Back to School Shopping is Here

It’s that time of year again. Schools are coming to life with teachers going back into their classrooms beginning to prepare for the upcoming school year, which begins Aug. 8 in St. Mary Parish.

Kids are getting excited to see their new classrooms, meet their new teachers, and see their classmates. Parents are looking forward to having a normal routine again, but most are not looking forward to all the back to school costs.

While retail businesses know to mark Black Friday and holiday spending on their calendars, they do not overlook the significance of back to school shopping. According to the National Retail Federation, school supply shopping for K-12 students plus college students is projected to be $80.7 billion in 2019.

This number isn’t just for the inevitable backpack and notebooks the kids need, it includes clothes, electronics, and shoes, because on average, they get a few new things in those departments as well.

According to smallbiztrends.com, “Overall, parents will spend an average of $507 in 2019, compared to $465 in 2018. And they will spend more across the board for clothes, electronics, and shoes.”

Most families have to save to offset the hit their monthly budgets will receive with all of these expenses. Some of our local schools have partnered with a company called Educational Products Inc. for the past three years in an effort to offset some of the cost as well as provide a service of convenience.

At the end of the school year, packages are offered per grade level for parents to purchase. Each package contains school supplies students need to begin the year for each individual teacher’s classroom. These packages are delivered to the students on the first days of school.

Educational Products Inc. boasts that parents can save up to 40% on supplies compared to national retailers and they also allow teachers to ensure they are getting the correct specifications for the supplies they need.

Schools that participated at the end of last school year were J.S. Aucoin, Bayou Vista Elementary, Berwick Elementary, and Berwick Junior High School.

Prices ranged from $15 for kindergarten at J.S. Aucoin to $55 for sixth-grade classes at Berwick Junior High School. Parents that did not purchase these packets at the end of last school year can get supply lists from the schools to purchase their supplies the more traditional retail route.

National retailers bombard parents with ads promoting their back to school sales. Coupon codes are offered for online sales, flyers are received in the mail, and commercials are all gearing to the parents funding the second biggest shopping season of the year, with Black Friday being first. But even our local retailers feel the benefits of this time of year.

According to Gertie Ross at Skipper’s Sporting Goods, 7558 La. 182 East in Morgan City, they see an increase in sales and customer traffic at this time of year. Skipper’s sells school uniforms, school spirit shirts, jackets, and offer many other clothing options and services for all of St. Mary Parish public and parochial schools. Ross said that while they offer these things all year, they see the increase right now, especially in customers coming to get PE uniforms.

No matter which route parents go to get their kids geared up for school, there is no denying the buzz that back to school shopping is upon us. For parents filling the supply lists, know that even though the teacher requested 72 latex free pencils, by the spring semester a pencil will be hard to find and yes, amongst the vast amount of folder choices you will find that elusive, plastic, red prong folder.