My ears are ringing... shopping with pre-teens

[Bug]

My 18yr old worked at Hollister last year. She thought it was going to be the best job ever since she liked to shop there.

OMG, I made her shower as soon as she walked into the house. I NEVER went to see her at work and even she couldn't take it after long. She asked to work in the back room doing stock. She finally quit and moved on. THANK GOD...between the perfume smell and the lack of money (due to buying the dang cloths) I was ready to kill her

XOXO
Bug

[waterguy]

I'm glad when my boys were that age they didn't go for that crap it was sweatshirts and jeans in the winter and tee shirts and shorts in the summer. But then that is all I bought them so who knows they might of wanted that stuff.LOL

[chicagoans]

What I find more shocking are the styles of clothes avaiabale. Is it just me or is it immpossible to find non hoochy mama clothing for tween girls?

This is a nice way to put it. I call it the 'anorexic teenage slut section' at the store. My daughter will NOT be wearing that $%^&&, at least not on my watch. (Oh please let this still be true in a few years!) At this point it's all layers - cammies with tees or polo shirts - and jeans.

Pip - thong underwear on a first grader. That is just wrong. And at that age you know an adult had to buy it for her. WHAT were they thinking?

Bug - I'm glad your daughter got out with her hearing and sense of smell intact!

Waterguy - yeah my son is still in track pants and tee shirts most days. That won't change soon, except sometimes now the tees will have a stupid logo.

[loria]

wow, a thong? yikes.......

my girl is also layers (chicagoans, i think we have the same 12 yr old) cammies, t's etc
my son is a hockey advertisement. rangers, bruins, leafs, penguins...you name it any eastern conference team (rangers because we live in NY, bruins because i am from boston, leafs because DH is from TOronto, penguins because of family in pittsburgh--but these hockey jerseys are NOT cheap!--i'd ALMOST (but not quite) wish he'd shop abercrombie....

now he's hankering for a wings shirt. but at least it's his style......

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[Marcia (Mrs. Pete)]

My 18yr old worked at Hollister last year. She thought it was going to be the best job ever since she liked to shop there.

OMG, I made her shower as soon as she walked into the house. I NEVER went to see her at work and even she couldn't take it after long. She asked to work in the back room doing stock. She finally quit and moved on. THANK GOD...between the perfume smell and the lack of money (due to buying the dang cloths) I was ready to kill her

XOXO
Bug

Bug, true story about the interview process for Hollister here in Madison. My daughter's friend applied (well, she was asked to apply because she "looked" the part) and they conducted a group interview on those cheesy couches. Fifteen girls, all in one "interview." Loud music blasting, etc. No one could hear the questions being asked and it was obnoxious. Is that how your daughter was interviewed?

[Terry]

I have a close relative that was a store manager at Abercrombie.  If she didn't play the music they sent for didn't play it loud enough, she was called on it.  They monitor those stores like crazy.The scent and music is bad enough.  I saw the weekly sheets of paper they faxed her as to how to lay the inventory exactly the way you see it.  And if it's not perfect all the time, they get a negative message. 

Ever notice that the folks that work there are spending more time folding clothes than helping people put together a wardrobe?

Well soon after she left there, on her own move, the store in that mall ended.  Complaints about their overloud music, etc. shut them down.This company used to be owned by The Limited.  With today's economy...it too will go down...along with Hollister, etc.

One night there was a fire in a storage room in the mall and she had to spend the night in the store to protect the inventory because the power was out and the gate wouldn't go down!  Seriously how safe is this?  Crazy!

[martini girl]

I took my daughter and her friends to NYC for her 13th birthday last year and she wanted to stop in at Abercrombie....that place was FOUR FLOORS of dark, cave-like, music-so-loud-you-feel-your-heart-pound-in-your-chest, and fragranced to the max!! At every floor there was an employee (sometimes 2) spritzing you with "scent" as you came off the stairway, yet, there was only one cashier handling the 15 people in line. It was unreal! Couldn't wait to get the heck outta there.

[djmom]

Ok, I am lucky, my 11 year old daughter is totally "anti" label. She wont wear anything that has the words or symbols for Abercrombie, Hollister, Aero, Am Eagle on it. (She will wear Roxy and some surf stuff.)

So in a way, it is great but I am also cursed because sometimes you just have to get stuff at Aeropostale in particular because so few places have size 0.

ANYWAYS, there have been so many times that she has refused to wear things I have paid good money for that I started buying her clothes at Goodwill! We live in a pretty upscale area and it is PACKED with jeans of all of those brands listed above, in perfectly good conditon. (She will wear the jeans since they don't have the words in big letters)

So we have a closet full of Abercrombie, Hollister and Lucky and American Eagle, you name it jeans/pants that I got for $3.99. Then, she LOVES the tee shirts there because they have stuff no one else has.

She also likes it because it is earth friendly.

So if you are sick of this crap, it might be worth a shot if you have a Goodwill in an affluent area. It is a riot.

So now you know a secret!

[sailorgirl]

Goodwill... my favorite place. Just picked up an LLBean Messenger Bag for Hubby for $1. Brand Spanking New.

[djmom]

Best kept secret in the world, isn't it.

I have tons of shirts myself now from there- Ann Taylor (not even Loft) Banana Republic, Harolds, J Jill, the list goes on.

I think people buy stuff and wear it once or wash it once and it is a little small and they donate it. That is the only explantion I can think of for this almost brand new stuff. Or maybe the store donates it. I think the Harolds here was doing that. I have several things from there that looked like they had never been worn.

It isn't quite as good as it was before the economy tanked...more people shopping and fewer donating. But still, lots of deals to be had if you are patient.

It gets my shopping urges out without spending lots of $.

And I'm not too proud to wear it. I don't care where it came from, as long as it looks good and has no stains.

[PA Girl]

I am not a shopper and DS is still too little to voice an opinion on his clothing.

Not so long ago, we were driving by a shopping mall and DH says "lets stop, we (the company) just finished a Hollister store in there and I want to see it."

We walked in and both thought "What the h*ll is this place?" It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

DH made the comment it would make a cool mall bar.

[djmom]

Attention mall shoppers! I went to Goodwill today, found Aeropostale size 0 jeans in great condition for $3.99. Really cool like new Looney Toon tshirt "Get off my Planet" with that crazy looking little brown martian guy with the helmet for $2.99. Pink "Hue" brand sleep shirt $2.99.

[chicagoans]

Love the Goodwill idea. I checked online and the nearest one to me is a bit over 8 miles away. I might check around and see if there are other thrift stores. Worth a try!

[djmom]

you do need to be patient though. go more than once and don't go when you only have 10 minutes or something. And DONT bring your daughter unless she is really patient. Mine makes me miserable there.


ask them what day they put the most out. I asked that today and I was really surprised when the lady said Saturday. They put the stuff out as they get it in and they have the most people working that day.

I had just figured it would take them a few days to get through it, so I always went during the week.

Also, I find most of the good shirts for my daughter mixed in with the regular tee shirts (mens and womens mixed together on about 10 huge racks). Sometimes in with the womens or childrens, but lots of the times they just get in there with the "travel" tee shirts with logos, etc...Have found really cool and unique shirts there (like the ones at Delias or Loyal Army) on those racks.

It started out as a joke and has turned into sort of a game and for some reason I find it relaxing. I guess it is the fun of buying things with out the stress of paying for it.

Good luck!