Consumers Agree: This Is The Least-Liked Store In The US

American consumers have spoken: The heyday of Abercrombie & Fitch is officially over.

The once-beloved brand ranked worst among its peers in customer satisfaction, according to the latest data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Based on surveys of roughly 70,000 consumers, the ACSI measures customer satisfaction with more than 300 businesses across 43 industries.

As BroBible points out, Abercrombie & Fitch was the least-liked store among the 22 companies included in its "specialty retailer" category. Earning top marks for customer satisfaction were L Brands, which owns Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, and Costco.

In other words: Consumers enjoy shopping at Advance Auto Parts more than they do at A&F. Ouch.

Describing the findings to CNN Money, Forrest Morgeson, ACSI's director of research, said,

Normally, when we see that kind of gap, it's a company so large it has monopoly power, like Walmart of McDonalds. Abercrombie & Fitch is not that, they aren't that large…this can spell serious trouble for the company.

Still, the head honchos at A&F don't seem to be too worried. In a statement, Fran Horowitz, A&F's president and chief merchandising officer, said,

The data we have from our consumers tells us they are positive on our brands, on our new offerings, and on the work we have done to improve the shopping experience. We are confident that we will continue to improve the customer experience over the coming year.

Since it's not entirely clear what consumers dislike about A&F — the prices, the ambience, the merchandise in general — it's safe to say the company has its work cut out for it.

Citations: Abercrombie and Fitch Is The Most Hated Retailer In America (BroBible)