SmallBusinessNewz

At the University of Kentucky, today is move-in day for students who will live on campus this semester, and it's a good bet that every business within five blocks is packed with kids and parents.  But for better or for worse, a study's indicated that most people have completed a little more of their shopping this year compared to last.

Last year, the National Retail Federation found that the average family had completed 41.6 percent of its back-to-school shopping by now.  This year, the number's 43.1 percent, instead.

The pessimistic way to interpret those figures is that not as much money will be spent on supplies from this moment forward.  And that's perhaps true enough.

The good news, though, is that retailers have apparently been successful at luring shoppers into their businesses, and since we're getting to the point that consumers might expect to find things on clearance, it's possible retailers have been able to sell things at higher prices this way.

For his part, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement, "It's good to see consumers responding to back-to-school sales and promotions."

Anyway, good luck to everyone who's getting overrun by stressed freshmen and anxious pairs of parents.