Youth Trends just released their 2008 Back to School Retail & Shopping Report. No real big surprises here... gas prices are up and the economy is down and therefore retailers such as WalMart and Target can expect to do well, while higher-end retailers won't. But wait - the summary goes on to explain how "the new iPhone 3G is without a doubt the most coveted mobile phone followed by LG's enV, the BlackBerry Curve and the BlackBerry Pearl. Based on the current growth rate, we expect that 32% to 35% of all teens and college students will own a smartphone or multimedia phone by year's end." Wow. At least teens and college students can still afford nice phones. And apparently, fashion as well: "The preppie retailer du jour is J. Crew, which over the past year and half has made a strong comeback with the college audience in particular and we now expect them to do well with teen consumers as well. If Mom and Dad are throwing down the plastic, female shoppers would snap up as many pairs of Tory Burch flats as they can."
Since when did J. Crew and Tory Burch start targeting teens? Never mind. My 15 year-old babysitter currently has 3 Coach bags, wears a lot of Juicy Couture accessories and sends me texts from her Razr. I'm just the one paying to fill up the tank so I can drive her to the mall.
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