Back to School Sales

While the 2011 back-to-school shopping season (second most important event following Christmas) was highly anticipated by retailers, it was lackluster in deliverance. According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2011 Back-to-School survey conducted by BIGresearch, sales were expected be a little flat, with little change from last year’s statistics. The NRF predicted, “Families with children [...]

Friendship Lunch Tote

A lunch bag redesigned, children can lay this product flat and pass it around to be signed and drawn on with a Sharpie marker.

Late Back-to-School Shopping Boosted Retail Sales

Shoppers waited until the very end to find the bargains they wanted. Is this a portent of things to come?

Shopping Cools: Bad News for the Holidays?

Concerns were borne out by numbers when it was revealed shoppers cut back on back-to-school purchases. Are the holidays next?

Retailer Deals are Drawing Customers

Independent retailers are pulling in customers this back-to-school season by offering package deals on purchases, according to a published report. The Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise says stores offering such incentives are seeing a boost in buying. “That’s what people are looking for. They’re not looking for the individual price; they’re looking for, ‘How much can I [...]

Survey: “Dollar Store” Visits Surge

New research shows that consumers are cutting back on the number of stores they visit when shopping, but that “dollar stores” are enjoying increased activity. The report from SymphonyIRI Group puts it all in perspective: “Shoppers are not enjoying the same financial success as corporations this spring and summer, and their continued search for lower-cost [...]

Shoppers Who Waited Are Finding Bargains

With schools nationwide already open for the fall or just about to be, consumers who waited to buy their back-to-school items are finding bargains galore, USA Today reports. Retailers large and small, aware of the tight economy and skittish shoppers, have been forced to “tweak the way they merchandise and market their back-to-school stuff,” the [...]

Retailers’ Online Sites Can Expect Back-To-School Surge

Consumers doing their back to school shopping will spend at least some of that time — and money— online, according to Web measurement service Compete. The study, summarized at MediaPost.com, found that 30% of shoppers will find their items on the Web, focusing on electronics, dorm accessories and kitchen supplies. School supplies were also cited [...]

Good News: More School Shopping Already Done vs. Last Year

A new report from the National Retail Federation shows that the average American family has already completed more of its back to school shopping by now, compared with the same time period last year. According to the NRF, “The average family has completed 43.2 percent of their school shopping, compared to 41.6 percent at this [...]

Sales Up as Shoppers Hunt for Tax-Free Bargains

Local retailers in Texas and Connecticut saw a jump in activity as the states rolled out annual tax-free shopping events. In Texas, this past weekend was tax-free on numerous clothing, footwear and school supplies priced under $100. “We’ve had lots of sales and specials and reductions to go with the tax-free holiday,” one retailer said. [...]

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