Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) Your first question comes from Jeff Black - Lehman Brothers.
Jeff Black - Lehman Brothers
Hey, Doug, can you talk about just the SG&A growth year-over-year that we might expect in the back half? It ticked up a little bit in 2Q, but if we're talking, you know, modest margin improvement it looks like we're anticipating, you know, 17-ish growth in the back half. Is that what you're looking for?
Doug Probst
Yes, I think that the change in SG&A rate, Jeff, is going to be similar if not higher than the basis point deleverage that we saw in the second quarter, and a lot of that has to do with the etail investment that we've made. Also we reversed a bonus accrual last year in the third quarter and the negative comp pressure to that. So I think the basis point deleverage that you saw in the second quarter will be even higher in the third and fourth quarters.
Jeff Black - Lehman Brothers
And Doug, just to follow up quick, on the ecommerce, how do we look for that to impact the margin structure going forward? In other words, where are we going to see the impact through the balance of the year?
Doug Probst
As far as the impact, a lot of the impact that we're talking about is going to be favorable in the 2009 year. As you know, it's very early in the game to try to determine exactly what this business is going to achieve, especially as we enter our first full season with dot com. As you remember, the dot com business opened right in the middle of the spring season so it was difficult to get a lot of read on that then, but as we move into the second quarter and our Septober time period of September and October fall selling season, that'll be a better indication of when we can kind of see that type of margin improvement. But I would expect most of the benefits to come in 2009 and beyond.
Operator
Your next question comes from Christopher Svezia - Susquehanna Financial Group.
Christopher Svezia - Susquehanna Financial Group
A couple of questions. I guess first, just on the merchandise margin rate, I mean, obviously the nice improvement in Q2 and I guess, as you look to the third quarter, you're up, I think, 30 basis points on the merchandise margin rate in [Q3] last year. And I'm just trying to extrapolate between your inventory position, how you're planning the business for the back half of the year, because in Q3, obviously a little bit more challenging on the merchandise margin rate. Q4 obviously much easier. I'm just trying to weigh that against Debbie's comment earlier in relation in the pricing increases and trying to manage the merchandise margin rate as well, so I was wondering if you can add a little color around that.
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