Content about Shopping

NEW YORK — A new survey conducted by online shopping service ShopRunner found that many parents will head to multiple stores to purchase back-to-school items for their kids.

NEW YORK — Discount stores will continue to dominate as the destination for the majority of consumers’ back-to-school dollars this year, according to a survey by Accenture on parents’ back-to-school shopping plans.

The majority of parents (59%) will spend between $100 and $500 on back-to-school shopping this year, with 21% of consumers saying they plan to spend more than $500 this year. That’s down from 28% in 2010, indicating a decline in spending on the big-ticket items for school.

WASHINGTON — Expect flat back-to-school sales this year as parents continue to be cautious with their spending, the National Retail Federation found in its latest survey.

In its back-to-school survey, conducted by BIGresearch, NRF found that consumers are purchasing more store-brand or generic items (39.9%), comparison shopping more online (29.8%) and shopping for sales (50%). Additionally, nearly half of survey respondents said the economy is forcing them to simply spend less in general (43.7%).

LOS ANGELES — Back-to-school budgets will moderately decrease this year, but more consumers will turn to the Internet to score the best deals.

According to a survey conducted by PriceGrabber, 48% of shoppers said they plan to spend $250 or more on back-to-school purchases, while 25% will spend $500 or more. This compared with 2010, when 56% of consumers indicated that they would spend $250 or more, while 31% planned to spend $500 or more.

Back-to-college merchandise is big business. “College students are starting to represent the most important segment of the back-to-school market,” said Perry James, an analyst with the NPD Group. The segment has grown, Perry said, since the weak job market has caused many college seniors to extend their education through graduate school.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Perception feeds reality. That is as true today as it was when the economy first started its rollercoaster plunge back in 2008. The perception is that the consumer is on her way back. And while that is fast becoming reality, today’s retailer will be looking to commit its capital expenditures to more than just the traditional new Main-and-Main locations.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Just a few months after launching its Doorstep Grocer program, Meijer is allowing its online shoppers to order items and have the merchandise shipped to a local store at no cost.

The new Order-to-Store program allows shoppers to designate which Meijer store they would like to use as their pickup location. Once the order is received by the store, the customer will receive email notification that his or her items are ready for pickup.

ST. LOUIS — Aisle411, a mobile retail navigation service that helps shoppers locate products down to the shelf location, on Tuesday announced its service now is live in more than 1,000 stores. The service added three markets: Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Other markets identified for expansion included Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Houston; Minneapolis; New York; Phoenix; Sacramento, Calif.; Seattle and Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Retailers should expect a boost in sales this Valentine's Day, as total spending is projected to reach $15.7 billion among consumers ages 18 years and older, according to the National Retail Federation.

The average person's total spend this Valentine's Day will be about $116.21, up 11% over last year’s $103.

YONKERS, N.Y. — It seems that Americans' everyday items are getting a little smaller.

According to a new survey by Consumer Reports, many packaged goods are being scaled back as suppliers face increased energy costs, as well as rising prices of ingredients. Tod Marks, senior editor and resident shopping expert at Consumer Reports, said that higher commodity and fuel costs are expected to spike in food prices by as much as 3% this year.

WASHINGTON — With just days left before the holiday shopping season draws to a close, the National Retail Federation has increased its forecast as the economic environment gives way to increased consumer spending.