 This is as much as the $875 households plan to spend during last year's winter holidays. MarketWatch says what was once a time to get growing children new clothes and some classroom supplies is now a tech and swag-filled shopping spree that often also involves checking off a list of cleaning products requested by underfunded schools. Stores, by the way, such as Target and Walmart, have moved up their back-to-school sales as early as this month, both to compete with Amazon's annual prime sale.