ABSTRACT
Children as young as five and six years of age are pressured by their friends to wear the correct fashions. Children in grades one and two are ostracized by their peers if they do not conform to the latest styles in clothing. The innocence of childhood has been lost to the international forces of capitalism, which has made 'consumers' out of even the youngest children. The world has changed, and with it the retail environment has undergone a transformation in recent years. When it comes to clothing, pre-teens have become relentless shoppers. They are probably far more persistent than adults, and are determined to buy exactly the products they want. The pre-teen demographic is an important one. While parents age and become less concerned with fashion, a new marketing niche has opened among the youngsters. The retailing and manufacture of toys presents a challenge for the pre-teen market. Children are growing up faster than they used to.
