Report: Families behind on back-to-school shopping to do

Have you finished your back to school shopping? If the answer is "no," you're not alone.

If it makes you feel better, most parents still have a lot of shopping left to get their kids ready for the first day of school, according to a National Retail Federation survey released Tuesday.

The average American family had completed only 41.6 percent of its back-to-school shopping as of Aug. 11, the survey found.

Nearly one-third of families with school-aged children (kindergarten through high school) haven't even started their shopping.

Families of college students have completed 41 percent of their shopping.

Price is very important to consumers this shopping season, the federation reported.

Those who have already begun their shopping said sales or coupons have influenced nearly half of purchases so far this year. According to the survey, 43.4 percent of back-to-school shoppers said coupons influenced them to shop at a particular store.

"The days of Mom or Dad letting children put whatever they want in the shopping cart are over," said Pam Goodfellow, senior analyst, strategic initiatives with BIGresearch.

"Parents don't want to send their kids to school in clothes that don't fit or with a calculator that doesn't work, but they are making careful spending decisions based on price instead of giving kids free rein to pick out whatever they want," she said.

The survey also found that six out of ten families, or 62 percent, who have shopping left to do will head to a discount store. And nearly 45 percent will check out a department store and 32 percent will stop at a clothing store.

When it comes to older students, about 20 percent of college students say they've finished shopping. According to the survey, about 42 percent of families with students heading to college have not even started shopping.