New York Shopping for teen DD

[andithinktomyself]

DD (15) is going to New York with the school this summer. They will have some time for shopping although it is not confirmed where.
She's worried that she'll get flustered and end up buying nothing or something she regrets. I'm looking for any suggestions so she can have a small shopping list.

She will have about £250 to spend.
She loves books/reading.
She is starting to become interested in cosmetics but currently has no big brand favourites etc.
Same goes for fashion - doesn't care about brands but is chuffed when she does get 'nice' stuff.

The only idea that I have currently is something small from Tiffany's as it would be a real keepsake to remember her trip but I'm not sure if that might be a bit intimidating for a young girl to shop there.

I've never been to NY so have no personal advice for her. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You probably already know this, but make sure she realises that NY sales tax will be added at the till - easy to get caught out and not have quite enough money

It's not cheap. Prob no cheaper than UK

I am reliably informed that Glossier is the must-have teenage beauty brand, and although you can order online, I think their only store is in NY. It might be fun to go and have a look there.

We recently took DDs 16 and 18 and had a wonderful time.
They loved the shopping, but be warned it's not really any cheaper than at home so don't expect her to come back laden with bargains!

I would definitely recommend Sephora for beauty/cosmetics - all the big brands under one roof, including American brands not available here. Nice swanky packaging and bags too so feels a bit special.

My 2 spent most time and money in typical American brand stores like Abercrombie&Fitch and American Eagle.

They did both make a small purchase in Tiffany- it was a lovely experience and even though they were both only buying silver necklace/bracelets (less than $100 each) they were given all the special treatment - invited to sit down and try on and given freebies (just postcards etc) but it was a very memorable part of the visit, and nice to have such a special souvenir.

Sephora is one of the main US cosmetics stores - they carry almost every brand and also loads of stuff you can't get over here (she could look online first to see if there's anything she'd like). Most of them are much bigger and more full of stuff than anywhere in the UK so might be a good idea for her to have a general idea of what she'd like beforehand (e.g. foundation, eye shadow, lip stuff, etc.) so she's not overwhelmed. The sales associates with definitely help her if she is unsure.

American Eagle has nice, good quality clothing - particularly good for jeans and cute tops. Again, have a look online to see the kind of stuff they carry.
Not sure if Abercrombie and Hollister are still cool with the youth? She might end up getting dragged there with friends that are into it!

Barnes&Noble is the main US chain book shop, they often have nice books about New York, etc that could be a souvenir. Also, if they're doing tourist thing, some of those have nice souvenir type books. I got a really nice one at Ellis Island all about the history of the island and immigration to NYC.

Thank you so much for the responses. I'll go through them with DD. She's much more confident when she has a bit of a plan. Think I'm getting more excited than her

Tiffany is the one of the only brands that seems to be cheaper in the US at the moment so that could be a good shout, although it would eat up most of her shopping budget in one go. Sephora is amazing and has loads of stuff you just can’t find in the UK so I’d definitely send her there. Barnes and Noble for books although it’s expensive and quite generic, think American Waterstones. I occasionally go to browse there but go home and buy on Amazon

Tell her not to forget about sales tax added at the register so on shopping she’ll pay about 9% extra on top of the price shown on the label.

We visited NY last autumn with three teen DDs. American Eagle (which had been a favourite here till it closed down) and Sephora were by far the biggest hits.

She should definitely go to Barnes & Noble because there’s loads of books that won’t be available here. And the gift shop at the New York Public Library is full of nice stuff. I’m sure she’ll find lots of bits and pieces that she’ll want to buy while she goes round with her friends.

New Yorker here. I agree with Sephora and Barnes and Noble as good bets. The staff at Tiffany are absolutely lovely and very accommodating even if you are not buying anything expensive. I'd encourage her to look over the selection on their website before going so that she can have a few things in mind that are within her budget.

Here's a link for Tiffany gifts under $250.

www.tiffany.com/gifts/gifts-250-under?trackbgfm=nav

I hope she has a great trip. Please feel free to post any questions I might be able to answer.

Sephora is fab, but if she's not majorly into makeup brands, she could get a ton of the non premium brands in any large drugstore. I love getting stuff you can't get at home and always get loads. Any CVS, Walgreens, Duane Reade etc has a huge selection.

If you want your money to go further than American Eagle etc, try TJMax and Marshalls. You can get really good quality designer stuff and pay a fraction for them.
Clothes, handbags, shoes etc are a fraction even with the sales tax. Look at the sale rack first.
Both TJMax and Marshalls are the same company, but TJMax are more upmarket than Marshalls.
Even Burlington Coat Factory have some really nice stuff.

My best buy ever when I went to New York was a hoody from the gift shop of American Museum of National History. It still get worn . I also bought t-shirts from Abercrombie, long sleeved t-shirts from most of the gift shops of places we visited, the ubiquitous Bloomingdales shopper and a pendant necklace from Tiffanys. Although when I started to visit internet shopping was still a thing of wonder