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Despite mixed signals, retailers are hoping strong thirdquarter sales will be saved by the bell ... the school bell, that is.
The back-to-school season is traditionally the secondbusiest time of year for retailers following the holidays. Although sales numbers posted during the first part of the year were sluggish, retailers hope backto-school shoppers will give them reason to rejoice.
But the annual American Express Retail Index, a survey that tracks the back-to-school spending habits of more than 700 parents and teen-agers, gives some discouraging numbers. The survey projected that average Americans would spend at least $527 on school supplies and apparel, down 4 percent from the $548 that was spent in 2000. Jeff Klinefelter, a senior retail analyst with the Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray, said consumer reaction to the softening economy is one that many had predicted.
"It's very natural for people to say they're not going to spend as much," Klinefelter said. "When the economy is blooming it's pretty...