Shopping for teenagers is always somewhat challenging. Especially if the teen in question already has everything. So what is there to buy a teen that already has a cell phone, an iPod, a laptop and various other techno gadgets? Actually they should be shopping for you. Kidding. Here is a list of 10 items I have put together after questioning a bunch of teens which was no easy feat. The good thing about the list is that most of the items are inexpensive because, hey, they already have all the expensive stuff.
1. Cell phone covers – Covers for cell phones come in all sorts of colors, designs and textures. Whether your teen likes skulls, the color hot pink or major bling, there is a cell phone cover out there with their name on it (actually they can get their name on it). Their phones will look cool(er) as well as staying protected.
2. Gift cards for tunes – Who can’t use more tunes, right? And why have 50 tunes when you can have 500? Gift cards for tunes are easy to find, easy to buy and always bring smiles (even if they are grudging) to teenage faces.
3. Laptop covers – Teens love to look stylish so why not let them dress up their laptops as well? Laptop covers come in almost as many designs as cell phone covers. Think Hello Kitty, The Scream and various animal pelts. O.K., they are not from real animals they just look like they are.
4. Skinny jeans – A teen can never have enough skinny jeans (or so they think). Girls and guys alike appreciate these skin-tight jeans that come in different colors, with patterns such as silver stars and with textures like glitter. Glitter, in the case of skinny jeans, actually is as good as gold.
5. Converse shoes – Converse athletic shoes are THE shoe to wear with skinny jeans. From high-top to low, from canvas to leather, from tie to slip-ons, these are the shoes teens are wearing. You can even personalize shoes at the Converse site.
6. Hats, scarves, mittens – Girls and guys alike start wearing colorful knitted things at the first sign of chill in the air. Bold colors, fringes and pom poms are always hits as are hats with animal ears (go figure) in a style reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are.
7. Fragrances – Perfumes and colognes are always appreciated because they are “in”, because they smell great and because most teens will not put out the money for them. Popular picks of the moment for girls ($50 and under) include Marc Jacobs, Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue and Michael Kors. For guys they are Burberry Touch, Versace Eau Fraiche and Calvin Klein’s ck one.
8. Movie gift cards – These gift cards are always great because teens love movies. You can purchase them in any dollar amount you want and they cover movies as well as snacks at the concession stand. Some movie gift cards can also be personalized with favorite images or photos.
9. Accessories – Things like backpacks/totes/purses, sunglasses, cool key chains, funky wallets and those trendy little hand sanitizers that can hook onto backpacks/totes/purses are always a treat.
10. Food – They’re teenagers, remember? Popular items they like to get include huge bags of Skittles, large jars of Nutella and fancy chocolates. By fancy chocolates I do not mean those chocolates with a gooey cherry in the center. I mean those endangered chocolate bars in the gourmet section of the supermarket, chocolate truffles, chocolate shells from Belgium and anything else that is decadent and a bit more costly than the average chocolate bar.
Well that should get you started. For more ideas, walk around the mall and see what stores teens are hanging out in. Even if you don’t get any epiphanies teenagers are fun to watch anyway.