As summer break ticks down, parents are going to be rushing to get prepared for the next school year.
With prices rising across the board for everyday items, you may be looking for bargains and several stores are touting special prices for the back-to-school season.
The National Retail Federation found that families had already started shopping last month. About 67% of them started in early July and is the highest it has been since 2018. Last year, it was about 55% of parents. The reason given for the earlier start was concern over rising prices due to tariffs.
They may have started early, but by mid-July, 84% of those asked still had more than half their list left to purchase.
So if your shopping list isn’t quite crossed out, here are some deals you can look for to stretch your dollar this year.
Amazon is offering its Back to School Shop where you can look at various categories such as pencils, crayons and scissors. It also offers up to 40% off deals on some items.
Target allows parents to search for their school’s back-to-school shopping list and “get it all in one click.” Target is also promoting “First-day faves from 25¢," which includes crayons, glue and glue sticks as part of the promotion.
Walmart has a one-click basket promotion that will get supply bundles, snacks or $2 lunches with a single click. The 25-cent price point on supplies is also in play at Walmart. You can also get your school’s supply list by clicking here.
Staples is also offering items starting at 25 cents, weekly freebies and a 20% off coupon for teachers, the company said in a news release.
Office Depot and OfficeMax have promoted “best-selling school essentials” for under $3, with some as low as a quarter. The office supply store, like the others, offers an option to find your own school shopping list but also gives you a chance to help teachers who submitted their own wish lists.
© 2025 Cox Media Group
Sign Up
