Families are paying more for back-to-school supplies and waiting longer to finish shopping, data shows
It's the final stretch for back-to-school shopping, and new data finds parents are paying more this year for supplies and waiting longer to finish buying them.
Families with children in K-12 are expected to spend $858 on average this year, with an uptick in families hunting for sales and shopping at discount stores.
School supplies costs rising as shoppers seek deals
A new study from the National Retail Federation found that while a record number of parents started shopping earlier than ever for school supplies this summer, citing fears of looming tariffs and inflation, they're finishing later.
According to the study, 67% of back-to-school shoppers started in July, but 46% of families said they had completed less than half of their school shopping by early August.
"We're hearing from shoppers that they're trying to spread out their budget, trying to really look for the best sales and deals," said Katherine Cullen, vice president of industry and consumer insights for the National Retail Federation.
But those deals are harder to come by.
An analysis by the Century Foundation found school supplies on average cost 7.3% more this summer than last, with binders 12.8% more expensive, the cost of pencils up 5.9%, and lunch boxes up 8.3%.
"The cost of electronics and sneakers and other goods that are made in China that are really basics for kids these days are going up because of the tariffs as well," Century Foundation President Julie Margetta Morgan said.
Margetta Morgan says the squeeze is inevitably passed on to teachers.
"If parents say, you know, I can't afford that extra set of colored pencils or that extra pack of markers, very often, those costs are borne by teachers," she said.
What to wait to buy, according to a shopping expert
If you have waited until the last minute to finish back-to-school shopping, experts say at this point, it may pay to wait a little longer, at least for some items.
"Start looking around for sales, taking advantage of discounts, but I would kind of hold off on, for example, anything summer-themed," shopping expert Trae Bodge said.
She suggests buying clothes and shoes after class is back in session to get those summer clearance sales and so kids can see what's in style for the fall.
"Inevitably, your style-conscious child is going to go back to school and see what's trending, and maybe that's not something you bought and they're going to come back to you and ask you for that item," Bodge said.
To save even more, experts advise buying secondhand clothes and refurbished electronics.
Some of the big box stores, such as Target, say a lot of their school supply prices are on par with last year's because they were able to buy much of it in bulk before tariffs went into effect.