Well, it's about that time. That shop-'til-you-drop-for-school-clothing-and-supplies time when the task of outfitting the family scholars to meet this year's educational demands begins in earnest.

Moms, dads and grandparents, towing teens to toddlers in varying stages of enthusiasm, have been massing in the aisles of stores and megastores, gathering pens, pencils, slick new book covers, folders, notebooks and paper to prepare for the task ahead.

Delana Meza, 33, of Escondido used a break to browse for bargains in the school supply aisles at the Longs Drug Store in Escondido where she works. Her sons, Christopher, 14, and Austin, 6, are going into the ninth and first grades, respectively. And the new school year brought her a surprise -- Christopher had experienced a major growth spurt.

"He jumped from a size 12 Levis to a size 16 Levis in three months," she said. "I just bought him six pair of jeans at the beginning of summer, and I had to buy him six pair of new ones."

Department stores were crammed with shoppers, some carrying lists and others searching sale papers. "Hold on to the cart," parents repeatedly instructed their children as they wheeled through cluttered and crowded aisles.

A few college students were in the mix, some shopping in pairs, consulting on the best size and shape for each purchase.

Nicole Coffman of San Marcos is a communications major at Palomar College. She was perusing the stacks of notebooks in a cluttered school-supply aisle where frenzied shoppers scattered the display items as quickly as the store attendants could neaten them.

Coffman was searching for a binder, sheet protectors and color-coded tabs to organize her class materials, she said.

"It's a good way to study," she explained her double-duty system of managing notes and handouts. "I put my stuff in the front pockets, then I sort it out later, and while I sort it, I look at my notes again." The second reading helps to reinforce the information, she said.

Three of her four classes are in her major -- inter-cultural, interpersonal and mass communications -- and she had attended her first session that day, she said.

"They all said the same thing but from a different perspective," she said. "It was all very interesting."

It's shoe time

In one aisle of a department store, a mother tried new shoes on several children while her toddler raised himself into a standing position in the seat of the shopping cart. A moment of panic followed as she reseated him in the basket, then turned and made footwear decisions among the older kids. Spiderman made the cut, but not the Power Rangers. A couple of generics and a pair of Barbies later, and she was off to the clothing racks.

Carts sailed through the sea of shoppers, with tiny tykes clinging to the fronts like ship figureheads. Youthful requests for this or that frivolous item were rebuffed by parents intent on rounding up the basics.

One frustrated child burst into tears after being denied a toy. A determined but not insensitive dad scooped her up and kept moving down the aisle, saying, "Daddy's a bad guy. Yes, I know, Daddy's a bad guy," in a soothing voice.

Tag-team tryons

Tempers were frayed on all sides, but there was no shortage of energy. Many adults functioned in tandem, sorting through the racks for the desired items, splitting up at the dressing room with Dad herding the boys and Mom the girls.

One ecstatic young lady waved what looked like a belt with pleats under her mother's nose. "Mom, can I try it on?" she asked breathlessly. Mom agreed to the try-on, but with pursed lips and folded arms that did not bode well for an eventual purchase.

Some children, for whom school had already begun, were in the stores seeking items assigned by particular teachers on the first day of school.

Austin Sample, 9, of Escondido, was shopping for "a special binder and 120-page tablet for Mr. Peters' class at Juniper School, room 33," he said with no hesitation. The fourth-grader said his favorite subjects are math and science. He's a good reader, said his grandmother, Susie Willett of Escondido, who accompanied him on the supply run. Austin tutors first-graders in reading.

"It's a very good way for him to reinforce his reading," Willett said. "It's good for him to have confidence." Their pre-first-day purchases had included pencils, pens, pants and shirts, Willett said.

Make it fun

Cindy Smidt of Fallbrook was shopping with her children and a couple of friends from their soccer team. They used the occasion to toss around questions and answers on the multiplication tables.

School for them begins officially on Sept. 7, so they were getting ahead of the game. Jenny Smidt, 7, is looking forward to second grade, she said. Her purchases included a new backpack, pencils, scissors and crayons. Her favorite thing about school is "when we do art," she said.

Her brother, Gunnar, 10, said he likes "PE class." His school purchases included pants, shirts and shoes.

"I think I grew a size," he said with a smile.

Gunnar's soccer buddy, Niko Gratz, 10, laughingly said his favorite subject was recess. Back to school meant new clothes for him also.

Chip La Chat, 10, rounded out the trio of friends. He's recycling last year's backpack, he said, but he, too, required new clothing. He said that physical education is his favorite subject, but he is also good at math, best in spelling and reading.

"Sometimes it's all a little too easy," he said.

And Cindy Smidt added, "That's because you're so smart." All the kids are straight-A students, she said, so she indulges them when buying things for school and makes the shopping trips fun. The moms have been polling each other, she said, asking how much each spent. Smidt averaged about $200 per kid, she said.

"It's expensive, but I was ready for it, so it's kind of fun to have them out and let them shop," she said. "It used to be a shock, but now I save, so I have the money. When you get them new backpacks and things, you get them excited (about school). They're good students, and I want them to stay that way."

Smidt had planned their excursion for a particular time and day to avoid crowds.

"Today it was pretty quiet," she said. "We came in the middle of the week in the middle of the day. I took the day off work so we could avoid crowds."

Finished for the moment, the group headed for their vehicle with a short list that included lunchboxes, leaving a trail of laughter behind them.

Fast Facts About Back to School

Families with school-age children will spend an average of $483 on back-to-school items this year, up 7.2 percent from last year.

Adults will spend $14.8 billion sending elementary through high school students back to school this year,.

93 percent of families with school age children intend to purchase clothes, shoes and school supplies this year.

About 42 percent plan to buy electronics or computer-related equipment as well.

The average consumer plans to spend about $220 on clothing, $90 on shoes and $73 on school supplies.

Families will spend $101 on electronics and computer-related equipment, about 15 percent more than last year.

45 percent of parents surveyed said their kids and teenagers will be spending their own money on back-to-school items -- about $85 on average

23 percent of parents said their 6-12 year-olds will spend their own money, about $40 on average.

Collectively, teens and preteens will spend $884 million of their own money on back-to-school this year.

One in six consumers start back-to-school shopping at least two months before school starts.

Most parents start three weeks to a month ahead of time.

Only 2.8 percent will wait until school starts to begin shopping for back-to-school items.

Source: National Retail Federation 2004 Back-to-School Consumer Intentions and Actions Study (figures rounded off)

Contact staff writer Agnes Diggs at (760) 740-3511 or adiggs@nctimes.com.