Walmart vs. Dollar General: Which Has Cheaper School Supplies?

As back-to-school season approaches, the timeless shoppers' dilemma of where to find the most affordable supplies for students weighs heavy on many parents' minds. Is it cheaper to shop at Walmart or Dollar General for everything new and returning students need for the upcoming school year?

A new study collected common supply lists for different grade levels and then used them to compare online prices from various popular BTS retailers.

The hefty bill for outfitting students for the new school year seems to be rising rapidly, and many are struggling to squeeze the expense into their existing budget. Rest assured, you don't have to open a new 0% APR credit card to grab new gear for back-to-school — see where you'll get the lowest BTS prices.

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Dollar General

Cost: $70.50

Everybody's favorite slightly more-than-a-dollar store surprisingly ranked only second in savings, but that's still pretty great when the average cost is $106.73 per student.

Despite the name, Dollar General sells many products that are more than a dollar, and of the common supply list, the most expensive items are binders for $11.25 and a lunch box and tissue box priced at $6 each. Only four supplies came in under $1: a ruler, pencil box, safety scissors, and crayons.

Walmart

Cost: $67.37

Walmart offers the most savings out of the 10 stores compared in the BTS study, with the highest price tag being a backpack for $8.99.

They have five items priced under a dollar — all the ones found at Dollar General and a set of markers. The largest retail chain in America is offering some of the lowest back-to-school prices available.

The winner

Walmart is slightly more affordable than Dollar General.

However, the absolute best bang for your buck is going to be missing and matching from the two stores. Binders are $6.25 less at Walmart, but backpacks are $3.99 less at Dollar General.

Notebooks are also notably less at Dollar General, marked $2.46 lower than Walmart.

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Bottom line

If you want to grab the absolute most savings possible, you'll have to hit more than one store for back-to-school shopping. If you're only going to one store for all your school supplies, then Walmart will offer the best deal.

For students, it may be worth a couple of extra dollars to have the "cool" supplies or something more than the basic option — especially since they will be using them every day.

If financial stress has you comparing pocket change to lower costs, consider looking into ways to earn extra money from home so your budget won't have to be quite so stretched.

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