Is the shitting-the-bed U.S. economy helping kill consumer loyalty to some stalwart 90s brands? This holiday season’s lackluster sales may suggest so.

Once seemingly invincible marquee chains like Coach, Target, Starbucks and Abercrombie & Fitch are settling for ho-hum growth this winter, after surpassing even the most rosy expectations season after season.

Though they sell very different products, at very different prices, these companies all shared the same bragging rights. Their customers considered them indispensable, even expressions of who they were.

But in this turbulent economy, the indispensable is becoming disposable.

“This season tested brand loyalty,” said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group, a retail research firm.

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