Back to school shopping deals in Maryland: Where to find what you need before school starts

BALTIMORE -- With the school year closing in once again, parents and students are stocking up on school supplies.  Here's where you can shop to get the supplies you need and still save a few bucks in the process. 

Walmart 

Walmart has already kicked off it's annual back-to-school sale.  Items like composition notebooks, loose-leaf paper, and number two pencils are on sale online and in stores. 

Composition notebooks and number two pencils are on sale for as low as 50 cents. You can even find a pack of loose-leaf paper for just under a dollar.  

• Pen + Gear Composition Book, Wide Ruled, 100 Pages, 9.75" x 7.5" - $0.50
• Pen+Gear No. 2 Wood Pencils, 12 Count - $0.47
• Pen+Gear 150ct Filler Paper Wide Ruled, 10.5 x 8, 59150 - $0.84

Target 

Target is also holding a sale on school supplies, kids clothing, backpacks, and more.  

• 8pk #2 Wood Pencils - $0.39
• 175 Sheet College Ruled Filler Paper White - $0.99 
• BIC 10pk Xtra Life Ballpoint Pens Medium Tip Black ink - $1.29
• Top-load 17-inch backpack - $23.99
  

Office Depot   

Boasting back to school savings up to 60%, Office Depot has plenty of classroom supplies on sale.  If you like to buy supplies in bulk, Office Depot might be the store for you.

• BIC® Xtra-Sparkle Mechanical Pencils, 0.7mm, #2 Lead, Assorted Barrel Color, Pack Of 24 - $6.49
• Elmer's® Glue Stick Classroom Pack, All-Purpose Clear, Box Of 30 - $11.99
• Office Depot® Brand Wood Pencils, #2 Lead, Medium, Pack of 72 - $4.99

Best Buy

Looking to save on heftier items like laptops or tablets?  Fortunately, there are deals for those items too.  13-inch Apple MacBook's are on sale starting at $749.99, a stark contrast from the usual price of $1000.

• HP - ENVY 2-in-1 15.6" Full HD Touch-Screen Laptop - $569.99
• HP - 14" Chromebook - $149.00
• LG - 35" LED Curved UltraWide QHD AMD Freesync Monitor with HDR - $349.99

Amazon

While shopping in person allows you to get your items right away, you can save considerably by shopping online, especially when you buy supplies in bulk.  Amazon is offering a selection of back to school deals. 

Instead of paying a few dollars for a pack of number two pencils in store, you could buy a case of 150 pencil for ten dollars online. 

Other deals include this six-pack of Oxford college-ruled notebooks for nine dollars.

School supplies aren't the only items that can be cheaper online.  

Amazon also has a wide selection of discounts on electronics and clothing.    

Items like backpacks can also run cheaper online, especially when you're shopping for a brand name like JanSport.  

• HP DeskJet 2755e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer - $59.99
• Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6 inches - $348.00
• JanSport SuperBreak One Backpack - $36.00

Micro Center

Micro Center, which has a location in Parkville, and in Rockville, is offering back to school discounts on laptops, desktops, monitors, and other tech.  

• Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" Laptop Computer - Platinum Grey - $249.990
• AOpen 24CV1Y 23.8" Full HD (1920 x 1080) 100Hz LED Monitor - $79.99
• MSI Katana 15 15.6" Gaming Laptop - $899.99
  

Apple

While you can find Apple products from other retailers, Apple has its own back to school sale going.  

You can save on your purchase of a new Macbook or iPad if you are a student, educator, or education faculty member.   

Student and Teacher Discounts

Many companies offer discounts for students and teachers.  

• Amazon Prime Student - If you're a regular user of Amazon, you can get a free six-month Prime trial, along with a discounted subscription after the trial period ends.
• Spotify Premium Student - Students can get the Spotify Premium and Hulu bundle for $5.99 a month by simply providing your student email. 
• LOFT teacher discount - Teachers can get 15% off their purchase through August 20
• Anthropologie teacher discount - Teachers can get 20% purchases through September 4.  
• Adobe Creative Cloud - Students can get up to 60% off on Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions.

Other Saving Tips

• Remember that August 13-19 is Maryland Tax-Free week.  Qualifying clothing and footwear $100 or less will be exempt from the state's six percent sales tax. Additionally, the first $40 of any backpack purchase will also be tax-free.    
• Don't forget coupons!  You can use websites like Retail Me Not and Groupon to find coupon codes for your favorite retailers.  
• Online shoppers using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge can use browser extensions like Honey, and Capital One Shopping which automatically apply coupon codes for you, track item prices, and display price history for products in supported online stores.

Related Coverage:

• Howard County Schools adjust start times for 2023-24 school year
• Baltimore City Public Schools launching new informative app for students, families, staff
• Maryland Tax-Free Week 2023: When is it and what can you buy without tax?
• Baltimore County Public Schools address special education priorities for upcoming year

In:
• Back to School