Kids Getting Richer Or Just More Willing To Spend?

As a youth, I just can't help but notice the fact that other youths actually spend more nowadays. There are just unlimited examples of youths (some barely 18) spending on designer products and wine-dine. These activities can easily cost more than RM50 and it's not cheap. Even if I'm working, I would never spend that much money on such activities unless it's a special occasion (call me cheap but I just won't buy designer products or wine-dine)

Just a Klang Valley thing?

Just to put it into perspective, I've seen a group of secondary school kids dining at Sushi King in Mid Valley. First of all, the food at Sushi King isn't particularly cheap. A meal for 1 person can cost at least RM20-RM30 per pax. I'm not sure whether they dine in Sushi King on a weekly basis or only once in a while. For secondary school kids to dine at Sushi King often is rather unacceptable in my opinion. However, I would still accept it if it's once in a while for special occasions.

Even kids in my hometown Teluk Intan practice it too!

Sometimes, my father likes to have supper in the new Old Town White Coffee outlet in Teluk Intan. As I was dining at Old Town, I would always notice that there are youths younger than I am dining at Old Town too! A cup of Old Town White Coffee (one of Old Town's signature beverages) cost more than RM2.50. A cup of coffee at the kopitiam in town costs at most RM1.20 (most kopitiam in my hometown doesn't serve white coffee)

What do I think?

I think it's totally absurd to spend so much on premium products (despite the higher quality). To pay a higher price for a product which function could be satisfied by another cheaper product just doesn't make any sense to me. Using the Old Town White Coffee as an example, I could get 2 cups of coffee from the normal kopitiam to satisfy my craving for caffeine compared to the 1 cup of Old Town White Coffee. I used to think that a Nike shoe is so much more comfortable than a 'chapalang' brand from the 'pasar malam' (which explains why I wear a pair of Nike sneakers and a pair of Adidas running shoes). After ripping some of the branded shoes in world-record times, I decided that it'll be more worth it to buy 10 pairs of 'chapalang' brand shoes from 'pasar malam' worth RM200 than to buy a pair of Nike/Adidas worth RM200

Conclusion? It's still up to you whether you want to keep buying high-end products. As for me, I'll just stick with all my cheap products :P