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First Posted: 8/13/2013 WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; Alexia Johnson eyed the heels but took the glittering black flats. She briefly stroked the colorful top with a thin gauzy frill but agreed to the plain white shirt. She reached for the denim shorts and mom Petricia redirected quickly. &#8220;School clothes, Alexi!&#8221;
Small wonder that, when asked what she thought of the back-to-school shopping spree provided by Target, the 11-year-old responded with a &#8220;Meh &#8230; .&#8221; She may have been getting clothes she needed, but she wasn&#8217;t getting clothes she wanted.
Still, her mother, Patricia Connor, and grandmother, Beth Harrod, were grateful for the spree, provided to 30 students chosen by the Salvation Army. Target offers the program nationwide, letting the local Salvation Army divvy up gift cards as they see fit among their locations, according to Lt. Ted Tressler, one of the commanding officers of the Wilkes-Barre Corps.
Harrod said the spree was a huge help, particularly because Wilkes-Barre Area has a dress code that limits pants and shirt colors and styles, which tends to increase the cost of back-to-school clothes. &#8220;We couldn&#8217;t do this by ourselves.&#8221;
Over in the boys department, Thomas Bouderau was grinning while eyeing some black gym-style shorts while his dad, Robert, already clutched a small pile that included shirts with logos of popular computer games like Minecraft.
&#8220;It&#8217;s easier to shop now that (Greater) Nanticoke Area just got rid of their dress code,&#8221; Robert said, referring to a relaxing of the rules approved by the school board this summer out of concern for the cost in a district with a high poverty rate.
&#8220;I have three other kids shopping somewhere else,&#8221; the Glen Lyon resident said, noting those children were in addition to the two with him.
For the family of five, the Target cards were worth a total of $405.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a really big help,&#8221; he said.
The spree began around 9 a.m., and while there was no strict time limit, Lt. Sharon Tressler, the other commanding officer of the local Salvation Army, said they encourage parents to finish by 10:30, generally an easy goal for those with one child, like Alexi, who was already going over budget by 9:30. Mom opted to remove a plastic reusable drinking cup and let her pick something else a bit less expensive, and the youngster was off.
&#8220;We need roller skates to keep up her her,&#8221; Harrod quipped.

Back-to-school spree hits the Target