Back-to-school shopping: What's different amid COVID-19; how to avoid school supply shortages
Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY
8 min read
The Snellville, Georgia Target had very limited school supplies available on the night before the new school year kicked off in the area.
Parents, take note. Getting your children ready for the new school year is expected to cost more this year. And getting all the items on the school supply list may be harder.
While many started last school year remotely, more students are heading to physical classrooms – meaning they’ll need backpacks, lunchboxes and new clothes.
Spending on school supplies is expected to reach new records, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey. Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $848.90 on school items, which is $59 more than last year and $152 more than 2019.
“Back-to-school shopping is always a scramble, and this is the school year students and their families need to prep for anything and everything," Kristin McGrath, a shopping expert and editor at deal website RetailMeNot, told USA TODAY.
And this year there’s more of a time crunch with looming school supply shortages, due in part to supply chain issues and the ongoing chip shortage.
Here's what to know about back-to-school shopping and how you can best prepare.
Shop early to avoid possible school supply shortages
Last year as more students started the school year virtually, desks, chairs and laptops were the hard-to-locate items.
Some school supplies could be harder to find and may sell out this year – and not only on the eve of the first day of school. Backpacks, shoes and some gadgets are expected to be this year's shortage items, experts say.
Analytics company Profitero surveyed 500 consumers this week and found that 61% of those who started their back-to-school shopping have run into issues with products being out of stock or unavailable.
Naveen Jaggi, president of retail advisory services at brokerage firm JLL, told USA TODAY that he expects it to be a strong back-to-school season despite challenges with inventory.
“There's a real reason to believe that demand will outstrip the full supply of all the core products in the immediate four to six weeks," he said.
Beware of rising school supply costs, fewer markdowns
More than half of back-to-school shoppers from the retail federation's survey of 7,700 consumers said they already started shopping for the school year as of early July. RetailMeNot predicts 26% of people will plan to begin their back-to-school shopping in August.
Aside from the risk of items selling out, experts say parents should also consider shopping early to combat the possibility of rising costs.
Not all parents have that option yet. Profitero found in its survey that half of the consumers surveyed said their school districts had not released supply lists.
"All signals suggest that price inflation and shortages will only increase the deeper we go into the back-to-school season,” said Mike Black, Profitero chief marketing officer. “Especially as it relates to pricing since there is no incentive for retailers to lower prices. So the longer people wait to buy, the more likely they will be upset with the results.”
Natalie Kotlyar, national leader of the retail and consumer products practice at BDO, a financial services firm, said with high demand and the potential for shortages, consumers will be more willing to pay full price.
“The message for consumers is shop early and take advantage of any markdowns you can find because there won’t be many,” Kotlyar said. “Procrastination this year will cost you.”
Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach a record $37.1 billion, up from $33.9 billion last year, the retail federation said.
Eleven states have sales tax holidays this weekend with two states – Connecticut and Massachusetts – offering tax breaks later in August. Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, West Virginia already held tax holidays.
Most of the states with back-to-school sales tax holidays offer tax-free shopping in August.
Florida kicked off its 10-day tax holiday on July 31, and tax-free shopping starts Friday in Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Arkansas’ two-tax holiday starts Saturday, and Maryland's tax-free week begins Sunday.
Not every town and county will participate in the sales tax holidays, nor will every item be tax-free. Criteria vary by state and in some areas, local taxes will still apply.
Shopping tip: Tax-free shopping isn’t only in stores but also online.
Jaggi, whose company is the largest third-party manager of retail properties in the nation, said consumers have flocked back to stores this spring. He said foot traffic at stores nationwide is about 7% to 8% less than pre-pandemic levels and in some parts of the country is "essentially back" to before the pandemic.
"They realized that part of the shopping experience was not the buy but shopping physically.”
He expects curbside pickup, which became increasingly more popular during the pandemic, to continue to be an appealing option for parents.
Shopping list: Computers or clothes?
Despite so many families buying new computers last year, technology purchases are expected to be strong again in 2021.
According to the retail federation’s survey, back-to-school shoppers plan to spend more in every category, but electronics and clothing saw the biggest increases with $21 more on average on electronics $19 more on clothes this year compared with 2020.
"When it comes to back-to-school shopping, parents are probably contending with a bigger-than-usual shopping list of catch-up purchases,” RetailMeNot's McGrath told USA TODAY. “Any families that let pajamas, socks and random office supplies slide during remote learning are likely needing to shop for stylish clothes that fit, shoes, new notebooks, new binders and backpacks.”
Pitney Bowes found that electronics are as popular as school supplies, and parents who are Generation Z or Millennials will spend 10% more on electronics than in 2019. The technology company said it asked parents about spending plans versus 2019 when in-person learning was considered the default.
“Check the estimated ship date before you hit ‘buy.’ It's possible you might have to make do with an older laptop partway into the semester while you wait for the new laptop to arrive,” McGrath said.
Masks, hand sanitizer also make school supply list
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling for mask-wearing in schools among students, staff and teachers to protect children who aren't eligible for vaccines, though many schools, particularly in Southern and Republican-led states, don't have mask requirements as thousands of unvaccinated children return to classrooms.
According to a recent survey conducted by OnePoll for Contigo, the water bottle brand, 44% of parents have a longer back-to-school list than in previous years because of the pandemic. Hand sanitizer and masks tied for the top items on lists at 67%.
The items in the “Back to School Free for All” program include a Five Star three-subject notebook, 12-pack of Ticonderoga pencils, box of Kleenex tissues along with the ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The rebate items, which combined have a value of up to $20, are available to purchase in-store and online at Walmart and online at Target, Instacart, H-E-B or Shipt.
However, depending on where you shop, the items might not be 100% free after the rebates and could each cost a few cents. Ibotta bases the rebate on the manufacturer's suggested retail price, which can vary.
