It's not just kids who are bummed about the back-to-school season.
A "shadow of insecurity" hangs over the nation's retailers, according to a major trade group, which predicted that consumer spending during the crucial back-to-school shopping period will be lackluster because of the economy.
The National Retail Federation said yesterday that it expects the average family will spend $603.43 on back-to-school apparel, school supplies and electronics. That's down slightly from last year's average of $606.40.
Total back-to-school spending is estimated at $22.8 billion.
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Last year, students resembled Alicia Silverstone from “Clueless” as they splurged on back-to-school items like apparel, electronics, shoes and other must-haves. This year will be different as cashstrapped consumers are expected to cut back.
"Parents want their children to take a good look around at what they already have before deciding what to buy for back-to-school this year," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.
Among the hardest-hit categories will be electronics. At the college level, just 46 percent of students and parents say they will buy gadgets -- the lowest level since 2005, according to BIGresearch, in a separate survey yesterday focused on college-related spending.
"Many college students are already armed with the latest gadgets," said BIGresearch's Pam Goodfellow. She added that "many popular college items, like laptops, have experienced huge drops in price over the last several years."
Parents and students will also spend less on everything from notebooks to jeans, while delaying their shopping trips into the first weeks of classes this fall.
The main problem is persistent economic uncertainty, stoked lately by the US budget crisis, mixed news about the mortgage markets and $4-a-gallon gas oline, according to Stevan Buxbaum of the Buxbaum Group, a Los Angeles retail consultant.
Not everybody agrees that back-to-school will be a bust. Shoppers' disposable income has risen about 3 percent this year, and consumers meanwhile are loosening their wallets instead of hoarding cash in savings ac counts, notes Craig Johnson of Customer Growth Part ners. That's partly because consumers have managed to pay down personal debt.
"There's still a lot of pent- up demand for apparel," according to Johnson.
Department stores are doing a particularly good job of tempting shoppers with exclusive fashions, he said, noting that Macy's lately has struck clothing deals with Ma donna, Tommy Hilfiger and Karl Lagerfeld.
But while Johnson predicts back-to-school sales will rise 6.2 percent, that's still well off the highs seen four to five years ago, he notes.
"It's like the country song says," Johnson said. "When you're this far down, it still looks like up." james.covert@nypost.com
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