DOVER — With summer dwindling, the back-to-school season is firmly on the horizon.
But it’s a costly time, as parents of school-age kids are faced with purchasing the latest in supplies, clothing, shoes and electronics.
The National Retail Federation reports that families with students are expected to spend an average of $875 on such items this year.
And, while that figure is around $15 less than 2023’s record of $890.07, it’s still the second-highest amount in the survey’s history.
The total back-to-school spending is expected to reach $38.8 billion, the federation added, also the second-highest figure on record, after last year’s high of $41.5 billion.
Parents are feeling the pinch.
“It is a difficult challenge,” said Miranda Bateman of Seaford, as she perused the school supply aisle in Dover’s Target on Sunday. “Plus, I have two children to shop for, so that could be seen as double trouble, though I do try to reuse many of the bookbags and other things that I can from the previous school year.
“The trouble is, kids get older, and their tastes change, their styles change, so while there are ways to save money, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and open up your wallet.”
Another dilemma right now is that the peak season for back-to-school shopping is actually around the middle of July. So, many of the popular supplies could be limited by late August.
But there are ways around that, notes Ashley Patrick, founder of “Budgets Made Easy,” a personal finance blog for families. She suggests that parents prioritize what their children need for the first few weeks of the academic year.
“They don’t need 30 pencils the first day of school. They don’t need six glue sticks and all the things on the first day,” she explained. “Larger sales that happen after school resumes can help fill any gaps for items that were initially missed.”
In Sam Hurd’s case, relying on bulk stores like Sam’s Club is key. And the Dover man takes advantage of dollar stores whenever he can.
“A pencil is a pencil,” he said. “If I buy a pencil or a pen from Dollar Tree, it is the same thing that I might pay (more for) at a department store. Those things can add up quickly.”
Pencils are one item, but most back-to-school lists include quite a few other pieces. The National Retail Federation said that kindergarten through 12th grade shoppers are budgeting $309.35 on average for electronics ($13.7 billion total), $253.29 for clothing and accessories ($11.2 billion total), $141.62 for school supplies ($6.3 billion total) and $170.43 for shoes ($7.6 billion total).
“Last year’s watermark was partially driven by record investments in electronics, with 69% of back-to-school shoppers planning to purchase a laptop, tablet or other electronic device for their student,” Prosper executive vice president of strategy Phil Rist said in a press release. “These are typically items students can use for several years, which may be why we are seeing slightly less interest in electronics this year.”
Similar to the recent past, the NRF report also notes that the most popular destinations for school shopping are online (57%), department stores (50%), discount stores (47%), clothing stores (42%) and electronics stores (23%).
Further, for college kids and their families, the average spending is even higher. They are expected to dole out an average of $1,364.75 for supplies.
“The back-to-school and college season is an important time for retailers and consumers,” said Katherine Cullen, the National Retail Federation’s vice president of industry and consumer insights. “Families and students are eager to get a jump-start on their shopping for the start of the school year.”
Perhaps Janet Bowers summed it up best outside of Boscov’s at the Dover Mall.
“It is nothing but one big old, giant headache,” she said, with a laugh, “but it is a necessary evil. You have to give your kids the right tools to succeed.”
Staff writer Mike Finney can be reached at 302-741-8230 or mfinney@iniusa.org.
Follow @MikeFinneyDSN on X.
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