With money tight for parents across southwestern Connecticut, some local retailers are slashing prices on back-to-school gear.

One store owner at Westfield Connecticut Post Mall says she marked down backpacks and lunchboxes by up to 50 percent. Michelle Lu, who owns ?in Style,? says after retail sales slipped in June and July, she decided to mark prices down and advertise the deals as much as possible.

"It's very important for those retailers to give us their specials because that's what's going to attract the customers to their store,? says Amy Johnstone, the mall?s marketing director. The mall puts deals in a brochure circulated throughout the mall.