Report: Economy won’t hinder back-to-school shopping

Charlotte, N.C. A consumer shopping trends survey by The SportsOneSource Group released Tuesday found that most Americans expect to spend as much or more for sports and outdoor products for back-to-school this year as compared with last year.

The survey for the SportsOneSource 2009 Back-to-School Report was conducted as part of the broader 2009 Where America Shops study that will be released by SportsOneSource in early September.

Based on the preliminary data from the survey, nearly 53% of adult respondents with kids under the age of 18 said they planned to spend as much as last year for sports or outdoor footwear, apparel or equipment during the back-to-school period. About 19% suggested they would spend at least a little less, while roughly 28% of the respondents in this group said they would spend at least a little more.

Predictably, those at the lower end of the economic spectrum were more likely to say they would spend “a lot less” this year, with more than 9% of parents with household income less than $40,000 indicating they would spend “a lot less” on back-to-school purchases this year.

But, contrarily, the respondents in that household income group were also as likely, or more likely, as parents with household incomes between $40,000 and $100,000 to spend “a little more” for back-to-school this year.  Parents with household income under $40,000 a year were more likely to spend “a lot more” than any other household income group except those with household income over $125,000 per year.