1. The quality of merchandise leaves the whole world to be desired.
At what other store do you need to check every piece of clothing you grab for probable holes, tears, and loose threads? Where else can you buy jewelry that rusts and falls apart before you can even wonder how long it’ll last? No, the dollar store doesn’t count. Also, do you really have the time to do what the labels say and handwash all your clothes to minimize ripping and pilling? Do you want to scratch yourself constantly in public because your cheap leggings make you itch? Yeah, didn’t think so.
2. The store proudly sports terrible organization.
You walk in, and F21 assaults your vision with a potpourri of tacky prints and patterns scattered throughout the store in no visible order. Supposedly they arrange by color, but my nonexistent cat could do a better job at that. And if you’re shopping at one the smaller stores, their square footage can’t contain all the gaudiness, so they’ll have racks of clothes right up at the entrance. If you start browsing one of those racks, the alarm will go off. This happens about every two minutes. How annoying.
3. You’re not really getting a good deal for your money.
If you pay less than $10 (which is usually my limit, ’cause I’m cheap) for an item at F21, it’s most likely ugly or will fall apart in seconds. Anything cute or of passable quality in that store usually runs $20-30. You can get better deals elsewhere, especially if you look for sales and clearances at department stores. With a few coupons and a little skill in bargain shopping, you can find cute things at Macy’s for $4-5 of far better quality than anything at F21. I got one of my favorite skirts at Nordstrom for $15.90, which is kind of expensive if you’re as cheap as I am, but it’s a super cute and durable skirt. If you found a similar skirt at F21, it’d probably sell for around the same price or more, and it’d probably be a low-qual blend of cotton, modal, rayon, and/or viscose.
4. The salespeople treat you like you’re a speck of dirt on their $17.50 F21 shoes.
Actually, that makes a lot of sense. Listen up, I’m about to solve the world’s most complex logic puzzle: Those salespeople wear cheap shoes, which leads to discomfort, which leads to crabbiness. They also hate working at F21, so they take out all their pent-up misery on customers. “Yeah, well, that’s obvious,” you say, “and it’s not a good enough excuse for poor customer service.” I agree.
5. The return policy is ridiculous.
Really? I only have 21 days to decide if I want to return the ugly dress I got because your store somehow hypnotized me into buying it? (That should be another reason to hate F21: It pressures you into making poor life decisions.) And I can’t get a refund? I mean, my favorite number is 21, but no, not in this situation.
6. The shopping bags proselytize.
I don’t know about you, but I shop at malls, not churches, and I’d rather not carry around bags that tell me I’m going to hell. What makes you think I want to believe in your god, Mr. Shopping Bag? What if I’d rather perish than have eternal life?
7. Everybody’s suing the company for sweatshop labor conditions and copyright infringement.
Just plug “Forever 21 sued” or “v. Forever 21″ into Google. There you go, hours of lawsuit entertainment. If you’d rather read a quick summary of F21′s legal and moral shortcomings, this blog does a good job.
8. It’s like crack.
Despite everything, you just can’t stop going back. But acknowledging your addiction is the first step to recovery, and now you’re aware of the habit you need to break. The next time you see those bright lights and garish colors, do yourself a favor and go to H&M instead.