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I'm one of the few who doesn't do the whole back to school shopping thing. I buy clothes as needed.
I didn't do back to school shopping either. It's too warm when school starts and they grow so quickly they may grow out of winter clothes before it's time to wear them. If their summer clothes were getting worn out, I'd buy some summer clothes for the start of school and a few warmer things for cool evenings. I'd wait until October to buy their winter wardrobe. (They never fit into the previous winter's clothes.) When the weather got warmer in the spring, I'd buy their summer wardrobe if they no longer fit into the previous year (and they never did). They really do grow way too quickly to fit into something from the prior year so I was buying whole new wardrobes twice a year. It's probably different for people who live in areas where the seasons don't change much.
You might try Aeropostale and American Eagle for jeans. They have 00 sizes if your daughters are tiny.
ETA: I just saw that you walked by those stores because you were too tired and I get that. But Aeropostale was the "go-to" store in middle school and AE has been for high school.
May I do my own rant? Why, or why, do the have to play the music so loud in those stores? It drives me batty and gives me a headache. I understand that teens shop there but PARENTS spend the money there. I hunted down a manager at Forever 21 and complained (greatly embarrassing my daughter) and then sent an email. I don't know if it did any good or not, but it was so loud in there that we had to lean in to each other to talk. Just walking in to Forever 21 makes me want to collapse in a heap.
Oh man. Forever 21 at our local mall was unbearable for me and I have a hearing loss. They play that music for the employees--obviously not for the customers. And one of the major anchor stores had blaring "music" too to the point my husband said he would sit outside the store before he would subject himself to that assault.
OK when I asked the girls where they wanted to shop all I got was Justice and Tom shoes. Nobody mentioned American Eagle (looked like a boy's store to me) or Aeropostale and I know it is silly but it sounds like a drug store to me.
So we have some jeans and a few tops for the start of school and by the time cooler weather gets here we'll try Old Navy and a few of the other stores. I was really surprised at how little Macy's had. I mean if they put out swimsuits in march and April wouldn't you expect long sleeves in the last half of August when back to school shoppers are out?
Why do you habve to but things now? Just wait until the cooler weather hits and but the jackets then?
Because both complain about the school being so cold they need a jacket and they will be riding their bikes very early and they think they need lightweight jackets early in the mornings.
Oh man. Forever 21 at our local mall was unbearable for me and I have a hearing loss. They play that music for the employees--obviously not for the customers. And one of the major anchor stores had blaring "music" too to the point my husband said he would sit outside the store before he would subject himself to that assault.
OK when I asked the girls where they wanted to shop all I got was Justice and Tom shoes. Nobody mentioned American Eagle (looked like a boy's store to me) or Aeropostale and I know it is silly but it sounds like a drug store to me.
So we have some jeans and a few tops for the start of school and by the time cooler weather gets here we'll try Old Navy and a few of the other stores. I was really surprised at how little Macy's had. I mean if they put out swimsuits in march and April wouldn't you expect long sleeves in the last half of August when back to school shoppers are out?
If you live North Carolina, your girls probably don't even need to be wearing long sleeves and jackets until a month or two in. You could try again then. I'm guessing you'd have better luck.
Old Navy is our go-to for more classic (but still 'fun') stuff without the words and glitter.
ETA oh, we crossed posted. You could try a sporting goods store like Dick's for the jackets...
My big fall project is to inventory the kids' closets, especially the youngest's, and make a list of items that need added/replaced. Shopping happens over the course of the season as we see things that fit their requirements. I donated a huge mountain of clothing yesterday, and now the closets are organized. It feels fantastic! Plus, once the disaster was cleaned up, we could all see that they didn't need nearly as much as they thought they did to start the year, which will save us time and money! Mostly, they just needed shoes.
One more thing, NK. At some stores (AE for sure) you can order online and return things to the local store. We do a fair amount of that because it avoids standing in line for the dressing room, etc., but you'd need to check each store's return policy.
NK.....I buy all those basics at Target. They have tons of long sleeve T's, leggings, jeans, and of course underwear, camis, bras, socks, etc.
Someone mentioned Old Navy and I agree....they also have the basics. Both stores are pretty cheap too.
I am going out this weekend with my 12 YO girl to shop so I feel your pain. I am also tired of the sparkle and glitter on things. Thank God we are out of the Justice phase....I HATE that store!
OK when I asked the girls where they wanted to shop all I got was Justice and Tom shoes. Nobody mentioned American Eagle (looked like a boy's store to me) or Aeropostale and I know it is silly but it sounds like a drug store to me.
It might be time to upgrade to AE/Aerie (underwear) and Aeropostale then. The brands are laid back, no shiny but their shirts tend to have graphics/lettering. Not really pre-teens but aimed more at high-schoolers and young adults.
Because both complain about the school being so cold they need a jacket and they will be riding their bikes very early and they think they need lightweight jackets early in the mornings.
It went down to 45 degrees last night here. August is usually our hottest month but not this year.
I woke up this morning and turned on the heat for an hour. I usually don't turn it on until sometime in October.
Oh gosh Hopes. Don't even start talking about heating bills. We keep our house A/C on day and night and I try to get at least 1 month without either A/C or heat every year. Hope we can do that this year too.
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The brands are laid back, no shiny but their shirts tend to have graphics/lettering. Not really pre-teens but aimed more at high-schoolers and young adults.
