If you’re a fan of shop-alongs or if your job requires you to keep up with the whims of teenaged shoppers (you have my sympathies), you’ll want to check out this Wall Street Journal piece (subscription may be required) in which Sara Germano chronicles the experience of trailing two groups of teen girls as they navigate malls in Overland Park, Kan., and Albany, N.Y.
In terms of revelations, there are no real stunners (price is often key and a low enough price can sometimes overcome stated brand dislike) but the article does a nice job of highlighting the value of being there, in the moment, with consumers.
My fave nugget was this priceless dis of an Abercrombie store, which the shoppers passed by without entering: “You can smell the Axe all the way out here.”