Off to the 'Techno-Dorm'

Back-to-School Shoppers Load Up on Electronic Equipment

For college-bound freshmen, back-to-school shopping once meant sheets and towels for that first dorm room, and maybe a beanbag chair.

These days it's laptop computers, microwave ovens and an Ethernet cable.

Or, as Jeff Faust of electronics retailer Best Buy Co. said, "If you don't have a 'techno-dorm' room, you're behind the curve."

The students who began arriving over the weekend at universities in the Washington area came with a large array of electronics and related storage equipment. As a result, here and elsewhere nationwide, the back-to-school shopping season has become as important for electronics retailers as it traditionally has been for apparel and home-furnishings stores.

According to a survey of 1,000 college-age shoppers (18 to 23 years old), 48 percent say their laptop or notebook computer is the most important technology tool they plan to take to classes. The technology items students plan to have in dorm rooms or apartments include televisions (84 percent), VCRs (76 percent), microwave ovens (71 percent), desktop computers (69 percent) and much more -- including the video-gaming systems that 39 percent expect to have.

Aaron Vigil, an 18-year-old college freshman from Santa Fe, N.M., who this week is settling into McDowell Dormitory at American University, estimated that he spent about $1,700 shopping for school. His list included a computer, a printer and an Ethernet cable, along with a small refrigerator, lamps and fans for his dorm room. That's in addition to the more traditional comforter, sheets and shower caddy he bought.

Vigil, who is attending college with help from scholarships and financial aid, said he worked two summer jobs to help pay for his college outfitting.

Jamie Copelin, who graduated from Gwynn Park High School in Clinton, also helped finance her freshman outfitting with two summer jobs. She estimates that she and her mother paid about $3,000 for a collection of off-to-college items that included a computer, a refrigerator, a television and a Sony PlayStation 2. "I had to bring the PlayStation for the DVDs," said Copelin, who plans to major in business management at the University of Maryland.

Surveys suggest that families are spending quite a bit less than that to get the kids back to school, but most of the numbers available cover shopping for a range of ages, not just the more financially demanding first year of college. According to the American Express retail index, parents and students ages 12 to 17 this year will spend an average of $527 on clothing and school supplies. That's down $21, or 4 percent, from a year ago.

The National Retail Federation projected a drop of 17 percent in spending, based on a survey of families with young children and teenagers. The study found that the families expected to spend an average of $457 per household on back-to-school stuff this year.

According to Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ltd.'s Mike Niemira, who tracks the 88 biggest chain stores, back-to-school shopping, which started slowly, has picked up during the past couple of weeks. "It seems to be better than we initially feared," said Niemira, who added that sales in stores open at least a year are up about 4 percent from last year.

Both the timing of the federal tax refund checks and the tax-free shopping provided by several states, including Maryland, and the District of Columbia, probably helped boost shopping, he said.

August apparel sales are up slightly from July's, according to Merrill Lynch & Co. retailing analyst Daniel Barry, but they're not strong. That's because of the weak economy and the lack of exciting new fashion trends, he said: "Denim is very strong, but not much else is selling."

On the other hand, retailers who sell home furnishings and electronics said they are seeing strong sales. Some retail watchers believe the back-to-school season is a bellwether for the critically important holiday season.

Home furnishings retailer Ikea International A/S said it is seeing good sales of smaller items -- picture frames, wastebaskets, posters and desk lights -- that can give a dorm room an individual look. Copelin, who was moving into her University of Maryland dorm room Sunday, said she bought "nice little desk lamps from Target and desk organizers to help our room stand out and be colorful."

Copelin said she and her roommates were going for a color scheme of blue, black and gray. Several retailers said those colors are popular, especially for electronics equipment and related storage items. One strong seller at Ikea has been a tall, silver-tone CD tower that sells for $39 and holds 180 CDs. Also popular, according to the Sweden-based retailer, is pink. "It's a little bit retro '60s and '70s, with the oranges and the pinks," said Ikea media coordinator Janice Simonsen.

Amy Susskind, a Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. spokeswoman, said a large percentage of U.S. colleges and universities now supply their dorms with extra-long beds designed to accommodate taller students. As a result, many college freshmen need to buy new sheets to fit those beds. For the college-bound shopper, the bed is important, she said, because it "is the focal point of your room."

With dormitory space at a premium this year because enrollments are higher than expected, storage equipment is in big demand, too, according to retailers. Students are purchasing plastic storage bins that can be stacked and reconfigured to meet dorm-mates' needs.

Bed Bath & Beyond provides a college checklist at its Web site that includes necessities such as clips for keeping bags of chips fresh, insulated coffee mugs and portable vacuums. It also lists a paper shredder.

A paper shredder?

"It's just an office-supply item that seemed like a good idea for kids to take if they wanted to shred their stuff," said Susskind, who noted that the stores also sell office items such as extension cords and surge protectors. "It's just to keep storage simple."