abercrombie and fitch bedbugs

Abercrombie & Fitch's idealized (and expensive) version of perpetual youth has worn thin among cash-strapped consumers, threatening the company's sales, stock price, and prospects.

Bedbugs are back, and they're worse than ever. While pesticides have kept the pests under control for decades, EPA decisions to ban several classes of chemicals have benefited the bugs. And between lawsuits and pricey eradication, the bloodsuckers are biting Americans in the wallet.

For years, dissatisfied customers have griped that Abercrombie and Fitch bleeds its customers dry; on Wednesday, they were proven literally right when the flagship store of Hollister, the retailer's teen-oriented chain, closed its doors amid evidence of a bedbug infestation.