Delhi teens love to shop

Delhi youngsters would say that they knew this all along. And they now have a study that validates their spending habits.
A survey done by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) concludes that almost 35% of youngsters in the age group of 13-15 years spend `5000 per month on apparel alone. The survey was done to evaluate the apparel purchasing tendencies in the 10 major cities (200 respondents in each city) of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Chandigarh.The survey has named Delhi youngsters as the greatest spendthrifts. 35% of the respondents said that they upgrade their wardrobe every month. When we spoke to youngsters to find out if this was true, we discovered that many of them tend to spend much more than just a ‘meagre’ `5000.
“I had been planning for quite a while that I will change my entire wardrobe when I go to college. I blew almost `10,000 to buy clothes for college. I knew that all the freshers would be trying their best to look good. So why would I have lagged behind? And I’m still adding to my wardrobe,” says Rukhsana Sheikh, a student of Hansraj College in Delhi University. And Rukhsana is not the only one. Tuhina Carrol, a first year philosophy student at Miranda House College said, “Before the colleges opened, I spent almost `6,000 on my clothes alone. The freshers spend a lot of money to get their look right on the first day of college.”
Checkpoints
- About 35% of respondents with working parents said that they usually spend around `5,000 per month on apparel.
- Nearly 400 respondents said that they spend around `3,500 to `4,000 every month on clothes.
- 65% said they prefer shopping with their friends, 25% prefer shopping alone and 10% said that they prefer the companionship of their family while shopping.
- Teenagers in Delhi were ahead of their counterparts in other cities, as 55% said that their budget for shopping for clothes exceeds `5,000 every month.
A majority of the respondents said that they emulate and look to their favourite film stars, sportsmen and ramp models for the latest fashion ideas. Saurabh Tiwari, a final year DU student agrees with these findings and says, “I really like Ranbir Kapoor’s style and I try to follow it. He has a very casual yet stylish way of dressing up. Sometimes I end up spending a lot on clothes, much more than `5000. During my first year, my friends and I had decided that instead of coming by our cars, we would come in a car pool. This helped us save money that we later spent on clothes.”
An interesting finding of the survey was that school students are more brand conscious than college students. Ayushi Teotia, BCom (Hons) student of Jesus and Mary College agrees and says, “In school, we used to go out with friends only once in a while and hence could afford to buy branded stuff every time we shopped. But in college, no one wants to repeat an outfit, and hence, we buy in bulk. And I prefer buying from flea markets as the clothes are cheaper and more outfits can be bought for the same amount without compromising on style and trends.” As for accessories, youngsters pick up jewellery from thrift stores and flea markets. However, branded sunglasses are always preferred.
The survey also says that a majority of the youngsters, (65%), prefer shopping with their friends, and about 25% said that they prefer shopping alone. Only 10% of youngsters say that they prefer the companionship of their family. Anuj Chauhan, a student of Kirori Mal College says that his parents were the ones who asked him to go shopping without them.
“Ever since class 11, I have been going shopping either alone or with my friends. My parents feel that it is for the best since they had observed that in their presence, I wasn’t picking up what I really wanted. Parents rate clothes on the basis of price, fit and size, while friends weigh them for style and coolness quotient. And hence, I much prefer going shopping with them.”