Whether driven by sale prices or requests from teachers, parents
have been busy these last few weeks purchasing back-to-school
supplies.
Whether driven by sale prices or requests from teachers, parents have been busy these last few weeks purchasing back-to-school supplies.
The National Retail Federation’s 2004 Back-to-School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey expects back-to-school sales to be up 7.2 percent from last year.
“We attribute the increase in sales to new, fashionable clothing that consumers are excited to buy, an improving economy and lower prices on electronics,” said Ellen Tolley, a spokeswoman with the federation.
Families with school-aged children will spend an average of $483.28 on back-to-school items compared to $450.76 in 2003.
Parent Jenifer Chang felt the pressure to boost her kids’ wardrobes.
“A lot of my friends have already done their shopping. I’ve got to get out there,” she said. Her 8-year-old twins attend Luigi Aprea Elementary School and were excited to get new clothes. Even though there isn’t much time before school is back in session, Chang is still a conscious shopper.
“If I see something, and it’s a good price, I get it,” she said.
Parent Kim Kirchikc hoped to cover more ground in her shopping spree since her four sons need a variety of back-to-school supplies. Her first-grader needs a new lunch box. Her fourth-grader wants to be more organized with a day planner. Her college freshman needs extra-long twin sized bed sheets to fit the longer mattress in his dorm room. And her seventh-grader wanted fabric book covers.
“They don’t have to cut those darn paper bags,” Kirchikc said. While many school libraries supply paper book covers, most students simply cut paper grocery bags to fit. This new product offers a quicker and reusable way to protect textbooks.
Many parents rely on their kids to write a shopping list, but often teachers and schools provide one themselves.
Constance Kilmartin, who has a 9-year-old at Oakwood School in Morgan Hill, receives a list of required supplies from the school each summer. She has to buy everything from a binder to scissors to supplies for science experiments. Kilmartin admits it is an inconvenience having to buy all the supplies herself, but as she hunted for a pencil sharpener and then spiral notebooks, the chore became more of a scavenger hunt than anything else.
Besides the items on the list, Kilmartin also has to buy new uniforms for her growing son. She used to purchase a whole wardrobe at the school’s sale in August, but by the time the weather cooled down he usually outgrew his long pants.
“We’ll just start with the shorts for now,” she said.
Teachers have also done their fair share of shopping.
Sandra Enriquez, who teaches second grade at El Roble elementary school, purchased new supplies for her students so she doesn’t waste time at the beginning of the year.
“I choose to buy so we can hit the ground running,” she said. Instead of ordering pencils, scissors and other necessities through her school’s warehouse order, she shops at local stores where she can find great bargains.
“It behooves me to buy at this price. I’d rather spend the money on things I can’t get at this price,” she said. While many of her students come to class with their own supplies, she feels responsible to provide everyone with the necessary tools.
“When they are here I don’t want to hear, ‘I can’t, because I don’t have scissors’,” she said. This year she earned $150 for her classroom by volunteering at the Garlic Festival. She may work hard for her students, but she expects the same in return.
“I tell them ‘I’m working; your parents are working; you are going to work too’,” she said.
Stores respond to the back-to-school demands by offering sales and more items. While the Target store in Gilroy has no previous back-to-school season to compare to, business has been busier than normal.
“The main thing we’ve been doing is trying to stay in stock,” store team leader Bill Kirtland said.
Target contacts nearby schools to find out what products students buy most often. The store also finds out the color of local school uniforms in order to cater to the local shoppers. Target in Hollister no longer carries uniforms because no school in the area requires them.
The back-to-school season in August and early September is considered the second-most-important shopping period behind the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season according to the National Retail Federation.
