The more you know about a graduate's plans for the future, the easier it is to come up with a cheap graduation gift. However, the suggestions below should work for most any grad and cost less than $25.
In this review:
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Kids Clothing Brands
A Good Housekeeping test gives us insight into the quality of the kids clothing brands sold by six of our seven retailers; the experts tested the items for fabric strength, shrinkage, and color fading and bleeding. JC Penney's Arizona brand polos for girls measured up to an expensive department store brand and T-shirts for boys are made from strong material that resists shrinkage. However, girls T-shirts shrank in the test and appeared prone to fraying. Target's Cherokee brand shirts are also made with strong fabric that barely fades in the wash, although again, the quality of girls T-shirts may be a little lower. Girls jeans also don't stand up to washing, wear, and tear. Old Navy impressed Good Housekeeping with the sturdiness of its kids polo shirts and girls jeans. Girls jeans from Walmart outperformed a more expensive kids clothing brand, but watch out for shrinking with the store's super-cheap Faded Glory boys and girls T-shirts. Testing suggests Kmart is another source of durable jeans for both boys and girls. Finally, testers singled out Sears' Canyon River Blues T-shirts for their reinforced stitching.
Users' opinions are spilt when it comes to the quality of the stores' kids clothing brands. For example, one mom we spoke to who shops at Kmart regularly reports that the quality of the Basic Edition brand has drastically improved in the past few years, while another mother found Kmart's quality lacking and hasn't shopped there in at least a year. As for Kohl's, which wasn't included in the Good Housekeeping test, all the shoppers we spoke to deem Kohl's clothes very high-quality, if a little on the pricey side; one shopper noted that sales often help. Old Navy scores points for quality with several users posting reviews at Viewpoints.com, where one parent says the clothes held up through the first daughter and then the second who wore them as hand-me-downs.
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Back To School Clothing Stores
JC Penney
One word -- uniforms. JC Penney has every imaginable uniform item your child would need for low prices that happen to be compatible with high quality. In fact, selection is good in most categories at this venerable department store, although prices can creep up on you. As for quality, the Arizona brand ranks up there with the best when comparing T-shirts, hoodies, and polo shirts. Customers say JC Penney is a convenient place to shop, especially if they need to buy uniforms.Kids Clothes Deals
| JC Penney.com |
Kmart
Kmart offers shoppers something of a mixed bag. Although jeans are well-priced and sturdy, most tops seem a bit flimsy. Customers seem split in their opinions of Kmart. One mom told us the quality of the cheap kids clothes seems to have improved over the past few years, while others say they don't shop at Kmart because of the flimsy materials used to make the clothing. In addition, the return policy is quite strict.Kids Clothes Deals
| Kmart.com |
Kohl's
Frugal shoppers say Kohl's offers a wide range of high-quality brands for low prices. While the store placed as the most expensive in our shopping cart test, the coupons and in-store discounts are impressive and help lower prices drastically. In our review of cheap kids clothes, we found that Kohl's kids dress clothes, including dresses and pants, surpass the rest with a large selection of items that should last a while. Plus, the return policy is unbeatable -- completely hassle-free, meaning you can return just about anything at any time with or without a receipt.Kids Clothes Deals
| Kohl's.com |
Old Navy
Excellent quality jeans and polo shirts at affordable prices make Old Navy a top store brand. This retailer also boasts the greatest assortment of styles in outerwear that we saw while shopping toward the end of July. Consumers seem to like Old Navy; they say the budget kids clothes are well-priced and right up there with the latest fashion trends. One arena where Old Navy flags is its return policy. In certain situations you can only get a store credit mailed to you rather than receiving it on the spot. We also found a very limited selection of budget kids shoes, and pajamas are available only online.Kids Clothes Deals
| Old Navy.com |
Sears
Everything you need for your child's back-to-school wardrobe can be found in-store at Sears. That's right -- from underwear to uniforms and everything in between, it's all there. But you may pay slightly higher prices for the one-stop-shopping convenience. Still, consumers don't have any complaints about shopping at Sears.Kids Clothes Deals
| Sears.com |
Target
Target outshines the competition in budget kids shoes. It boasts an outstanding selection at very low prices and several shoppers laud the quality. Cheap kids tops also seem to be a good value at Target; fabric used in the Cherokee brand seems quite durable. Most customers seem satisfied with Target's back-to-school options and consider the return policy easy to work with. On the downside, we found a limited selection in certain categories, such as uniforms, pajamas, and dress clothes.Kids Clothes Deals
| Target.com |
Walmart
In our shopping cart test of cheap kids clothes, Walmart was the clear winner with the lowest total: $218.36. The store also came out on top in the jeans and underwear match-ups. In jeans, Walmart offers the lowest prices for relatively high quality; the durable fabric is unlikely to rip or fray easily. Many retailers carry the same brands of panties and briefs, training bras, socks, undershirts, and tights, but Walmart sells them at the lowest prices. Customers seem to like Walmart as a place to stock up on these basic items.Kids Clothes Deals
| Walmart.com |
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