Kids Cutting Back Clothes
By George Anderson
American kids are spending a lot less on clothes than they used to.
According to a report from NPD Group, teens spent 13 percent less last year while tweens (7 – 12 years old) reduced their clothing expenditures by 11 percent.
Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry analyst, cited a slowdown in cash flow to teens from their parents, a tougher time finding jobs, more shopping being done at discounters and a growing preference to shell out for entertainment rather than clothing as all factors behind the lower numbers.
“It was more important to have the right cell phone than the right pair of jeans last year,” he told Reuters. “They’ve diversified their spending.”
Moderator’s Comment: What factors do you think are having the greatest influence on how kids are spending their money?
We’ve noticed in our neck of the woods that some boys are beginning to wear their hair longer and jeans (normal fit) and flannel shirts are becoming the
uniform of the day. It’s almost as if we’ve flashed back to, gulp, our youth.
If we can remember that far back, we were less interested in spending money on a new pair of Levi’s than getting the latest record from Led Zeppelin, The
Eagles, etc. or going to see ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Monty Python’s Holy Grail’ multiple times. – George
Anderson – Moderator