I have 10 years experience working in retail and I can assure you that it's not just teens making the mess in stores. More often than not their parents are making the mess too. I've cleaned up a lot of messes left by customers and the majority of them were made by middle - upper class adult women who should know better. I've often wondered if they leave their house in as big as mess as they do a store?
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Name : Lorraine22588, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 27, City : Newmarket, Ontario, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : retail management, Social class : Middle class, I cannot be sure of the reason, but I'd like to make a guess. I blame parents who don't take the time to teach their kids the importance of treating property that does not belong to you, with respect. My parents had a simple solution. If we misbehaved in a store, we were taken home. Immediately. My mother said more times than I can count, "There is nothing I need so much that I am willing to put up with bad behavior". I remember teaching my 4-year-old niece not to touch things in a store. After I explained how the things would become dirty if too many people touched them, she understood, and stopped touching everything she came across. She is now a well behaved, responsible young adult.
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Name : Lucille Haack, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 43, City : Omaha, State : NE Country : United States, Occupation : Military, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, One word--Immaturity. But not all teenagers do this. In fact, I would say a small percentage are this immature. My parents taught me respect for others and how to act in a public place. The teens that wreck your store have either not been taught any better or have a problem with authority.
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Name : Jennifer, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Anywhere, State : NM Country : United States, Occupation : Secretary, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
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First, I think it has to do with the utter self-absorption and selfishness that comes with those years for many teens, albeit to a greater or lesser extent. Second, there is this great sense of entitlement and pride in self. You are the American standard: young, skinny, beautiful, with a crowd of similar people around. Marketers are dying to have you do with their products as you please, because you are the ultimate target audience. This is why shopkeepers don't throw them out or tell them off. They want their money and patronage. However, I have found this attitude tends to apply more towards crowds of teens making a nuisance, being loud and belligerent. Anyone raised to respect other's things would not act so. I think it is the minority who act so rudely.
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Name : T, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 18, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Part of it is adolescent rebelliousness but most of it comes from their home where parents did not set limits or instill a sense of respect. You're looking at a generation of 'entitled' kids who feel they can do as they please because it's their 'rght' to do as they please. Throw em' out of the store!
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Name : Joe, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 57, City : Concord, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : education, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I'm a teenager who has immense respect for other people's property. I know teens like the ones you describe. These types of kids are immature and often have bad home lives. Their parents don't really care what they do and never taught them morals, and so they never learned how to respect other people. Someone who has no discipline at home cannot learn how to act right in public.
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Name : Lynn22508, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Orthodox Christian, Age : 17, City : Youngstown, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, Because they feel like they wont get into as much trouble as adults, because they're juveniles. after all, you only live on earth one time, so make it special.
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Name : chan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Christian, Age : 16, City : roanoke, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Lower class, Being in the Retail business not only have I noticed Teenagers, but supposedly 'Grown Ups' doing the same thing. I have often wondered how these people would feel if I came into their home and and acted as they do in mine!
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Name : David, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 56, City : Williamsburg, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : Retail, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, It is not that the teenagers feel they have a right - it is that they do not accept any responsibility for their actions. Unfortunately too many children in the U.S.A. are catered to and picked up after to the point that they don't even realize they have responsibilities in their lives. Then they grow up, keep making their messes and eventually call their parents to make their bonds when law enforcement has to stop them. And their parents run right down to the jail, bail them out, and the behaviors repeat over and over in an endless cycle. They can't teach responsibility because they never learned responsibility, so these teenagers become parents just like their own. Apples don't fall far from the tree.
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Name : Celi W, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 62, City : Galax, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : Professional, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, I work in a retail store, and I am a teenager (18 is still a teenager, right? I certainly dont FEEL much like an adult), and I see the exact opposite. It's more adults and older people that open things up, saying they want to know it works. I understand this, but many of them fail to realize, opening a product up means that it has to be marked down to be sold again. That means many people will not buy it because they are afraid there's something wrong with it. Teenagers are more prone to being loud, obnoxious, and annoying when they are in with a group of friends, while alone, they are some of the best customers I've helped.
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Name : John, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 18, City : Chugiak, State : AK Country : United States, Occupation : Bix Box Retail Associate, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, This is a toughnut to crack, but as the father of three 20 something boys and a background in working in public schools and universities I have some ideas. First off teenagers tend to want to push the limits and that includes behavior. It may start as a home problem and have little to do with socioeconomics. It is related to how they see responsibility manifested in the home. Are they given reasonable responsibilities and accountability for their age? Do they see family members treat each other with respect? Are their peers and role models ones that represent similar values? Every parent has said at some time or other, 'Well I know my child would never do that!' Wishful thinking. As teenagers the home influence has less sway as peer influence becomes more powerful. Kids can fall into bad habits, but the one you describe is disrespect for property and people. It is difficult to know whether they are testing the limits or reflecting the lack of respect they may feel even for themselves. Anonymity is another issue. Even as adults we can ask ourselves how honest would we be or how well behaved if there were no one we knew watching? As we age we hopefully move that locus of control to internalized values rather than external stimuli. Teenagers haven't always made that switch yet. The more anonymous the circumstance the more likely their internal value system is to be tested. Many stores will have security or the police involved and trust me--no parent wants to hear the call that starts out, ' We have your.....in custody.' Neither does the teenager. Better behavior can be influenced by reasonable consequences.
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Name : Paul, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : diabetes, migraines, spinal deterioration, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Quaker, Age : 53, City : Normal, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : university placement counselor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I think some teenagers tear through stores and rip open bags because society has taught them that this is ok. Look at the shows Jackass and Punk'd, they are all about pissing off other people. I work in a department store, and I can tell you it isn't only kids that do this but adults, and it's because adults do it that kids do. Kids are worse than adults, in my opinion, because parents can't punish their kids anymore. As soon as a parents raises their voice or go to strike the kid, they've broken some law.
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Name : Greg-Stanek, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : unsure, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 17, City : Medina, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : Retail, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, I personally think that the reason that the teens in question (note: not all teens are like that) because they feel that they can. Since you are asian, they might have a prejudice against you (for what reason, I don't know) and so they are taking it out on your store. Another possible reason that I can think of is because they weren't raised to respect other people's property. Seems to me like those actions belong back at the age of three or so.
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Name : Ian Laughlin, Gender : M, Age : 18, City : Palmer, State : AK Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Hey, I have to be honest, the only reason why teenagers are the way they are is because they're still kids. I'm only 20 myself, so I speak from recent experience. A teenager is at that point where they have more freedom to make their own decisions, are responsible for their own actions, and basically feel like they can do whatever they want to do. However, they still have the mind of a child, they have the tendency to love destroying things, and playing with everything, messing up everything... but because of their new attitude of 'i can do whatever i want, and you can't stop me' that is exactly what they do, and is basically the cause for all of their teenage rebellion. Or maybe thats just me!
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Name : Stevie, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : student, Because they are employees of the store.
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Name : Harry Highstreet, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Aliens, Disability : Mental, Race : First Place, Religion : Messlopian, Age : 68, City : St. Clair, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Author, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 
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