SAN DIEGO — Back-to-school shopping is teaching parents a tough lesson about inflation. From basic school supplies to new clothes, prices are on the rise, forcing parents to spend hundreds of dollars to get their kids ready for the first day of class.
Monday afternoon, Brittany Fio was hoping to make the grade - shopping for everything on her son's school supply list… and it’s a long one.
“So they're asking, actually, for more I'd have to say,” Fio said. “But I understand why. It's harder to provide those things.”
With inflation on the rise, many of the best back-to-school deals are already sold out, forcing parents like Fio to just buy what's left.
“Completely cleared out. Empty bins. That's why we were circling - we have to go and find what we could.”
According to a new survey from JLL Retail Research nearly 60 percent of back-to-school shoppers say they're looking for sales, coupons ,and deals.
Parent April Kwiatkowski says she’s definitely in that group.
“We look around and we shop for deals,” she said outside the Target in Clairemont Mesa. “So as soon as it goes on sale, I snag it up if I know I'm going to need it.”
The survey also found that 49 percent of parents plan to buy less. How much you spend depends on the items you need to get... but when a list of 13 popular back-to-school items were bought at Walmart, Target, Staples, and Walgreens - the total bill ranged from $26 up to $38, showing that comparison shopping can save you quite a bit.
Throw in some new clothes and the bill can jump substantially.
“Clothes, definitely pricier,” Brittany Fio said. “In Target I've noticed an increase in price so generally, we will go to Amazon to find certain items because we can find it cheaper there.”
JLL found most parents will spend around $339 getting their kids ready for the new school year. That's up more than 5% from last year.
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