Lots To Learn This Back-To-School Season

Still working on your tan? Hurry up, because the back-to-school shopping season is about to start. In fact, Staples has declared the “official” beginning as July 15 and is running a “First Bell” promotion as a kickoff.

After the dreadful 2008 holiday season, retailers will be monitoring back-to-school sales closer than ever. The sales figure also could indicate how the 2009 holiday season will pan out. Many retailers, of course, place their holiday orders during the summer and fall.

Back-to-school spending this year is expected to reach $38.3 billion, a 0.6% increase from 2008, according to an estimate by the International Council of Shopping Centers in a relevant Wall Street Journal article.

I’m working on retail technology-based stories about both the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to comment on the stories.

Oh, and if you think it’s too soon to be talking about back-to-school and holiday shopping, then don’t visit Sears online or one of its 372 stores, where Christmas décor shops have already been erected.