No More Frogs To Kiss, By Joline Godfrey, Reprinted with permission
from Harper Collins Publishing
Take a
teen on three shopping expeditions:
- for
food;
- for
jeans or a pair of shoes
- for
a piece of technical equipment - a CD player, a tape recorder, or
a piece of computer equipment.
The goal
of these expeditions is to introduce comparison-shopping. (Make it clear
this is a simulation - not the real thing!)
Before
leaving for the mall or Main Street, spend some time with her looking
through newspaper ads or catalogs. Have her make a list of what she
wants and how much she expects to spend. Select three stores in which
to get prices for each product. Ask her to explain why she thinks prices
might be the same or different. Discuss trade - offs (time versus price;
convenience and service verses price, etc.). Make sure she asks a store
employee about product benefits and differences as she compares products.
NOTE:
As with many of the suggestions in this book, sometimes a parent is
not the best mentor for one's own kids. Occasionally it helps to "swap
kids." You might take a neighbors daughter on these expeditions
and the neighbor might take yours.
