NYC parents are paying through the nose for luxe…
To bougie Gen Alphas and Gen Zs heading back to college, the ABCs stand for Alo, Balenciaga and Chanel.
Luxury labels, designer devices and A-list equipment are at the top of the listing of calls for from social media-influenced kids returning to the classroom this semester.
And, according to alarming new data, New York parents are paying the most money in the US to keep their children haute in the hallways.
Nurka Lucevic, a Queens mom of 4, has shelled out $2,500 — an quantity she likens to “a mortgage payment” — on alternative garments, name-brand baggage and Stanley Cups for her crew, who vary in age from 2 to 12. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
“The [national] average back-to-school spending per child is $774,” said researchers for CouponBirds, an online reductions hub, before noting that Big Apple mothers and dads are spending roughly $1,348 per baby.
Nurka Lucevic, a Queens mom of 4, has shelled out $2,500 — an quantity she likens to “a mortgage payment” — on alternative garments, name-brand baggage and Stanley Cups for her crew, who vary in age from 2 to 12.
“Literally, every day they’re like, ‘We want these sneakers, we want this, we didn’t want that,’” said Lucevic of her consumer-minded children. “And every item costs well over $100.” Stephen Yang for the New York Post
“Everything is much, much more expensive this year,” Lucevic, 31, told The Post, including that her two tweenagers, ages 8 and 12, routinely request new high-end gear they see others sporting on TikTookay and YouTube.
“It’s every single day,” moaned the stay-at-home mama. Her brood will get back to studying, writing and arithmetic Thursday.
“Literally, every day they’re like, ‘We want these sneakers, we want this, we didn’t want that,’” continued Lucevic. “And every item costs well over $100.”
She’s in the groaning, growing flock of people who blame the web for making back-to-school buying a expensive pain in the butt.
Lucevic is among the groaning, growing flock of people who blame the web for making back-to-school buying a expensive pain in the butt. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
Lucevic’s children are beginning the college yr with contemporary designer kicks, Stanley cups and luxe lunchboxes and backpacks. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
But the sting isn’t restricted to parents in the US.
Investigators for Nationwide, a retail banking service in the UK, discovered that 36% of mothers and dads attribute the demand for chichi commodities to viral social media “haul” posts, per an August 2025 research.
In the vids, teenybopper tastemakers show off their huge back-to-school will get, offering glimpses of the expensive Chanel sneakers, Louis Vuitton baggage or Lululemon leggings they plan to rock to class.
A faction of the little look-at-me influencers have even stamped the clips, some which have garnered over 1.9 million views, with snooty titles like “$10,000 back-to-school haul.”
The report revealed that 56% of parents really feel “pressured” to spend past their means in order to appease their pups.
Adults polled said their insatiable tikes are begging for fashionable garments (43%), swanky backpacks (34%), premium water bottles (27%) and designer purses (23%).
The fledgling fashionistas have also received their fingers out for new laptops, bag charms, hair equipment, fashionable telephones and headphones, and upscale make-up.
“Everything is much, much more expensive this year,” Lucevic, 31, told The Post, including that her two tweenagers, ages 8 and 12, routinely request new high-end gear they see others sporting on TikTookay and YouTube. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
But Sue Hayward, a financial skilled with Nationwide, says back-to-school buying doesn’t have to imply the end of budgeting.
Rather than splurging on the latest and best, she suggests shopping for first-rate garb from secondhand distributors.
“Cash strapped parents can save by stocking up on basics like polo tops, jumpers and stationery with supermarket deals,” said Hayward in the research. “And it’s also price trying for ‘nearly new’ [clothes] on websites such as Vinted and eBay.
“Buying ‘outgrown’ items through the school or your local Facebook group can also help save money.”
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