Kevin Croy has been running almost nonstop this week.

The owner of Fleet Feet Fort Wayne was bouncing between his Dupont Road and Village of Coventry stores to help handle customer demand. Middle school, high school and college students are all preparing for the coming academic year.

“Athletic shoes are very popular to wear in schools,” Croy said. “We always say August is our Christmas.”

Back-to-school shopping is in full swing. The National Retail Federation has forecast that parents outfitting their children for kindergarten through college will spend $128 billion, which is slightly more than last year. That total includes clothing, crayons, computers and more.

Katherine Cullen, the federation’s vice president of industry and consumer insights, said one way consumers deal with econom

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