Abercrombie & Fitch is finding out what happens when you disrespect the Situation.

The stock price for Abercrombie & Fitch fell 5 percent on Wednesday. That’s in the first trading session after the clothing retailer offered Jersey Shore star Michael “Situation” Sorrentino and other members of the hit MTV reality show “substantial payment” if they stopped wearing Abercrombie-branded clothes.

The retailer also unveiled its quarterly earnings, which is probably the real reason behind the stock price decline, though it’s hard to tell exactly why because the company beat expectations.

Abercrombie & Fitch reported a net sales increase of 23 percent in the quarter ended July 30, to $917 million. Even more dramatically, it reported a 64 percent surge in net profit to $32 million, or earnings of 35 cents per share.

That’s significantly more than the 27 cents forecast by John D. Morris, senior retail analyst for BMO Capital Markets. Morris said the stock decline is a profit-taking reaction to the company’s rally earlier this week, and it’s also a reaction to management’s guarded comments with analysts.

“Management’s tone was cautious, and that creates an air of uncertainty,” he said. “In this fearful macro backdrop, investors don’t like that.”

But Morris doesn’t have a problem with management’s reticence, referring to it as “prudent.”

As for the situation with the Situation, Morris had words of praise for the way Abercrombie & Fitch put itself in the spotlight by capitalizing on its association with a celebrity.

“With respect to the Situation, Abercrombie & Fitch saw an opportunity to get some advantageous publicity during the all-important back-to-school season,” said Morris, who does not own stock in the company. “It’s definitely a good water-cooler conversation.”

On Tuesday, Abercrombie & Fitch released the following statement regarding the Situation: “We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino’s association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans.”

The retailer said it has also “extended this offer to other members of the cast.”

Sorrentino’s agent and MTV did not immediately respond to emails from CNNMoney seeking comment.

Jersey Shore is currently in its fourth season, where the ne’er-do-well cast members have been set loose on the Italian city of Florence.

The show has ruffled feathers for depicting Italian-Americans as drunken, violent and promiscuous louts who spend much of their time in tanning booths, clubs and gyms.

Having said that, a couple of the female cast members are not even Italian.