# Do teenagers still shop at Spencer Gifts? Or are my nephews and neices pranking me? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681 "2016-08-13T17:35:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/21 "2016-08-14T00:54:41Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > Why would that be, I wonder? I blame bigotry, ignorance, and people not willing to get involved. For instance, if it came up at the charity, I bet not one person IRL would have said, “You Bigoted Ignorant SOB! What Amoebic Slime ancestor squirted YOU out from under a Rock?” _ **Charities: Bringing out the Best in people since we decided to solve all of our systemic social issues with Bake Sales.** _ ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/22 "2016-08-14T02:38:04Z")
Honestly, when you’re running a giveaway like that, the best items are the ones you roll your eyes at. Because you know you will be giving out 150 backpacks, the vast majority of which will be some form of standard blue/red/green. . . and the kids all want the cool backpack . . . and there’ll be a run for it . . . and they’ll fight over it . . . and all the kids who didn’t get that one will walk away disappointed instead of being happy that they got his great gift which was intended to make their school year start off right but is now just making them feel like they got the crappy end of the stick as usual . . . and there’s a very good chance that before the school year ends, the kid with the good backpack will get beat up and have it stolen from them. So yeah, she’s probably just been doing this for a while, and knows what to expect. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/23 "2016-08-14T02:51:07Z")
**TruCelt** , is there something you need to get off your chest? We’re here for you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/24 "2016-08-14T03:06:38Z")
I was just at Spencer’s today, speak of the devil. I was buying backpacks, even. Believe it or not I went to TWO separate locations. 50% off a $15 clearance backpack is a good deal! I’m sure kids still shop there, but in the 90’s when I was a teenager there was a very strong “manufactured edginess” to it. Actual head shops had cooler clothes and decor but you couldn’t very well ask your mom to drive you and your 14 year old friends there. It’s definitely the complete opposite of Claire’s Boutique though. They’re both ubiquitous mall stores but that’s the only thing they have in common. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/25 "2016-08-14T03:45:40Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > **TruCelt** , is there something you need to get off your chest? We’re here for you. 😉 :: twitch :: ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/26 "2016-08-14T06:41:01Z")
What’s a “backpack drive”? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/27 "2016-08-14T06:54:53Z")
It’s a community-driven appeal for people to donate back-to-school supplies for distribution to kids from families who might struggle to provide them. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/28 "2016-08-14T07:20:09Z")
In my area, it’s not unusual for the list of required school supplies to top $100. That doesn’t even include the backpack. It’s a huge hit for the parents, and incredibly embarrassing for any child who doesn’t have them. So backpack drives are a way to provide what the kids/schools need. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/29 "2016-08-14T08:08:14Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > It’s a community-driven appeal for people to donate back-to-school supplies for distribution to kids from families who might struggle to provide them. OK, I get that, but why did the OP buy new bags? Isn’t the whole point of charity drives to give away your old stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/30 "2016-08-14T16:11:04Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > OK, I get that, but why did the OP buy new bags? Isn’t the whole point of charity drives to give away your old stuff? Sometimes, but not always. Think of Toys for Tots, and their requirement that you give new, unopened toys. I imagine the school supplies thing is similar. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/31 "2016-08-14T16:37:00Z")
So beggers CAN be choosers. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/32 "2016-08-14T16:57:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So beggers CAN be choosers. In this country, yes. We don’t want beggars to feel like beggars, it’s bad for their self esteem. :rolleyes: Seriously though, when it comes to children who through no fault of their own need the help of others we should do better than to let them dress in rags, and in the culture we have created a used backpack for a child in school is equivalent to that. I’d rather we fixed our culture, but I don’t want to make poor kids pay the price of our failings either. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/33 "2016-08-14T16:59:07Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Honestly, when you’re running a giveaway like that, the best items are the ones you roll your eyes at. Because you know you will be giving out 150 backpacks, the vast majority of which will be some form of standard blue/red/green. . . and the kids all want the cool backpack . . . and there’ll be a run for it . . . and they’ll fight over it . . . and all the kids who didn’t get that one will walk away disappointed Yeah, something like this was the first thing I thought of as the explanation for the dirty looks mentioned in the OP: that the backpacks were _too_ cool. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/34 "2016-08-14T17:08:56Z")
We get older but teenagers always stay about the same age. There are apparently a few locations in the Boston area but I have never been in one. However, my daughters love shopping in them when we go to malls in the Dallas area. I do too for that matter. I realized that I finally have enough money now to buy all the tacky neon lights, pranks, and fake sex toys that I want but I have refrained…thus far. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/35 "2016-08-14T19:36:11Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > In this country, yes. We don’t want beggars to feel like beggars, it’s bad for their self esteem. :rolleyes: > > Seriously though, when it comes to children who through no fault of their own need the help of others we should do better than to let them dress in rags, and in the culture we have created a used backpack for a child in school is equivalent to that. I’d rather we fixed our culture, but I don’t want to make poor kids pay the price of our failings either. Cultural differences, I guess. I mean, I’m not even buying my own kid a new bag this year - the old one’s still fine. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/36 "2016-08-14T19:42:04Z")
I didn’t think _anyone_ still shopped at Spencer’s Gifts. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/37 "2016-08-14T19:58:26Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > There’s a Spencer’s at my local mall, although only the front end would be suitable for teenagers. The back end has sex toys and merchandise of all types with marijuana leaves on it (although they don’t sell paraphernalia). I was there several days ago, because the t-shirt rack caught my eye. They were t-shirts that said “A woman’s place is in the MFing White House” (uncensored 😛 ), “Anyone But Trump”, and others. The girl who was stocking other items nearby said that people were stopping and laughing all the time. > > Interestingly, they also had a rack of risque greeting cards suitable for middle-aged people, presumably people like me who are not only in that demographic, but also remember purchasing black lights, rainbow wigs, KISS posters, etc. back in their original heyday. > > Several months ago, I purchased a “Feel The Bern” shirt and never got anything but compliments on it. 🆒 > > The Claire’s store is just around the corner, and is formatted in a way to deter shoplifters. Please be assured there were no sex toys in the backpacks, unless some teenagers could get really, really creative with papier-mache writing paper. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/38 "2016-08-14T20:03:19Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Cultural differences, I guess. I mean, I’m not even buying my own kid a new bag this year - the old one’s still fine. Yeah, but it’s your kid. The old backpack’s undoubtedly fine for him or her. Some other kid whose family can’t afford to buy them a backpack at all might appreciate getting a new backpack. It’s probably the first new item they’ve gotten in a long time that previously didn’t belong to someone else. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/39 "2016-08-14T20:08:44Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > OK, I get that, but why did the OP buy new bags? Isn’t the whole point of charity drives to give away your old stuff? No, the whole point is to help someone less fortunate than you. Ideally, you shouldn’t donate to charity anything that you would want to use yourself. Poor kids have enough strikes against them in my country. Making sure they have school supplies is one small thing that can fight some of that inequality. I bought the backpacks at Spencer’s because1.) I would have thought those backpacks were cool when I was a teenager, 2.) they were 50% this weekend and 3.) the kids in my family assured me that though they were buying their own backpacks from Hot Topic the ones Spencer had were still acceptable (none dweeb or otherwise embarrassing in teenage culture). ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681/40 "2016-08-14T20:46:13Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So beggers CAN be choosers. _Givers_ can be choosers. Life’s not fair, and as a result of that I have a much better life than I deserve. Why not spread that around? I buy my kids nice school supplies, why would I donate any less? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-teenagers-still-shop-at-spencer-gifts-or-are-my-nephews-and-neices-pranking-me/762681.md?page=3)