Back-to-school shopping takes up two precious parental commodities: time and money. Unfortunately for family budgets, parents trying to save time can end up spending significantly more money: 70% of parents believe they shop more efficiently for their children when the kids come along, according to a survey from Citi Retail Services. The price tag for this efficiency? Nearly $100 per child.
In total, a parent spends $322 on average per child for back-to-school supplies, including clothing, books, classroom supplies, electronics and more during the $83 billion BTS season, the research revealed. When parents shop with their children, they end up spending $97 more on average.
Another money-saving tactic actually ends up costing parents more: 40% of shoppers hunt for bargains throughout the summer, visiting a maximum of four stores on average to find the best price on one item. These shoppers spend an estimated $58 more than the 60% who do their shopping all at once.
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As many as 77% of parents still shop at brick-and-mortar stores specifically to save money on back-to-school shopping, through extra discounts such as coupons or rewards programs. In fact, nearly two out of three parents surveyed would rather drive an hour to pick-up a last-minute back-to-school purchase in person rather than pay $25 to have it shipped overnight.
But even the most bargain-conscious shoppers won’t spend all day walking the store aisles. The top time-saving measures parents have taken while back-to-school shopping are:
- 53%: Doing all their shopping at one store or web site;
- 44%: Ordering items online and picking them up in-store; and
- 28%: Shopping for items online while at work.
