Stephen Ampersand will mark his first day at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Newark on Aug. 31.
But his parents won’t cross the last item off their back-to-school shopping list until a few weeks after Stephen gets behind his desk.
His mother, Lanae Ampersand, is taking a pragmatic approach.
“He is in the middle of a growth spurt,” she says. “I don’t want to buy him clothes and then have him outgrow them in a week.”
Merchants have been promoting back-to-school sales since the last fireworks faded on the Fourth of July. But deep discounts and highly visible back-to-school displays in stores haven’t sparked the response retailers were hoping for in this critical retail season, second in sales to only the winter holidays.
More than 30 percent of consumers don't start shopping until the week before school starts, says a survey by the National Retail Federation, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group.
This year, the NRF reports that the average family with children in grades K through 12 plans to spend less on back-to-school items, ringing up $630.36 on electronics, apparel and other school needs. That is down from $669.28 last year.
Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach $24.9 billion this year. Combine back-to-school expenditures with the back-to-college tab for a total of about $68 billion.
With merchants competing for wallets, shoppers can expect enticing deals and abundant inventory. The Ampersand family plans to divide its shopping between Walmart and Staples, which are both aggressively wooing the back-to-school set.
Stephen’s mother will take him with her when she shops for items that offer the 6-year-old an opportunity to express himself, such as sneakers and a book bag. She will head out on her own to quickly check other standard items off the list.
“Tissues, hand sanitizers, colored pencils, index cards,” she says. “The school provides a list and I come up with a shopping game plan.”
Like the NRF, the professional services consultant Deloitte also expects spending to decline slightly to $1,747, compared with $1,766 last year. Deloitte’s numbers include spending for college students, whose shopping lists typically cover such additional expenses as advanced electronics and items needed to outfit dorm rooms or apartments.
Deloitte's annual "Back-to-School" and "Back-to-College" surveys also confirm that shoppers aren’t in a hurry.
Four in 10 parents (38 percent) who are buying for students in grades K-12 said back-to-school shopping is less urgent because they replenish supplies throughout the school year.
Like the Ampersands, 31 percent plan to complete their back-to-school shopping after school begins. That’s is 5 percentage point leap from 2014.
"Consumers are sending a message to retailers that says the back-to-school shopping season just isn't that important anymore,” Alison Paul, Deloitte vice chair and retail sector leader, said in a statement. “That could dramatically disrupt an industry that traditionally relies on this defined period for a significant portion of annual sales."
Many shoppers are spending less because they have been conditioned to be frugal throughout a decade of economic malaise and stagnant wages.
The segment of consumers who plan to reuse items purchased in previous seasons has risen steadily between 2011 and 2015, from 26 percent to 39 percent, Deloitte says. That means fewer purchases of backpacks and other back-to-school staples, as well as making do for another year without updating a tablet or other electronic device.
The NRF also found that parents are replacing items less often.
“Spending on back to school has consistently fluctuated based on children’s needs each year, and it’s unlikely most families would need to restock and replenish apparel, electronics and supplies every year,” NRF CEO Matthew Shay says in a statement. “Parents this summer will inventory their children’s school supplies and decide what is needed and what can be reused, which just makes good budgeting sense for families with growing children."
That said, the NRF says the typical family budget for back-to-school items has ballooned 42 percent in the past 10 years. That is due largely to outlays for such big-ticket items as laptops and tablets. Many public school systems also have shifted expenses for pencils and other items from the district to parents.
This year, 28 percent of students will head to class in uniforms, according to an NRF survey. That translates to retailers offering door-buster pricing to attract shoppers.
At Walmart, uniform separates start at $4.47. Forman Mills has placed large wooden placards advertising uniforms outside its store at Brandywine Shopping Center in Wilmington. Among the deals: polo shirts, two for $9.
Here’s a primer on other back-to-school deals and trends:
- Staples will match the price of a competitor’s item, as well as take an additional 10 percent off difference between the prices. The offer is good through Sept. 19.
- At the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth, Oshkosh B’Gosh is offering discounts of up to 50 percent. Deals on children’s apparel start at $6.
- The Disney Store is promoting “back to cool” deals featuring popular characters. Expect to see Sophia the First, Jasmine and other princesses, in addition to Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers. Backpacks have been discounted to $15 from $22.95; prices on lunch totes have been sliced from $14.95 to $10.
- South Moon Under at Christiana Mall is enticing teens with free, back-to-school styling sessions and 20-percent off discounts.
- Lands’ End is hoping to light up sales with graphic T-shirts that glow in the dark. Other apparel trends include comfy knits, such as Sherpa-lined hoodies, and animal prints.
- Dover Mall is promoting back-to-school with Kids Night Out games on Thursdays in August. Education-based games include Are You As Smart as a Fifth Grader? And Wheel of Fortune.
While parents are content to shop at leisure, retailers feel a greater sense of urgency. Merchants want to ring up sales. They also need to free up shelf and floor space for the next major shopping holiday, Halloween, notes Cardlytics, a tracker of purchase data.
Footwear is the category that gets most parents heading to brick and mortar with moms and dads making 44 percent more trips to shoe stores during the back-to-school season. Cardlytics forecasts a 624-percent boomlet in sales of children’s shoes, compared to the rest of the year.
So what is the differentiator as to where parents shop? A survey by Retale, a retail comparison site, indicates that consumers continue to be driven by price. Researchers report that 63 percent of parents say they'll use a mobile device to compare prices and search for coupons or promotions.
Still, a strong majority—70 percent—will head to brick-and-mortar stores to make their purchases. And although consumers enjoy comparing prices online only 20 percent want to receive text messages about deals from retailers.
