Schools

Is Back-to-School Too Much?

Thousands of deals, sales are aimed at parents as the start of classes is just around the corner.

By Katherine Hafner

Pencils, packs and paper, oh my!

Back-to-school shopping is something parents and kids expect every year, but is the country getting too reliant on annual new school accessories?

Each year, there seem to be more and more deals or sales that lure in back-to-school shoppers.

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A recent survey found that 67 percent of parents of school-aged children in the U.S. will spend $100 or more per child on back-to-school shopping this year.

According to the offers.com survey, 16 percent will spend $400 or more, while only 4 percent will not spend any money.

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Target.com is offering 21 different coupons that expire soon, solely in the “back-to-school” category on its website, including such savings as $2 off a Crayola purchase of $10 or more, $1 off a locker accessory purchase and $1 off a purchase of two or more Paper Mate writing instruments.

Kohl’s allows customers on its website to create and manage a list of back-to-school essentials, with the tagline: “Want it? Need it? Just gotta have it? Create a list that includes everything that's pretty, practical and perfect for you.”

The Kohl’s back-to-school section alone is divided into eight categories: girls, boys, juniors, young men, dorm essentials, school uniforms, backpacks and shoes.

If the parent of a 5-year-old girl bought one item in each section on Kohls.com – in this case, one pair of jeans, one school uniform shirt, a backpack and a pair of Skechers – he or she could spend $87, before sales tax.

Assuming that many parents buy multiple items of clothing, additional school supplies and/or have multiple children, it is easy to see how one can end up spending so much.

And some schools send out lists to their students, detailing which items to get.

A reporter for a news outlet in Lafayette, Ind. got hold of a list of school supplies for fourth-graders at a public elementary school that totaled $42.52.

Retail giants have to offer more deals to attract business to their store, because almost all department stores offer some kind of back to school-specific section.

Many technology companies like Amazon also offer deals for electronic products, which are on the rise even for younger children.

Are these deals really helping consumers save money, or simply encouraging more – possibly unnecessary – purchases?

In the meantime, if you’re starting your back-to-school shopping, check out Huffington Post’s Seven Huge Mistakes Back-to-School Shoppers Make, including shopping while hungry or failing to establish a budget before shopping.

Tell us in the comment section below:

• Is back-to-school shopping getting to be too much? Which items do you think are truly necessary?

• Do you set a budget before doing your shopping?

• How do you handle your kids’ return to school?


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