Forecast For Back-To-School Shopping

04:57

August 01, 2013

Andy and Aimee Smith, background, and their children Ian, left, and Riley shop for back-to-school clothes during the first day of the sales tax holiday at J.C. Penney in Eastdale Mall in Montgomery, Ala. in August 2011. (Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

The back-to-school shopping season has begun, and retailers are hoping consumers will be in the mood for clothes, shoes, back packs and computers.

The cold, rainy spring depressed sales as the old school year ended, so fingers are crossed for better results for the new academic year.

KUHF's Andrew Schneider and NPR senior business editor Marilyn Geewax look at the mood of consumers as communities offer sales tax holidays to boost interest in shopping.

Guest

Marilyn Geewax, senior business editor for NPR. She tweets @geewaxnpr.
Andrew Schneider, business reporter for KUHF in Houston.

This segment aired on August 1, 2013.