Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: The back-to-school shopping season, second only to the holiday season in terms of consumer spending, has been thrown into uncertainty bordering on chaos as parents and retailers do their best to plan for what school will look like in the coming weeks.
Set against the backdrop of a highly contagious viral pandemic and the devastation it has woven across the U.S. economy, 2020's back-to-school season is unlike any other.
"It’s the most challenging time in history for back to school," said Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of Strategic Resource Group, a consumer consulting firm in New York City.
The back-to-school season is "a critical catalyst that the country needs for an economic comeback whether it’s Wisconsin, the Great Lakes region or anywhere across America," Flickinger added.