I have such nostalgia about getting new school supplies – bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils, anyone? These days it’s a little different; you have the option of ordering your child’s entire list directly from the PTA, to be delivered straight to their classroom. Super efficient, but it can’t be the cheapest. And all those ordering deadlines have passed anyway. We’re on our own now!
Quick disclaimer: I am not an extreme coupon gal with a big binder. The aim of this post isn’t to find everything on your list plus two dozen tubes of toothpaste for $.03 total…
We’re busy people and we like to save money. Wouldn’t it be nice to have info on the major stores and their sales all in one place? Price check at your leisure and figure out the most convenient and affordable ways to get your back-to-school shopping done.
WEEKLY ADS
Weekly ads are the best way to find local deals for in-store shopping. Ads vary by store location and date, so be sure to select your neighborhood store at each site and confirm the “valid thru” dates. Or you could pick up a newspaper if you’d rather sort through these savings in a more concrete fashion.
OFFICE DEPOT Weekly Ad
Perks: Order online and pick up in one hour; find your school lists on the Office Depot site; price match guarantee; additional weekly coupons located in the header across the Office Depot home page
TARGET Weekly Ad
Perks: Look for free $5-15 gift cards with purchase of certain items; additional Cartwheel app deals; in-store pick-up; free ship-to-store on eligible items
STAPLES Weekly Ad
Perks: Order online and pick up in one hour; 110% price match guarantee, meaning they will match the lower price you find and knock an additional 10% off that
WALMART Weekly Ad
Don’t forget to also click on the header link for “Coupons” once you’ve designated your store.
Perks: Free order pick-up; search your school’s specific lists on the Walmart site
You can also get good deals at discount stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Five Below, “Home of the $5 Backpack.” You probably won’t find value ordering online due to shipping fees or order minimums (unless they have a special promotion happening). In-store shopping is where it’s at with these guys.
ONLINE SHOPPING
Even if you don’t complete your order online, you can still fill up your basket to see how much everything will cost. I also like to confirm that my local store has items in stock before I drive over. Big box stores may be soulless but they are super organized about their inventory!
Click the store name to see all their school supplies and then sort with filters as needed:
OFFICE DEPOT {Notes: look for extra savings from weekly promo codes found on their home page; free 3-5 day shipping on orders $35+}
TARGET {Notes: here’s an extra link to their super low-priced Value School Supplies; free 2-day shipping on orders $35+}
STAPLES {Notes: don’t forget to pop into the Daily Deals section to look for any surprise discounts}
WALMART {Notes: here’s another link to their lowest prices on in-store school supplies; free 2-day shipping on orders of $35+}
TIPS
- If saving money is a priority, go ahead and accept that you’re not gonna have a one-stop shop experience. Plan on hitting at least 2 different stores before it’s all done. Make your own list in addition to the one from school, so you can include those items when you research – water bottles, lunch boxes, new shoes, etc.
- Don’t forget Tax Free Weekend for extra savings, including on school supplies! Friday, August 10 – Sunday, August 12 (midnight). Here’s the Comptroller website detailing how Tax Free Weekend works.
- Drugstores can be notoriously high-priced except for when it comes to back-to-school sales. Don’t write them off until you have a look. You’ll need to have a reward card or present coupons, which you can clip digitally using the store apps. Here’s a link to Walgreens and CVS coupons for ya.
If you have any back-to-school shopping tips, please share with the class!
