Retail Sales

A fifth grade student gets change after a purchase as she shops at Staples for school items in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, July 8, 2010. Nervous about jobs and an unraveling economy, shoppers spent _ at best _ only slightly more this August than last, according to data released Wednesday Sept. 1, 2010 by MasterCard's SpendingPulse. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)