Local retailers prepare far in advance for back-to-school season
Victoria second-grade teacher Karey Bland looks at teaching aids for her classroom.
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TAX-FREE WEEKEND
Texas' tax-free weekend is Aug. 21 to 23 and, this year, school supplies costing less than $100 have been added to the mix. Non-taxed school supplies include:
Binders
Book bags
Calculators
Cellophane tape
Blackboard chalk
Compasses
Composition books
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TAX-FREE WEEKEND
Texas' tax-free weekend is Aug. 21 to 23 and, this year, school supplies costing less than $100 have been added to the mix. Non-taxed school supplies include:
Binders
Book bags
Calculators
Cellophane tape
Blackboard chalk
Compasses
Composition books
Crayons
Erasers
Folders; expandable, pocket, plastic and manilla
Glue, paste and paste sticks
Highlighters
Index cards
Index card boxes
Legal pads
Lunch boxes
Markers
Notebooks
Paper; loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board and construction paper
Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes
Pencil sharpeners
Pencils
Pens
Protractors
Rulers
Scissors
Writing tablets
Source: Texas Comptroller Web site
SURVEY SAYS
The National Retail Federation survey, conducted by BIGresearch, showed that four of five Americans surveyed are making changes to their back-to-school practices because of the economy. These include:
56.2% - hunting for sales more often
49.6%- spending less overall
41.7% - purchasing more store brand/generic products
40% - increasing coupon use
11.4% - children will cut back on extracurricular activities or sports
5.7% - might impact whether children attend public or private school
Source: National Retail Federation news release
Karey Bland meandered through displays at The Teacher's Toolbox, eyeing stickers, bulletin board supplies and other things to give her second-grade classroom that extra kick this year.
"I like to change it every year," the O'Connor Elementary School teacher said with a smile. "This year it's polka dots."
Back-to-school season is here, which means area stores are doing what they can to make sure parents, teachers and students alike have what they need to start the year off right.
Spending for back-to-school and back-to-college is expected to total $47.5 billion in 2009, according to the a National Retail Federation news release.
The Teacher's Toolbox opened about a year ago and owner Kecia Haas said she wasn't sure what to expect. With this season, however, she's been pleasantly surprised.
"It's our Christmas," she said.
Without having previous years' experience to fall back on, it was difficult to determine how much of each product to purchase, she said. She gathered local school lists and went from there.
This year's order included about 200 Prang paint sets, 100 easy graders - which help teachers grade papers more quickly - and the store will likely go through 300 rolls of Mavalus tape. The special tape, which doesn't damage surfaces, is the only tape the Victoria school district will allow on the new schools' walls, Haas said.
Like many industries, an ailing economy has had its effects on the back-to-school season.
Bland said she's been more frugal than usual during her shopping.
"You've got to watch your pocket," she said. "Edit what you put up."
Four out of five Americans polled by the National Retail Federation reported they are making changes to their back-to school shopping through things like coupons, sales or spending less overall to help cut costs.
The staff at H-E-B's Navarro Street store began preparing for the season more than a month ago, said Doug Wallace, the store's general manager.
"Back to school, over the years, has turned into one of those seasons on the calendar we get prepared for every year like Christmas or Easter," he said. "It's a big thing for us."
H-E-B tries to have a variety of products available for shoppers, from name-brand items to store-brand. That way, Wallace said, people can cater their purchases to the price range they need.
The store keeps historical data from previous back-to-school seasons to determine what - and how much - to order.
Many necessary supplies, such as crayons and tissues, stay the same year after year, he said. Other aspects, such as popular TV characters, change.
"There's a lot of research that goes into it," he said. "It's certainly challenging, but technology helps us be a lot more accurate."
Target also bases its orders off of previous years' data, said Debbie Cortez, the local store's executive team leader for human resources.
"Everything that goes through our registers, Target keeps a detailed report," she said.
The store always hopes to sell more than it did the previous year, she said, and may choose to up an order by 5 or 10 percent, depending on the item itself. Red pencils and nap-time mats are two items the store just can't seem to keep in stock, however.
Target's back-to-school section is already stocked at 100 percent, she said, and more school supplies continue coming in weekly.
This year's big sellers come from Disney, Cortez said, including characters such as the princesses, Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana.
New items are always coming out, which is why Allison Mosley, a kindergarten teacher at Port Lavaca's Jackson Roosevelt Elementary School, said she shops through the year.
"If I'm out shopping and I see something, I'll pick it up," she said, explaining this year's classroom will boast a jungle theme. "It's always nice to do something different."
