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Pocono News Section
Economy Hurts Back to School Shopping Season
Economy Hurts Back to School Shopping Season - Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 6:00PM EST
Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Thursday, Aug 20, 2009 @ 06:00pm EST
STROUD TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY - Spending for back to school shopping is expected to decline by 8% this fall due to the recession.
Eyewitness News learned back to school shopping is now teaching kids some lessons they won't find in a text book. Kathleen Mitchell of Saylorsburg shopped JCPenney in the Stroud Mall this week looking for sales. She said, "We're trying to be very careful about what we buy - we're bargain shopping."
Mitchell once worked as an Insurance Supervisor. Her company laid her off a few months ago. "So it makes it really hard," she said.
She's a single mom with two preteen girls who would love to have the latest fashions. Her daughter Rebecca said, "It's kind hard because you really want it but you can't have it."
The Mitchell family is also stressed because their school district, Pleasant Valley, started a new uniform dress code policy this year so they have to buy a whole new wardrobe.
Mitchell explained, "They can't wear their regular clothes so everything is all new." The kids, Rebecca and Lindsey, tried to help their mom find deals so they can look nice and save money. "They've been really great and understanding that we have to do what we have to do," said Kathleen.
The family struggles taught Lindsey a lesson she won't find in a school book. She said, "Now I know not to spend my babysitting money from doing my chores around the house on not just anything but to spend it on the things that are the most important to me."
And Rebecca, who's going into fifth grade, learned something she won't likely study in school. She said, "People are struggling and they can't get a lot so they have to make do of what they have."
Life lessons learned in a mall that you can't find in a classroom.
Stroud Mall store owners told Eyewitness News business has been slow but they hope parents help save them with last minute back to school shopping. | | |
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