Abercrombie & Fitch Wants Clothes Off Jersey Shore

Teen clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co has offered money to get away from what it sees as an undesirable Situation.'

The preppy retailer has offered to pay cast members from MTV's popular show "Jersey Shore" to stop wearing its clothes, it said in a news release late Tuesday.

The company is "deeply concerned" that Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino "could cause significant damage" to the brand's "aspirational nature."

"Jersey Shore" features a cast of twenty-something Italian Americans partying, tanning and complaining about their jobs at a beach-front T-shirt stand.

The offer could be considered an abrupt about-face for a company that previously sold T-shirts emblazoned with the wording "The Fitchuation."

While seen as more of a publicity stunt than anything else, the offer was mentioned in notes on Wednesday by Wall Street analysts.

In a report titled "Jersey abs not welcome here," an analyst noted that on the latest episode The Situation "proudly (and loudly) wore a pair of neon green A&F sweatpants."

"No love for 'Jersey Shore!'" Nomura Securities Analyst Peter Lejuez wrote.

Abercrombie also reported earnings that beat analysts' expectations on Wednesday, prompting Wall Street Strategies analyst Brian Sozzi to write: "Management may be correct in asking (and offering to pay) the cast of 'Jersey Shore' to stop donning its logo-wear. It doesn't need the infusion of MTV and side-job dollars from the 'Jersey Shore' crew, if 2Q11 was any indication."

Sozzi said he found the offer to be "counter to everything the company stands for."

"They have half-naked teenagers standing in front of their store," he said, adding that the attention would help sales for the back-to-school season.

The Abercrombie release came from the company's Brand Senses Department and was also on the company's corporate website. The company did not immediately return a phone call or email request for further comment.