PARENTS BLOW AT LEAST $500 ON KIDS' BACK-TO-SCHOOL CLOTHES

PARENTS BLOW AT LEAST $500 ON KIDS' BACK-TO-SCHOOL CLOTHES

PURCHASE, N.Y. (Wireless Flash) -- What they say about children eating you out of house and home just may be true. A new survey by Mastercard shows 34 percent of parents will plunk down more than $500 per child on back-to-school clothes. By comparison, only 4 percent will spend $100 or less on school duds. Not surprisingly, most parents aren't too happy about their kids' conspicuous consumption of Gap T-shirts and designer jeans: 25 percent say back-to-school shopping is "as irritating as fingers scratching a chalkboard." And 13 percent find shopping with their kids -- quote -- "as painful as having teeth pulled."