Economy Affecting Back to School Shopping

Back to school shopping season is in full swing but retailers say shoppers are cutting back this year.

The Wal-Mart store in Talent says it's seen a 5 percent decrease in stationary sales this month compared to last year.

That's for everything from notebooks to binders, and managers say people cutting back on what they're buying and focusing on the necessities.

Heather St. Arnold is taking her son Kristopher, back to school shopping. It's a yearly ritual and it's always at Wal-Mart.

She usually spends about 20 dollars on school supplies but says she thinks that figure will double this year.

"It's the prices on everything have gone up all of it its expensive," she explained.

She's cutting back.

"Limit clothes we buy in beginning of year buy more later on as he's growing not afford to buy everything beginning worry not fit it prices gotten too high," she said,

And the store says it's noticed the difference.

"Seen a bit of a decrease still fairly far away from school starting," said the manager of the Talent Wal-Mart, Rachel Siddio.

Jennifer Brooke says she was trying to beat the rush, but was surprised to find the aisles empty.

"Pretty slow people using what they had from last year and sharing what they can," Brooke said.

She says it'll start to show when school starts.

"Schools are going to see it this year with a lot of people not being able to get their school supplies and stuff do we drive there to get supply it's hard to decide what's more important," Brooke said.

Wal-Mart says its trying to help back to school shoppers by providing the low prices and even some special credit card offers they hope things will pick up as it gets closer to the start of the school year.

In a time when everyone is struggling to keep up, Sterling Savings Bank in the Grants Pass Wal-Mart is trying making back to school shopping easier for local foster care families.

This is the bank's first year collecting school supplies along with backpacks -- they hope to collect enough for about 120 foster care children in Josephine County. Items need to be in new or good condition.

They plan to begin delivering some of the supplies to the Department of Human Services this week.

The bank says the community has been very generous this year.

"Foster parents taking in children that are already displaced they need that extra help need shell out a little more for them," said Bea Ryan, the Sterling Savings Bank branch manager.

They will be collecting donations in bins in front of the branch until August 31.