Back-to-school shopping is in full force this month and stores are seeing no evidence Americans are worried about the economy.

Parents are price-conscious and looking for discounts, said managers at the Tanger Outlet Center at Kimball Junction, but that’s what outlets are for.

Children’s stores say parents are spending more money this year than in seasons past. This is their biggest period of the year beating out the winter holidays. Back-to-school shopping gets heavy around the July 24 holiday and extends through Labor Day Weekend.

Chuck Stackhouse, manager at GAP Kids, said Utahns have big families and need a lot of new clothes.

“Being a parent myself you want to get your kids what they want. With the way business is going, you’d never know the economy is not flourishing by the number of people we’re seeing and the amount they’re spending,” he said. “The entire mall is busy.”

When people are worried about the economy, they may cut back other times of year, but not back-to-school shopping, he said.

As a store manager, his client is the parent paying the money, not the child, but to make the sale, the clothes must appeal to the kids.

“My eight-year-old has a mind of her own. She knows how she wants to dress. In our store, we cater to what kids want to where,” he said.

That can be tricky, however, because his brand is a national one and what is cool is California may not be cool in Utah, he said.

Stackhouse and OshKosh B’Gosh manager Jessica Sweat both said traffic is down a little at Tanger this year, but neither is worried. Foot traffic is often impacted by travel trends. The back-to-school shoppers have been spending money.

“Especially the last three days have been great,” Sweat said of the weekend.

Retailers aren’t really weather watchers, she said, but there have been some stormy nights recently and that may be turning thoughts to the fall and winter.

Back-to-school shopping doesn’t begin until the last summer holiday is over because it’s hard to get people thinking of cool weather while they’re enjoying the sunshine, she said.

Even this month, people are still coming in looking for summer wear, Sweat said.

But this season is “absolutely” bigger than the winter holidays, she said, because parents buy toys then and clothing now.

“Our dressing rooms are jammed,” she said. “I feel like we’re hitting on it this year with brand shoppers.”

Price-conscious moms are seeking her store’s denim lines. She’s seen shoppers from as far away as Wyoming and Idaho looking for certain brands.

“We can give it to them for a great value, so that’s helping a ton,” she said.

As for making the kids happy, Sweat said they have a mantra: Listen to the parent; Sell to the children.

Steven Wagaman, manager for Old Navy, said his store has a reputation for being family-friendly and wallet-friendly.

“It’s been a good year even compared to last year. We actually increased sales last year,” he said. “People were more price-conscious, but we’re a value brand.”

Wagaman, too, said foot traffic was down, but it wasn’t making a difference. In addition to locals from Summit and Salt Lake counties, Tanger sees a lot of people passing through to play in the Uinta Mountains.

So far, he’s sold a lot of inexpensive denim, but Old Navy is also popular with kids needing school uniform pieces like polo shirts and khaki pants.

Discount stores aren’t the only ones seeing an uptick in business. Boutiques are busy this month, as well.

Katie Hammond, owner of Cake Boutique in Redstone and Old Town, said her sales were definitely impacted by the economic downturn in 2009, but she’s been recovering “slow and steady.”

Cake Boutique carries unique items.

“Our success has been built not on bargain shopping but being able to offer brands they can’t find elsewhere,” she said.

The ski season is still her peak period, but people always want to buy new clothes in fall whether they need them or not, it’s habit, she said.

Laura De Backer with Olive & Tweed on Main Street said the secret to competing with discounted stores is having items for all types of people.

De Backer said she typically sees teens coming in alone and then coming back with a parent to purchase what they found.

“We have different stylings in the store; we can make every kind of person happy,” she said.