Who Will Benefit From Back To School Shopping?

The end of August means summer is over and children are heading back to school. The beginning of the academic year is always prefaced by a barrage of back-to-school sales on everything from pencils to clothing to computers. The season gives vendors a chance to beef up their sales and investors a reason to look more closely at the retail sector. One Stop Shops Target Corp TGT and Wal-Mart Corp WMT are back-to-school staples for busy families looking to get everything on their list in once place. Both retailers are offering discounts on school supplies and clothing in an effort to drive shoppers to their superstores. Big name stores like these tend to get the most traffic during the back-to-school season due to their reputation for low prices and the convenience of having everything in one place. Department Stores Back-to-school shopping is more than just books and calculators; parents typically take their kids shopping for new clothes for the upcoming year as well. For that reason, department stores like Kohl's Corporation KSS and JC Penney Company Inc. JCP see a boost in sales as parents look for new uniforms, shoes and other accessories. Online Shopping Online shopping has grown in popularity in recent years, though its place during the back-to-school season is still unclear. Most families still opt to go into brick and mortar stores to stock up on school year necessities so retailers like Amazon.com Inc. AMZN don't usually gain as much from the back-to-school rush. Still, the e-commerce giant has rolled out sales of its own in an effort to attract shoppers who want to avoid the crowds.