Editor's note: This article appeared in the August 26, 2009, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.
With a predicted increase of 11 percent, electronics may be the only bright spot this back-to-school shopping season, thanks primarily to the increasing affordability of personal laptops and desktop computers. Spending in virtually every other category is expected to decrease. The average family with students in grades K-12 is expected to spend $548.72 on school merchandise, down 7.7 percent from 2008, according to a study conducted by BIGresearch, Worthington, Ohio, on behalf of the National Retail Federation, Washington, D.C.
Eighty-five percent of Americans have made some changes to back-to-school plans this year that have impacted spending, with 56.2 percent of back-to-school shoppers hunting for sales more often, 49.6 percent planning to spend less overall, 41.7 percent purchasing more store-brand/generic products and 40 percent planning to increase coupon use. Families will also spend an average of $204.67 on clothing and accessories, $93.59 on shoes and $82.62 on school supplies.
Discount stores will be the most popular destination for 74.5 percent of back-to-school shoppers, while 21.5 percent of families will shop at drug stores for back-to-school, an 18 percent increase over last year. Additionally, 54.4 percent of back-to-school shoppers will visit department stores, 48.4 percent clothing stores, 41.2 percent office supply stores, 22.2 percent online shopping, 20.8 percent electronics stores and 18.2 percent thrift stores.
However, spending this school season isn't the only thing expected to change. Others say the economy has impacted lifestyle decisions, with 11.4 percent saying children will cut back on extracurricular activities or sports and 5.7 percent saying that the economy is impacting whether their children will attend a private or public school.