Black Friday has officially come to a close and numbers are already rolling in from various retail sources that show sales up as much as 7.2%. Retailers were correct in their assumption that many consumers would scale back holiday purchases, with many stores trending below last year's sales numbers. Despite the decline, many retailers did exceed their lowered expectations, several coming within a few hundred dollars of last year's sales.

Broken down by category; sales of electronics were down across the board, in fact 50% below last year at several large stores. Many other retail categories also came in lower than in previous years. Speaking anonymously, one manager voiced concerns that consumers did all of their holiday shopping on Black Friday, and that stores would see bleak December sales. Despite the lower sales overall, one area which did perform well according to our source was clothing; in fact, if clothing sales continue on their current trend, they will likely be higher than last year.

The movement away from electronics towards clothing may signal an early shift in the mindset of consumers as they do holiday shopping. A dress shirt given as a gift this year may be better received than a new mp3 player by many rational consumers. The shift towards clothing isn't new, retailers have already seen more consumers purchasing clothing on sale rather than purchasing a gift card in recent months.

With tow of the top three shopping days already behind us and many retailers still coming up short it may spell good news for consumers in the form of increased CyberMonday promotions on December 1. Still the overall lag in sales is troubling from an economic standpoint, as it may spell an end to many retail stores; costing jobs and tax revenue that many cities depend on.

I don't know what like weather is like where you live but here in Southern Ontario we've already had some distinctly winter-like days. So I thought I'd check out the selection of cold weather accessories at the local dollar store. I found a wide variety of polar fleece gloves for the whole family including some cute mittens for toddlers that are lined for extra warmth. Then there's the ever-popular magic stretch gloves that seem to be popular with school-age kids and you can get two pairs of these for a buck. These are handy for doubling up with other gloves for extra warmth when the kids decide to spend an hour or two building a snowman. The way kids lose things, it doesn't hurt to keep a couple of extra pairs of these on hand.

I used to be intimidated about bringing clothes to the seamstress at The Common Thread, a tailoring shop located in an upscale shopping/tourist enclave on the Upper Cape called Mashpee Commons. I ventured in last week with a pair Escada slacks ($8.00 new at a Hospice thrift shop) that needed to be hemmed.

When I went to pick up the slacks, the proprietor explained that she was "running behind." Her tailoring business has been booming this fall. When I mentioned this to a friend, she said that she had also taken slacks in for alteration last week and that her seamstress had told her the same thing.

Imagine, Americans repairing, altering, reusing and recycling! Does the economy need to practically collapse around us before "Shop Until You Drop" ceases to be the new national anthem? Given a president whose response to 9/11 was, "Go to the mall," shopping has been patriotic.

After decades of being drunk on dollars, we might actually be sobering up. If the clothing repair business is strengthening, what could be next? Here's an idea: customers could start buying shoes that can be repaired.

The shoe repair industry plummeted in the 1960's, with a 40% drop in stores, and has continued to decline leading into the 21st century. If shoe repair sees a resurgence, it will provide jobs for former prisoners who have learned the craft while doing time.

I was strolling through the men's clothing department at Wal-Mart yesterday and realized something: it's not that cheap.

Plain, ugly, Faded Glory jeans were $12.88 and oP polos are $13. Of course that's a lot cheaper than Macy's but it's also pretty poor quality clothing. A lot of families will head to Wal-Mart because it seems like it would be a cheap place to do back to school shopping but the reality is that you can do much, much better. Here are a few ideas:

• TJMaxx and Marshalls: if you limit your kids (and yourself) to the clearance rack, you should be able to find plenty of nice, name brand stuff for less than you'll pay for much lower quality stuff at Wal-Mart. Example: I recently found American Eagle jeans for $10 at TJMaxx. That's less than the Faded Glory ones are at Wal-Mart, even though American Eagle jeans retail in the $40 range.
• Plato's Closet: The absolute best place for teens. With brands like American Eagle and Abercrombie in gently used condition at 80% off mall prices, it's worth a bit of a drive. Bring friends!
• Steve & Barry's: Recently filed for bankruptcy but still operating all of its stores, this chain offers shoes, sweatshirts, jeans, t-shirts, etc all at $8.88! Great place to buy stuff with college logos.

Also, check local thrift shops and consignment shops, if you can talk your kids into it. With stores like TJMaxx and Steve & Barry's, you should be able to do your back to school shopping just as cheap, if not cheaper, than you could at Wal-Mart and you/your kids will look infinitely cooler.

The Children's Place has some awesome back to school savings on clothing -- Wal-Mart can't beat a lot of these deals. Check it out:

• Boys Plaid Linen Shirt: $0.99 $16.50
• Boys Linen Shirt: $0.99 $16.50
• Boys Cable Sweater Vest: $0.99 $19.50
• Girls Pedal Pusher Shorts: $3.99 $16.50
• Girls Embroidered Skinny Jeans: $0.99 $19.50

A word of caution: extreme bargains like this tend to go very fast, and you may have difficulty finding the desired size. For more good deals at The Children's Place, click here for boys and here for girls.

With gas prices soaring and the economy stagnating, a lot of families are looking to cut the back to school shopping budget this year.

A suggestion if you fall into that category: try Target. The prices are in the same range as Wal-Mart, cheaper on certain items on sale, and the quality is so much better -- essentially comparable to Old Navy or similar lower-end well-known labels.

A quick search through the clearance section of Target's website turns up a great sale on Cherokee-brand corduroys: all boys sizes $7.49, 50% off the retail price of $14.99. Take a look and, if your son is into cords, buy them in both colors:

• Boys' Cherokee® Carpenter Corduroy Pants - Ebony
• Boys' Cherokee® Carpenter Corduroy Pants - Olive

To browse the rest of Target's back to school clothing selection, click here for boys and here for girls.

The slogan on this t-shirt pretty much speaks for itself. Probably not something to wear to work, but could help you fit in with the meat heads at the gym. Old Navy has a good selection of its graphic t-shirts on clearance right now. Check out the full assortment here. According to the company:

Often we'd like to speak loudly and carry a big stick but we're stuck at the library or the symphony. Our oversized graphic tees feature words of wisdom and insight that you'll be able to share with friends who'll see it a mile away. No need to wear out those vocal chords shouting.

With back to school spending set to slow in the face of soaring gas prices and general economic malaise, high school students will be looking to stretch the budget.

With Abercrombie polos tipping the scales at $49.50, Aeropostale is a solid second-tier alternative. On its website, Aeropostale is offering its solid pique polos, regularly $24.50, for $9.99. You can choose from six colors, and put together a very nice fall wardrobe for a reasonably affordable price.

Everyone likes a jock: I mean, really, what's more manly than a guy who goes to New York State Section IV Wrestling Championships and has the t-shirt to prove it?

Well if you're not that much of a man's man, Amazon.com has just the thing you need: t-shirts for recent obscure athletic events that you didn't go to, but could earn a good deal of street cred by wearing the shirt: they have the 2008 New York State Section IV Wrestling Championships, Worldwide Sport Supply 2006 Keystone Games Volleyball Tee White, and Worldwide Sport Supply 2007 AVCA Volleyball Tee. Prices range from 99 cents to $5.99. The two most expensive shirts are 50% cotton and 50% polyester -- if you have a good chest, these are worth the extra cash because they cling nicely.

Every man's man needs a pair of cute sweatpants like those girls who go to the gym a lot have: ya know, the ones with writing on them that make your bum look good? Yeah. Those. They're perfect for the gym, walking the dog, wandering around the house, or working at the computer late at night, as I am at this very moment.

Well Old Navy, not my favorite retailer but good for things like sweatpants, is having a sale. You can get their Men's Surf Destination Sweatpants for $8.99, marked down from $24.50. That's 63% off!

They have every size except small. For more Old Navy sales items for men, click here. And remember: you can combine shipping on orders from Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic. Click here for Gap's men's clearance and here for Banana Republic's.

It's back to school shopping season but most families aren't exactly in a position to spend hundreds of dollars on new clothes to help Junior feel cool in high school.

Aeropostale, a cheaper version of Abercrombie and American Eagle, is offering these polos for $7.99. The retail is listed at $34.50 but, honestly, you'd have to be pretty stupid to pay that for an Aeropostale polo. But they're a good deal at this price.

For more Aeropostale back to school stuff on clearance, click here.

Every man should have at least one pink shirt, if only to prove that he's manly enough to pull it off. If you're a young guy -- let's say, under age 25, at least in spirit -- this one from Hollister is a great one to get you started. This is what Hollister has to say about it:

"100% cotton, left chest pocket, seagull embroidery, Vintage Hollister Destruction Wash, Muscle Fit, Imported"

Basically that means that if you have a good, lean body with a little bit of muscle, you will look really good in this shirt. Abercrombie and Hollister give your chest a nice convex look that would take hours at the gym with clothes from most other stores -- if you're feeling bold, try a size smaller than you normally wear. Note: if you have a Pillsbury Doughboy physique, go with a different pink shirt.

It's currently $9.90, marked down from $15.50.

The Daily Deal for Friday, July 11th is this soft knit cotton pique polo from The Gap. It's regularly $29.50, but you can get it now for $4.99. It's selling out fast -- as I write this, they only have small and XXXXL left. So if you're friends with Michael Jackson or Ralphie May, you have an opportunity for a great gift item.

For more Gap sale items, click here. And remember, you can combine orders/shipping from Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime.

I've noticed that people tend to forward our Daily Deals on to others when we mention men's clothing. Perhaps this is because many women desperately wish that their husbands would replace their ratty old apparel more frequently.

Ladies, this is one you might want to forward on to them or, if you're really desperate, place the order yourself. Amazon.com has Lee Dungaree shorts on sale for $11.99 - a hefty savings off the $40 list price. And you won't even have to drag dad to the mall! If you spend $25 or more at Amazon, you get free shipping, as always.

Browse the selection here.

If you need summer clothes for your kids, check out your local Talbots Kids store--but hurry, word has gotten out about their blowout sale and pretty soon it will be slim pickings. Talbots Kids, which sells preppy summer clothing and accessories, always has good end of season sales, but right now everything is 50% off original prices because all Talbots Kids stores are closing.

Talbots announced last winter that it planned to close its kids and men's' divisions, and it intended to focus on its core businesses, women's clothing. Talbots is in the process of closing 78 stores, including 66 kids' stores and 12 men's stores nationwide.

I was tempted, but didn't buy one of several exquisite white dresses perfect for a flower girl or first Holy Communion dress. I also could have stocked up for next summer but it's hard to predict a child's size a year ahead of time. Instead, I figured out what my daughter needed for summer, and picked up a sweet white sweater to wear over floral sundresses, a pair of capris, some t-shirts and a black and white floral skirt–this was the best bargain-reduced from $48 to $15.

I was disappointed in the boys selection: there wasn't anything my 9 year old would wear – the clothes are a bit too stuffy for his skaterboy tastes, and since all sales are final I didn't want to chance it.