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Back to School Sales in Slump

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 15, 2009 5:20 AM CDT

(Newser) – Retailers are seeing the slowest back-to-school season in many years as consumers cling to their cash, the New York Times reports. Estimates on sales, an early indicator of how stores will fare in the holiday season, show declines of 3 to 8% from last year, which saw a 1% increase. Spending is expected to drop on clothing, electronics, and every other category apart from traditional school supplies like pencils and notebooks.

Frugal shoppers are steering clear of name brands, surveys show, with stores like Abercrombie & Fitch being dropped in favor of discount chains. Parents have been scouring the Internet for bargains more thoroughly than ever before. Google searches for coupons have leaped 40% from last year, and many shoppers are taking full advantage of email alerts informing them of special offers.

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Signs mark back-to-school sales at The Shoe Dept. store in Berlin, Vt., (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Google searches for the terms "Wal-Mart" and "school supplies" are up 160% from last year. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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This is going to be the worst back-to-school season in many, many years. - Craig F. Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retailing consultant firm.

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