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Charlie Todd's prank on Abercrombie
Charlie Todd and Improv Everywhere ran their latest prank at Abercrombie & Fitch, a trendy retailer on Manhattan's 5th Avenue. The store fetishizes the shirtless male - with murals, a bronze statue, and a live model at the entrance - so Charlie brought 100 shirtless males to the store. (These were fans of Improv Everywhere who answered Charlie's call to enter the store and remove their shirts at a certain moment.)
Store security didn't appreciate the commentary on their employer's brand. Charlie writes:
After about 15 minutes, the Abercrombie management decided it was time to kick us out. Security employees started approaching all of our men and asking them to either put a shirt on or leave. They informed us that the model was a paid employee and his state of undress didn’t justify ours. So despite the fact that the store constantly bombards you with the image of the shirtless male, Abercrombie still maintains a “No Shirts; No Service” policy. Some agents protested that they were trying to buy a shirt, but the staff countered with the not-so-logical, “If you put on a shirt then you can buy a shirt.”
... Two agents were actually stopped while in the process of checking out! They were waiting in line for 10 minutes to buy some $45 shirts, only to be grabbed at the register. One of them was in the process of handing over his credit card as he was nabbed and informed he wasn’t allowed to make a purchase!
No word yet on plans for a prank at Victoria's Secret.
Here's the video:
See also:
• Video clip of Charlie at Gel 2007
• Abercrombie & Fitch home page, featuring an image of, you guessed it...
