The Dreaded School Supplies List
By Adam
August 17, 2014
Lifestyle
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By Chrys Goyens, author, father of four
Here’s a conversation starter for the back-to-school season. Do you prepare your own school supplies list for back-to-school shopping? How about a budget?
One of the more surprising results of the second annual Back-to-School Study by Staples Canada was this: Nearly three quarters (74 %) of Canadian back-to-school shoppers prepare their own lists. And its corollary: Almost as many (71 %) do their own budget.
Why is this?
Back-to-school is a serious capital outlay for a family. There are clothes to buy as well as all of the usual supplies. And then factor in the most modern of problems; the cost of technology. Very few students are going to school today without a laptop or a tablet for in-class usage (not just homework anymore) and that will often mean the purchase of extra cables or a second battery, a solid charger and a proper, protective computer case or bag or fairly expensive reinforced backpack that serves as the computer protection to and from school.
That’s where the 71% of budget control comes in. Today’s back-to-school shoppers want to know to within a few dollars what their budget is and how much they can expect to spend before the leave for the store and/or make their purchases online.
“When we see survey results such as these, we realize how important flyers−both paper and online−can be and also how parents are taking time to prepare for their seasonal purchases,” says Craig Taylor, Vice President eCommerce, Marketing & Advertising for Staples. “That is why we have things like our 100% price matching policy and our online centre, staples.ca/backtoschool. We are determined to help our customers make more happen, and that means we’ve had to do our homework first.
“After all, we’re all in this (Back-to-School season) together.”
Here’s a conversation starter for the back-to-school season. Do you prepare your own school supplies list for back-to-school shopping? How about a budget?
One of the more surprising results of the second annual Back-to-School Study by Staples Canada was this: Nearly three quarters (74 %) of Canadian back-to-school shoppers prepare their own lists. And its corollary: Almost as many (71 %) do their own budget.
Why is this?
Back-to-school is a serious capital outlay for a family. There are clothes to buy as well as all of the usual supplies. And then factor in the most modern of problems; the cost of technology. Very few students are going to school today without a laptop or a tablet for in-class usage (not just homework anymore) and that will often mean the purchase of extra cables or a second battery, a solid charger and a proper, protective computer case or bag or fairly expensive reinforced backpack that serves as the computer protection to and from school.
That’s where the 71% of budget control comes in. Today’s back-to-school shoppers want to know to within a few dollars what their budget is and how much they can expect to spend before the leave for the store and/or make their purchases online.
“When we see survey results such as these, we realize how important flyers−both paper and online−can be and also how parents are taking time to prepare for their seasonal purchases,” says Craig Taylor, Vice President eCommerce, Marketing & Advertising for Staples. “That is why we have things like our 100% price matching policy and our online centre, staples.ca/backtoschool. We are determined to help our customers make more happen, and that means we’ve had to do our homework first.
“After all, we’re all in this (Back-to-School season) together.”