The retail world is flooded by a sea of clothing sizes. To find the right one, women must tread through “misses,” “petites,” “pluses,” “juniors” and more, depending upon the store.As the nation’s students return to school, so will the dozens of rubber-band, fun-shaped animal bracelets that line each child’s wrist. It was a collecting and trading frenzy that made national news last school year.
The company Stretchy Shapes, whose demand has soared from 504,000 to 3.6 million bracelets shipping each week to retailers across America, has come up with a Back-to-School Band Etiquette Primer to serve as a guide to the do’s and don’ts of wearing, collecting and trading bands.
“Just as there are rules for everything else in life, we absolutely feel that kids can gain from having a guidebook to allow them to enjoy Stretchy Shapes at school,” explains April Mraz, founder and design diva at Stretchy Shapes.
Some of those tips include:
For kids wearing them:
•Cover your wrists, but don’t extend them up your arm. They could break or be too tight.
•Wear your favorite bands on one wrist; wear the bands you’d like to trade on the other.
•Not all bands are created equal. Know the value and popularity of your bands. The most popularly traded band in America is Stretchy Shapes’ MP3 Player (in the “My Backpack” Pack), according to AnimalBraceletsBlog.com. Kids are trading 10 to 15 regular bands for one MP3 Player band.
For parents and teachers:
•Develop a rewards system using bands.
•Organize trading clubs.
•If you confiscate, create a “win-back” program.
The primer can be downloaded free from Stretchy Shapes website, www.stretchyshapes.com.
