As the pandemic drags into the new school year, it is wreaking havoc on reopening plans and the back-to-school shopping season—the second most important period for retailers behind the holidays.
Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.NEW YORK -- For Michelle Lynn England, back-to-school shopping always meant heading to Target and the local mall with her two girls and dropping about $500 on each of them for trendy outfits.
Parents are buying less dressy clothing and more basics for their kids, while stepping up purchases of masks and other protective equipment as well as electronics. They're also holding back on spending amid uncertainty over what the school year will look like. The back-to-school season typically kicks off in mid-July and peaks in mid-August. This year, experts predict the peak will hit in late August and spill into most of September.
The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group, is pinning its hopes on parents who splurge on pricey items such as computers and other electronics to help their kids learn from home. The trade group predicts that parents of elementary and high school students will spend a total of $33.9 billion this year. That's up from $26.2 billion last year and would break the record of $30.3 billion set in 2012.
Another factor depressing sales: Amazon's Prime Day, which for five years was in mid-July, has been postponed until the fall. Marshal Cohen, chief industry adviser of market research firm The NPD Group, said that the shopping event helped jump-start back-to-school sales.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'US in new phase of pandemic, Covid-19 extraordinarily widespread'White House virus adviser Dr Birx warns both rural and urban areas are experiencing a surge in cases. The Covid-19 task force head has been accused of being complicit in virus disinformation spread by President Trump by top Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
Read more »
How To Clean Your N95 Mask Or Face Covering With Covid-19 CoronavirusFace coverings and masks that can serve as filters should be handled differently.
Read more »
There may never be a 'silver bullet' for COVID-19, WHO warnsThe World Health Organization warned on Monday that, despite strong hopes for a vaccine, there might never be a 'silver bullet' for COVID-19, and the road to normality would be long.
Read more »
NYC Outdoor Dining Will Return Next Year—Even If Covid-19 Doesn’tDe Blasio is coming back for seconds.
Read more »
Anxious WHO implores world to 'do it all' in long war on COVID-19The World Health Organization warned on Monday that there might never be a "silver bullet" for COVID-19 in the form of a perfect vaccine and that the road to normality would be long, with some countries requiring a reset of strategy. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WHO emergencies
Read more »
The U.S. Reported Nearly 2 Million New COVID-19 Cases Last MonthAs of August 2, more than 4.6 million people across every state, Washington, D.C., and four territories have tested positive for the disease, and more than 155,000 people with the virus have died
Read more »