A new semester meant one thing for several Fairbanks businesses -- money.

Wal-Mart rolled-back prices on back-to-school supplies, and Fred Meyer threw a big party. And while marketing strategies differed, one thing is clear -- Fairbanks box stores recorded major sales during the past two weeks.

"In the office supply business, it's like Christmas," said Mark Chamberlain, store manager at Office Max in Fairbanks.

At Office Max, graphing calculators, laptops and accessories flew off the shelves, he said. Many customers also expressed interest in wireless Internet merchandise, partly because of the built-in wireless features in most new notebooks, he said.

Nationally, college students were expected to spend $10.46 billion on electronics this year, up 27.5 percent from 2005, according to the National Retail Federation, a trade association.

The federation's annual survey on student spending found that growth in purchasing for dorm furnishings is expected to be moderate, climbing 5.4 percent to $3.82 billion. More traditional back-to-college needs like school supplies and textbooks were expected to see drops in spending, the NRF said.

College students weren't the only ones making purchases this month, though. Elementary and high school students, or their parents, contributed a much larger share of the past month's sales, Chamberlain said.

"There's more of those kids than there are at UAF," he said.

Hannah Harrison, a freshman fisheries and natural resource management double-major, said she probably spent $100 to $200 on merchandise ranging from a fountain to food to books to pens. Harrison, 18, said she shopped at both Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart.

"I hate Wal-Mart, but I go there because I'm cheap and poor," she said.

At Wal-Mart, sales were steady, said Brad McGinnity, the Fairbanks branch's co-manager. McGinnity declined to provide sales numbers, citing company policy, but said the store was prepared for the return of students.

"The back-to-school week was an increase over the typical week, but we expected that," McGinnity said.

Perhaps the best selling items were futons, McGinnity said. Wal-Mart sold 14-18 futons the week UAF opened its dorrs, compared the seven-to-eight the week before, he said.

"Kids like them in their dorms, and the apartments their parents are helping them furnish," he said.

Wal-Mart temporarily sold-out of its cheapest microwaves, priced at $43, McGinnity said. Students also snatched up 19- and 27-inch televisions, priced at $125-227, he said. iPods sales were strong as well, he said.

"We have a hard time keeping iPods in stock," McGinnity said. "We order everything we can get our hands on."

Fred Meyer more than any other store in Fairbanks capitalized on the back-to-college weeks. The West Fairbanks branch opened its doors from midnight to 2 a.m. Aug. 30, with a big bash and discounts.

For its second annual Late-Night Extravaganza, Fred Meyer offered prizes ranging from desks to cash to students who attended. UAF students could get as much as a $20 discount if they bought at least $100 in items.

Six buses sat outside the Moore-Barlett-Skarland Complex to truckloads of dorm residents to the box store for free. And they didn't even need to worry how to get that new TV back to campus.

"Just so you know, if you plan to buy anything big, like a couch or a TV, Freds will be delivering to campus," an orientation leader, DJ Jennings, told passengers on one bus as it prepared to take off.

Jeremy Davis, the home manager at Fred Meyer, said the number of students who attended nearly doubled from fall 2005. Fred Meyer was still tallying its take the next morning, but Davis said the number of items sold probably doubled also.

"I think it's been a real success," Davis said.

The major sales were in the home, electronics, and the grocery sections, Davis said. Students stocked up on everything from coat hangers to television sets. TV's, stereos and music sold big in electronics.

Fred Meyer wasn't the only business trying to capitalize on the night; Alaska Salmon Bake, which provided the buses, also handed out $8-off dinner coupons.

Fred Meyer and various vendors donated dozens of prizes for contests and raffles throughout the night. UAF students won barbeques, DVDs, gift cards, and energy drinks as the night rolled on.

"It kind of ranged from Twinkies to computer desks there," Davis said.

Fred Meyer didn't experience any major surprises, though there were some items they should have stocked better, Davis said. The 20 miniature refrigerators Fred Meyer had in stock sold out in the first half hour, he said.

"We could have probably sold three times as many," Davis said.