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• Nicholas Jenkins was put on a performance improvement plan while working at Amazon.
• He took a termination package in December 2024 and was surprised by how hard it was to get hired.
• He finally landed a job after moving home to Houston and leveraging his personal network.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nicholas Jenkins, a market research analyst in his 40s who lives in Texas. He previously worked as a program manager at Amazon until leaving the company in December 2024 after being placed on a performance improvement plan. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I started working for Amazon in 2020.

Beginning in 2022, it felt like there was a shift within the company, and some experimental projects were deprioritized. Layoffs and reorganizations also picked up during this period, creating an organizational crunch.

My role as a program manager based in Seattle still seemed pretty secure. However, I thought I could eventually be impacted if layoffs continued.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that something other than layoffs would put my job at risk.

When I was put on a PIP, the writing was on the wall

In 2024, I landed under new management through a reorganization. It didn’t feel like a great fit, but I wasn’t too concerned. I thought my work was critical and that, for the most part, the quality spoke for itself. I was even angling for a promotion.

Around August 2024, there were some initial conversations about my performance, including my proficiency with the programming language SQL. I felt I was being evaluated on standards outside the scope of my role. Despite how I felt, the writing was on the wall.

Around October, I was formally placed on Amazon’s “focus” performance improvement program (PIP).

At that point, I was like, I’ve got to get out of here. This is too stressful.

I viewed my departure from Amazon as a win

I was eventually offered a termination package that included a couple of months’ worth of severance pay. Rather than taking it right away, I decided to carry on with the PIP process so I could buy time until my stock vested. Leaving sooner would’ve meant leaving money on the table.

Then, in December, I accepted the package and left.

While I hadn’t landed a promotion, I’d been there long enough for my stock to vest. This was a win.

When I parted ways with Amazon, I was under the impression that I would just roll into a new job. In the past, it felt like all I had to do was apply for a role, and I’d get it.

However, I underestimated how tough the job market would be. I didn’t get nearly the same traction I had in the past, and it seemed like companies were queuing up talent but were hesitant to actually hire.

I had roughly two to three phone screenings a month — including one with TikTok after a recruiter reached out to me — but I couldn’t land an offer.

I developed a ‘final mile strategy’ to land an offer

After struggling to find work for about five months, I realized I needed what I called a “final mile strategy” to help me land not just interviews, but also an offer. In the current market, it’s key to build relationships and have that inside track to a job.

My first step in executing this strategy was moving from Seattle back to my hometown of Houston in July 2025. I had a robust network there, which I hoped would give me an advantage.

Next, I upgraded my wardrobe and bought a few new suits because Seattle was a more casual environment than Houston.

I started attending job fairs and networking events. At one event, I spoke with a friend who worked at a credit union in Houston. The conversation helped me learn about credit unions, which came in handy about a month later, when I finally had a breakthrough.

My advice: shake hands and kiss babies

My mom is a dental assistant in the Houston area, and one of her practice’s clients is the owner of a local credit union consulting firm. My mom mentioned me to the owner, who suggested we talk.

My previous conversation with my friend helped me speak intelligently about the industry during my meeting with the owner, who later offered me a market research analyst job.

About seven months after leaving Amazon, I landed a new job, which I started in August 2025. Over time, I feel I’ve been able to showcase my abilities and forge my own path within the company.

My advice for other job seekers is to focus less on job applications and more on your personal networks. You need to get out there, shake hands, kiss babies, and cultivate relationships to build your next opportunity.

Editor’s note: Representatives for Amazon declined to comment.

• The US is changing Selective Service registration but has not announced plans for a draft.
• The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act prompted the registration changes.
• Selective Service is moving to automatic registration for those eligible.

The US is moving to change the Selective Service registration process this year, but that does not mean a military draft is in the works. Here is what’s happening.

After Congress approved automatic registration in last year’s defense policy bill, which was signed into law in December, the Selective Service System proposed rules at the end of March.

The SSS says automatic registration of eligible men is expected by December, meaning 18-year-old men in the US will be automatically enrolled in the Selective Service’s database rather than have to complete a form. The intention, SSS says, is a “streamlined registration process.”

Driven by new mandates in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, this change will shift registration from something that individuals do to something the government does automatically with available federal data.

While some critics say that the move is a significant change to Selective Service that could make it much easier to pursue the draft if needed, lawmakers behind the change have framed it as an update to bureaucratic processes that will save time and money.

What is Selective Service?

The US created its first national conscription system during World War I and established its first peacetime draft in 1940, before entering World War II, registering millions of men. The draft was used for decades, most notably during the Vietnam War, when conscription became extremely unpopular.

The US military shifted to an all-volunteer force in 1973, pushing the Selective Service System into what the agency describes as a “deep standby” status, though registration was reinstated in 1980 in case a draft was ever again needed.

Selective Service registration of eligible males — women are currently ineligible for the draft, though some have pushed to change that — is intended to enable swift mobilization in the event of a national emergency requiring a draft.

Failure to register for the draft is a felony offense that can come with steep penalties of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, as well as a loss of benefits, though prosecution is generally rare.

What is the draft?

The US last used the draft in 1973, at the end of the Vietnam War era. The Selective Service System today maintains the list of men, ages 18 to 25, who could be called up if a draft were reinstated.

Roughly two-thirds of US military personnel who served in Vietnam were volunteers, but the draft still weighs heavily in memories of the conflict, having been a significant point of contention at the time.

More recently, discussions of a potential draft resurfaced during US military action against Iran, as questions emerged about whether the conflict could expand and see the US put troops on the ground in Iran.

The US executed Operation Epic Fury, which is now on hold amid a fragile ceasefire, without putting boots on the ground, but that possibility loomed large, especially as thousands of Marines aboard amphibious assault ships moved into the region.

Early on in the war, Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt about a draft and the possibility of putting American troops on the ground in Iran.

Leavitt said “it is not part of the current plan right now, but the president again wisely keeps his options on the table.” Other Trump administration officials have taken similar approaches by not ruling out even unlikely options; a return to conscription would notably require Congressional authorization, according to the Selective Service.

“People ask, ‘Boots on the ground, no boots on the ground?” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in an interview on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” around the same time. “You don’t tell the enemy, you don’t tell the press, you don’t tell anybody what your limits would be on an operation,” he said.

The US military put American troops on the ground in Iran in an effort to rescue two downed airmen, but there has been no large-scale ground operation, such as may be needed to seize key Iranian oil infrastructure or to ensure the destruction of highly enriched uranium.

For now, the US still relies on an all-volunteer military force. Changes to Selective Service affect records-keeping procedures. They do not determine whether Americans will be drafted.

• Engineers are debating “tokenmaxxing,” or the idea of spending as many AI tokens as possible.
• Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan embraced the term: “We’ve been tokenmaxxing longer than most people.”
• Others called it an ineffective productivity measure incentivizing wasteful token use or gaming company leaderboards.

Forget lines of code written, engineers have a new way to compete amongst each other.

Welcome to the era of “tokenmaxxing.”

Armed with shiny new AI coding tools, software developers across the tech industry have a wallet full of tokens to spend. Tokens, a measure of computing that determines how AI work is priced, have been floated as a form of compensation for engineers, even cropping up in job descriptions for AI fellowships at OpenAI and Anthropic.

But is token spending a good measure of developer productivity?

The question has lit up on social media this week as techies debate the concept of tokenmaxxing after The Information reported that some Meta engineers are racing to spend tokens to rank on an employee-made “Claudeonomics” dashboard that tracks usage and lets employees compete for titles like “Token Legend.” The company didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Some say it’s a helpful marker of employees embracing new tools; others say it could incentivize inefficient use of AI within companies — leading to performative gaming of the metric.

“Ranking engineers by token spend is like me ranking my marketing team by who spent the most money,” Linear COO Cristina Cordova wrote on X. “Don’t mistake a high burn rate for a high success rate.”

What is tokenmaxxing?

To understand tokenmaxxing, you first have to know what a token is. Large language models break words into numerical inputs, treating each token as roughly ¾ of a word. AI models charge based on the number of tokens used.

Tokenmaxxing, then, is the drive to spend as many tokens as possible. Meta and OpenAI are just some of the tech companies with token leaderboards, The New York Times previously reported.

While it’s difficult to measure how widespread tokenmaxxing has become, companies’ AI spending is clearly on the rise. The fintech company Ramp called it a “$1 trillion blind spot” on X, citing Gartner data showing that monthly AI spending among businesses has quadrupled over the last year.

It’s also a flex. Founders and future-forward engineers post their token spending on X to signal how all-in they are on AI. One xAI employee wrote that tech was turning every good idea “into theater.”

Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan appears to be a fan. Quoting a prior post that chided companies that are “stingy” with tokens, Tan wrote: “We’ve been tokenmaxxing longer than most people.”

Is tokenmaxxing a good incentive?

Some within the tech world argue tokenmaxxing is an effective metric; others call it reckless spending.

Khosla Ventures partner Jon Chu called token spending measurement an “absolutely stupid policy” on X.

“Plenty of my Meta friends told me folks have been building bots that just run in a loop burning tokens as fast as they can due to this policy,” he wrote.

Cursor employee Edwin Wee Arbus offered a nuanced take on the metric, calling it a “useful, fast proxy, but slightly flawed.” He compared it to body mass index, or BMI, which can provide health insights but does not capture muscle or bone mass.

While Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang hasn’t directly weighed in on “tokenmaxxing,” he has stressed the importance of engineers using a lot of tokens, saying that if a $500,000 engineer didn’t consume at least $250,000 worth of tokens, he would be “deeply alarmed.”

“The Pragmatic Engineer” newsletter author Gergely Orosz called the practice wasteful. “Devs game everything and anything seen as a target for more bonus or promos,” he wrote. “This was no different.”

BEP Research founder Ben Pouladian pulled a different takeaway from the trend, calling compute the bottleneck for innovation. “In the AI era, every employee becomes a compute consumer,” he wrote on X.

“Token spend is always an output not an input,” wrote Persona software engineer Arush Shankar, who previously worked at Square and Microsoft, according to his LinkedIn. “Worth looking at, but never in isolation. It’s a signal but not THE signal.”

Does your company track token spending or token use? Contact the reporter from a non-work email and device at hchandonnet@businessinsider.com, or on Signal at henrychand.30

• I struggled with identity and purpose after becoming a mom.
• I hired a career coach to better understand my strengths and interests.
• The process helped me find new career paths and regain confidence.

Over the nine months of pregnancy with my first baby, I mentally prepared myself for those middle-of-the-night feedings (and the resulting exhaustion), the postpartum mood swings, and other inevitable life changes.

One thing I didn’t prepare myself for? The identity crisis set in as soon as I became someone’s mother. In an effort to navigate this crisis, I decided to work with a career coach for the first time.

Time felt more precious than ever to me after bringing my son into the world, and I wanted to make sure I was using it wisely. With so much new meaning in my personal life, I longed to find that meaning in my work.

First, I vetted some coaches to find the right fit

While breastfeeding in the dark one night, I impulsively searched Google and Instagram for career coaches and began emailing a few people. After my first call with Gracie Miller, founder of Live Life Purpose Coaching, I knew I had found my match.

She explained that her program was designed to suss out A) what unique skills and talents make me valuable in the workforce and B) what causes, activities, and subjects light me up inside, so that, ultimately, I can pinpoint new career possibilities that encompass both.

The process helped me home in on my strengths — and build confidence

During our first session, I mentioned that a lack of confidence was one of the things holding me back professionally. Fortunately, our sessions together — and the “homework” sheets she assigned me — helped to address that. By identifying my strengths — for example, by reflecting on what people in my life tend to come to me for help with, or by reminiscing about times when I overcame a challenge — I began to feel an increasingly strong sense of self-worth.

I also discovered interests I never knew I had

One of the exercises she assigned me involved recalling times in my life when I felt at my best. I recounted an experience I had giving a motivational speech to a group of patients in an eating disorder treatment program, and told Miller how rewarding it felt to share my success story with them and inspire some much-needed hope on their recovery journey. That triggered another memory of giving a speech to a group of clinicians at Mass General Hospital. I suddenly realized how much I loved public speaking — something I’d never taken into account in my search for job opportunities, let alone acknowledged at all.

Another worksheet Miller gave me required me to list the things I could talk about forever without ever getting bored. While answering this question, I discovered how excited I get discussing psychology and human behavior — which explains my fascination with true crime.

I was surprised to learn I had changed

While I know some aspects of who I am are unlikely to change — like being emotionally driven and idealistic — I recently began to wonder if motherhood might cause some subtle shifts in my personality.

After a few sessions, Miller had me take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test so I could find out the best jobs for my personality type. I already took this test in college, but I was surprised to find that my personality had shifted since then from the “Campaigner” (ENFP) to the “Advocate” (INFJ). Knowing my new personality type then empowered me to consider new potential careers that better fit my strengths — including intuitive insight, deep empathy, and creativity.

I clarified my priorities

I’ve been a work-from-home freelancer for about seven years now, and while there are definitely a lot of perks to my situation, there are some pitfalls, too.

I hadn’t really considered what my ideal work situation might look like, until Miller assigned me a multiple-choice worksheet that involved clarifying whether I prefer working indoors our outdoors, how much travel I’d like my work to entail, whether I’d rather my work duties to change a lot day to day or stay the same, and what size company and setting I’d like to work in.

For example, I learned that I actually enjoy working alone more than working with a team, and that I work better when there aren’t strict time constraints than under pressure. Keeping all this in mind on my job search will help me to find roles that minimize stress and anxiety.

I learned about jobs I never knew existed

After our first handful of sessions, Miller used all the data she’d gathered on my strengths and passions to compile a list of possible careers where they overlap. Some of the options she came up with were jobs I had never heard of, like narrative coach, director of brand storytelling, and trend researcher.

She tasked me with doing some quick research on what a day in the life looks like for each of these roles, and then jotting down the pros and cons so I could narrow the list down to my favorites. This exercise gave me a concrete list of new jobs I’d never previously considered — jobs I now have alerts set for on LinkedIn and Indeed.

What really matters to me finally became clearer than ever

Miller’s program isn’t designed to help clients figure out what they enjoy; it’s designed to help them determine their reason for getting up in the morning. To that end, she assigned worksheets that asked me about the areas and issues I’d like to make a difference in. By far the most difficult but valuable assignment involved crafting my “mission statement.”

My mission statement is still a work in progress, but I came up with “To uplift and influence others, inspiring a sense of hope and belonging.”

I plan to keep coming back to this mission statement whenever I’m evaluating job opportunities, so I can determine whether they align with my true life purpose.

• Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a nearly $1 million settlement with food delivery app HungryPanda.
• The junk fee case follows a settlement with Uber Eats and other apps over worker pay violations.
• The administration says it will continue taking on corporations to protect consumers and businesses.

At the Prospect Park Zoo’s red panda exhibit, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a crackdown on the fees food-delivery apps charge to businesses and consumers.

The press conference’s location was a nod to the food delivery platform HungryPanda, which largely services Asian restaurants. The administration alleged that the app illegally overcharged hundreds of these businesses through junk fees, and announced a $875,000 settlement on Wednesday. More than 380 restaurants will receive relief money, the mayor said, after the app “bamboozled hardworking New Yorkers.”

“For so many restaurants and businesses, it is already hard enough to balance daily costs — labor, rent, equipment, utilities — even harder, frankly, to stay afloat when a delivery platform steals hard-earned revenue,” said Mamdani, who was joined by Deputy Mayor Julie Su and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine.

Mamdani added that “this is the first-ever action to hold a delivery app accountable for violating the rights of New York City restaurant owners.” He said many of the restaurants affected are immigrant-owned and located in neighborhoods like Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Flushing, Queens. The settlement will require the HungryPanda app to provide fee disclosures to users, implement compliance policies, and submit annual compliance certifications, he said.

The city has investigated HungryPanda more than once

Combating junk fees for NYC businesses and consumers has been a top priority for Mamdani in recent months. City law requires third-party food cap fee amounts at 15% for delivery and 5% for other services.

The HungryPanda app has been ordered to pay over $580,000 in restitution to affected restaurants, along with more than $294,000 in civil penalties and fees.

Wednesday’s HungryPanda settlement announcement also follows a January settlement involving Uber Eats, Fantuan, and HungryPanda, in which the companies were ordered to pay over a total of $5 million for pay violations affecting nearly 50,000 workers. DCWP’s investigation at the time found that HungryPanda failed to pay workers the minimum pay rate between December 2023 and January 2024.

HungryPanda did not immediately respond to a comment request about either settlement.

Mamdani’s team secured a similar settlement for fast food and retail workers this year — which the mayor announced while eating a Crunchwrap Supreme at a Taco Bell. He said his administration plans to continue to take on major corporations “exploiting” local workers.

“We are putting abusers and violators of these laws on notice: If you break these laws, we will hold you accountable,” he said. “It is time to have a city where, when people play by the rules, they are not put at a disadvantage, because those who break them are allowed to do so with impunity.”

• The Masters Tournament is being held in Augusta, Georgia, between April 6 and April 12.
• Attendees are buying tons of merchandise, which includes branded golf gear, beach towels, and more.
• Some of the hottest items this year include $88 quarter-zip sweatshirts and $50 garden gnomes.

One does not go to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and leave with a single hat or T-shirt.

If you speak with anyone who’s attended the golf event, you’ll quickly learn that spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on themed merchandise is, pun intended, par for the course.

Morgann Savage, a 21-year-old from Evans, Georgia, told Business Insider she was on-site around 5 a.m. and was one of the first 10 patrons to enter the Pro Shop when it opened on Sunday morning.

“After 15 minutes, it got very busy in the store,” she said. “You could barely move with your bags, and everyone was bumping into each other.”

There are branded towels, sweaters, golf gear, socks, and mugs, among other popular items. More exclusive pieces include $50 garden gnomes, which Savage said people were “rushing to buy,” and $550 mahjong pieces.

Business Insider spoke with attendees who shopped for all of the above at this year’s Masters Tournament, taking place between April 6 and April 12.

They said their hauls contain more than “just stuff.” Instead, attendees left with memories and status symbols of exclusivity in their green Masters tote bags.

Augusta native Savanna Perry goes to a lot of golf tournaments. She likes to wear Masters merch to all of them.

Savanna Perry, 36, first attended the Masters Tournament at age 2, so the event is nostalgic and meaningful to her. She missed out on buying a gnome this year, but found other gems.

How many items she bought: 33

What she spent: $2,661.51

Who she shopped for: herself, her children, her husband, and friends

“I’m getting a lot of DMs and requests to buy [merchandise for strangers on TikTok],” she said. “I get it. The merch is very sought after and rare.”

Her favorite items: a $178 woven purse with the Masters logo, a $726.95 Masters-themed Mahjong set (the bag, game set, and mat were sold separately), and an $88 white quarter-zip sweater that says “Masters.”

Why she shops: “In Augusta, you don’t go anywhere without seeing people wearing Masters stuff all year round,” she said.

“My husband and I also go to a lot of golf tournaments,” she added. “We went to the Arnold Palmer last month, and we’re going to the Heritage in a week. I like to have really quality stuff for tournaments, and the Masters stuff is so good.”

Taylor Crocker Williams was in line at 5 a.m. to get her hands on a coveted garden gnome.

Taylor Crocker Williams, 30, worked at the Masters Tournament while studying at the University of South Carolina. Now, she’s returned as an attendee after winning a ticket.

How many items she bought: 18

“You walk in and kind of black out,” she told Business Insider. “Everything you thought goes out the window.”

What she spent: $1,032.92

Who she shopped for: herself, her husband, and her two children

Her favorite items: a $50 garden gnome and the popular $88 white quarter-zip sweater

Why she shops: “[Shopping at the Masters Tournament] is such a rush,” Crocker Williams said. “I love shopping regardless; it’s one of my favorite hobbies. Then you add the layer of exclusivity to it, and it’s insane.”

“Hopefully one day, I can take the kids,” she added. “Each year, I’m like, ‘Oh, this might be the last year that I get to go.’ There’s no guarantee.”

Rebekah Knowles has been to the Masters Tournament eight times and always shops for family and friends.

Rebekah Knowles, 25, and her fiancé receive tickets each year through Bank of America, where they’re longtime clients. She said they always attend with “a written list” of merch to buy.

How many items she bought: 35

What she spent: $2,230.77

Who she shopped for: herself, her fiancé, family members, friends, and a friend’s baby

Her favorite items: a $75 “twilly” scarf (to be worn in her hair or on her purse) and the $88 white quarter-zip sweater

Why she shops: “As locals, we wear these items all year round,” the Augusta local said. “They are extremely sought after and of amazing quality.”

She didn’t start shopping until 2 p.m. this year, so there was no line to enter the store. Still, it was crowded inside.

“Everyone was running around and bumping shoulders, but the checkout lines were extremely fast,” she said. “They have the process down to a science.”

Sam Edelman bought 41 items on the first day of the Masters Tournament.

Sam Edelman, a 31-year-old from North Carolina, won tickets to this year’s Masters Tournament through its lottery. It’s her second time attending the event.

How many items she bought: 41

What she spent: $2,162.95

Who she shopped for: herself, her husband, friends, family members, and their son

“Some of our friends who have never attended didn’t want clothing items; they felt it would be stolen valor,” she said. “But they did want home items, like golf flags and tumblers.”

Her favorite items: an $88 blue crewneck sweater embroidered with the Masters Tournament logo, and a $48 candle that smells like pine trees in Augusta

Why she shops: “The merch is exclusive, and [wearing it] feels like a badge of honor that you were able to attend,” Edelman said. “Living in the South, whenever you see Masters apparel out and about, people always strike up a conversation about it.”

Kelly Turner’s haul includes gifts for her future bridesmaids — even though she’s not engaged yet.

Kelly Turner, 28, grew up in Augusta and regularly attended the Masters Tournament with her grandparents. She later spent six years working at the event.

“It’s a tradition and something that feels like home,” she said. “I know how rare it is to have the kind of access I’ve had, and I don’t take that lightly. The Masters has been part of every stage of my life.”

How many items she bought: 105

What she spent: $3,500

Who she shopped for: herself, family members, and friends

“I bought beach towels for my future bridesmaids, which I know sounds a little extra since I’m not engaged yet,” she said. “But I’m hopeful. A lot of them have ties to Augusta, whether they married someone from there, lived there, or just love golf.”

Her favorite items: four sets of $22 Masters-branded Del Campo socks and a $19 Masters Tervis cup, which reminds her of the one her mom would drink out of every day

Why she shops: “It’s not just stuff,” Turner said. “I’ve inherited a few pieces from my grandparents, and the quality is so good that they’ve lasted for years.”

Liz Godfrey attended the Masters Tournament for the first time and left with 24 souvenirs.

Liz Godfrey, 25, is a Florida native who received an invite to the tournament this year from her best friend, Kelly Turner. It marked her first time at the Masters.

How many items she bought: 24

“Walking into the Pro Shop felt like a dream,” she said. “It was bustling with people, but somehow, they’ve made it so the environment doesn’t feel rushed. The staff was exceptional, always helpful, attentive, and available to assist with anything.”

What she spent: $1,037.26

Who she shopped for: herself, family members, and friends

Her favorite items: three $18 Masters Tournament coffee mugs and a $34 pink snapback hat that says “Azalea” (the signature flower of the Masters, and also the name of the tournament’s popular cocktail)

Why she shops: “For me, purchasing multiple items was about capturing the experience,” Godfrey said. “I wanted pieces I could use in my daily life that would also serve as reminders of my time at Augusta National.”

Angie Looney wasn’t able to snag the gnome she wanted, but she found more than two dozen other items.

Angie Looney, 33, traveled from South Carolina to attend the Masters Tournament for the first time. She’s dreamed of going since her teenage years.

How many items she bought: 28

What she spent: $1,700

Who she shopped for: herself, family members, and her boyfriend, who is an avid golfer

Her favorite items: a $29 Corksicle wine tumbler covered in a pink Azalea print, a $98.50 ANWA sweatshirt, and a $125 Peter Millar polo for her boyfriend

Why she shops: “I love the Masters and golf in general, and I attend a lot of golf events with my job,” Looney said. “I really wanted some great items to wear to those events, and keepsakes to cherish from my time at this exclusive event.”

Morgann Savage went to the Masters with the intention of shopping “a lot.”

Morgann Savage, 21, wasn’t planning on attending the Masters Tournament this year. But when a family member could no longer attend, she received their ticket and had less than 12 hours to prepare.

How many items she bought: 91

What she spent: $4,458.81

Who she shopped for: herself, family members, and her dad’s business

“My dad requested things for his business, Doc Savage Heating, as part of a giveaway,” she said, adding that he also gives merchandise to people on business trips and donates other items to charity fundraisers.

Her favorite items: the $50 garden gnome, a $99 gnome-print sweatshirt, and the $178 woven purse

Why she shops: “The Masters Tournament is breathtaking and spectacular,” Savage said. “The merchandise does not come close to anything I have bought before. I am also proud to be from Augusta, home of the Masters Tournament.”