A View From the Mall
Now that the lackluster July employment report is behind us, we are firmly into August, and to some, that means summer vacations and a temporarily slower pace of life. To others, however, it means that pre-season fall sports are getting under way -- football, lacrosse, field hockey and so on -- and many parents and students have kicked off back-to-school spending.
How big is back-to-school spending? According to the National Retail Federation's 2012 Back-to-School spending survey conducted by BIGinsight, the average person with children in grades K-12 will spend $688.62 on children. In total, that spending, according to the NRF, adds up to $30.3 billion. Factor in college, and combined K-12 and college spending is forecasted to reach nearly $84 billion this year. At that pace, back-to-school spending is the second-biggest consumer spending event for retailers behind the winter holidays....386 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
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