna Jones had the following to say: “Yes, [I shop at Hollister] but only for their super comfy jeans.” Of those students who admitted to never shopping at the store, most confessed to never having even stepped foot within the premises. On the other side of the gender divide, 6 out of 11 boys admitted to shopping at Hollister, and their comments about the store were comparable to the girls’. The indication seems to be that Hollister is growing more niche than mainstream.