"I'm a stay at home mom, we live off one salary, so we're always looking for sales," said Ontario resident Sherrie Broadbent who was shopping on Wednesday. "If I hear there's a sale here, we're here."
Some industry experts said retailers were a little too optimistic about the economic recovery when orders were placed in the spring. Now those stores are slashing prices in fear of being stuck with those piles of clothes.
"This weekend was one of our highest-grossing weekends in a long, long time," said Nancy Martinez, a manager at Old Navy. "It was kind of like /*Black Friday*/ for us."
The other problem for retailers is that more and more Americans are spending their dollars on gadgets.
"They want gadgets they don't need, but their friends tell them they need it so they want to buy it," said Kelly Good, a mother from Chino Hills. "You need underwear, you need socks, you need pants."
Due to competitive pricing, most parents won't have to give up the shirt off their backs buying back-to-school clothing this year.
