Back-to-school shopping season is upon us again. As students and their parents hit the stores, this could be a critical season for retailers facing tight consumer spending.

Many, especially image-conscious teenagers, will want the latest fashions. But will parents, facing inflation and job uncertainty, limit the couture to the not-so-haute?

A story in today’s  Post-Dispatch points out that in our gloomy economy, retailers are particularly hungry for teen shoppers who often have their own money and are more likely to spend money on apparel and other discretionary purchases than their parents.

“Nationally speaking, enough people are hurting that there will be damage to back-to-school,” said Josh Weil a partner of Youth Trends, Inc, a New York City-based marketing research company. “A bad back-to-school doesn’t bode well for holiday.”

In another effort to help the back-to-school shopping crowd, Missouri is again waiving sales taxes in another week to help parents shopping for their kid’s clothes and school supplies.  Missouri’s Tax Free Weekend is Aug. 1-3. The holiday always starts on the first Friday in August and it ends at midnight on Sunday.

How tight is your back-to-school budget? Have you asked your teen to use more of their summer job money for school supplies and clothing?

What will your kids do without?