Here are some quality rackets: Yonex, Prince, Victor, HL. Yonex is the most popular around here. I think in China where badminton is more popular, Victor is more dominating. I get my rackets from friends who go out of the country and bring them back. It costs cheaper and you get what you want: good rackets.
Anyways, if you want convenience search Yonex on ebay and pick out a racket. But you need to know whether your friend is a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player. The more advanced the player, the lighter the racket gets. They do this for a reason: to build up the muscles you need to play the game. So if your buddy is a beginner, go to a Big 5 and they have a pretty good selection of rackets with a good price (around $30 for a pretty light one too, Wilson brand). If your friend is intermediate to advanced, definitely don't go to sportmart and get him some crap that he probably will never use.
There are two types of rackets: one piece and two pieces. Two pieces are heavier because well, they're connected by two pieces from the shaft to the impact area of the racket. One pieces are much lighter. Get a one piece.
Here is a good place to start.
Edit: Forgot to mention the birds. DO NOT GET CHEAP SH*T!!! YOU CAN RUIN THE RACKETS. Get brand name birds such as Yonex or HL. Don't go to a swapmeet or Big 5 and pick up a bunch of $1 birds. They can get stuck inbetween the strings and ruin your racket. Unless your buddy hits like a pansey and the force isn't great enough for the birds to get stuck between the strings, then it's still not ok because it just cheapens the sport big time. Cheap birds don't fly right and ruins the fun of the game. My Big 5 usually sells HL birds. Those are acceptable birds.
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