It's My Life . Money . Spending Smarts . Spending Stories . The Brand Name Battle


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The Brand Name Battle

A week before the start of the new school year, Megan goes clothes shopping with her mom. There’s one item that Megan really wants: a hooded sweatshirt from designer Jack Joy, who’s the hottest brand name on the scene. Megan’s favorite actress wore a Joy jacket in the summer’s biggest movie, and three different celebs were pictured wearing Joy designs in a gossip magazine.

The hoodie is awesome, with the name
“Joy” written in huge sparkly rhinestone letters on the back. Megan can picture herself wearing it in the school halls, turning

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Sports Gear

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Spending Stories:
Cast Your Vote!

The Brand Name Battle

The Spending Safari

heads and making all the other girls jealous. Plus, the price tag says the hoodie used to be $200.00, and now it’s marked down to $150.00. That seems like a small price to pay for all that coolness.

Megan’s mom, on the other hand, thinks that $150.00 is a ridiculous price for one sweatshirt, especially since Megan already owns something just like it. It doesn’t have the Joy logo or the rhinestones, but it’s the same color and quality, and looks great with jeans, cords, or even a skirt.

The hoodie debate turns into a big argument. Megan’s mom gets so frustrated that she hands Megan the $200.00 she had budgeted for her fall clothes and tells her to buy what she wants. Megan quickly buys the Jack Joy hoodie, and with the remaining $50.00, gets one pair of jeans. Everything else she wears to school this year will have to be from last year.

On the first day of school, Megan gets a couple positive comments on her pink Joy hoodie, but nothing like the reaction she expected. Then she sees that two other girls are also wearing it, and she feels like a trend follower instead of a trendsetter. From then on, she’s even a little embarrassed to have it on.

1. What do you think the clothing company, designer,
    and store did that MOST influenced Megan to want
    the hoodie so badly?
The designer made sure that celebrities were seen wearing it so
        young people would want the hoodie, too.
The store marked down the price a little to make it seem like
        a good bargain.
The clothing company took a basic item and made it trendy so
        people would buy it even if they already had a sweatshirt.

2. Do you think Megan’s mom was smart to let Megan
    spend the clothes budget any way she wanted?
Yes! Megan should pick her own clothes, because parents don’t
        understand fashion.
Yes, because Megan probably learned a lot from her mistake.
No. Megan’s mom caved too quickly. She should have stuck to her
        original decision even if Megan fought and cried.

3. If you were shopping with Megan, what might you
    have said to get her to shop differently?
I would have told her that designer labels and trendy brand names
        aren’t worth tons of extra money.
I would have told her to think about it for a few days, and see if she
        still felt as strongly about the hoodie.
I would have encouraged her to wait and see if the hoodie went
        on sale or if she could get it cheaper somewhere else.

Next story: The Spending Safari.

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