Posted 11:15 pm Monday, August 06, 2012
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Be ready for fall with the latest trends in school supply shopping
Five-year-old Kamyn Honzell, of Whitehouse, exactly knew what she wanted to start her first day of kindergarten.
"Purple scissors,” she said as she shopped last week at Target in Tyler with her mother, Kaycie, and 3-year-old sister, Kyndal.
Ms. Honzell, 36, a stay-at-home mom, said she looked for the sales and took advantage of coupons during her back-to-school shopping.
With list in hand, she showed Kamyn the options and let her pick her favorites.
With the start of school just around the corner, supplies fill the shelves at area stores.
Sales aim to help parents get the most out of every dollar.
But for some, cost is balanced with preference, and when it comes to supplies children can be particular.
With five children, four of them school-aged, Tyler mother Kelly Favre, 42, has a lot of supplies to buy.
“I have to start early because obviously it can be a budget buster,” she said while taking a break from Target shopping. “We get a list from our school. I do shop the ads so that we can get the most of our money.”
She expects to spend as much as $200 for her four school-aged kids.
Although she lets her children choose their backpack, for other supplies, she selects the ones that are on sale. She said she and her kids have become experts of sorts throughout the years.
“You learn what the really good pencils are, the best eraser,” she said. “It's little things that you thought would never be in your repertoire of knowledge that you become experts in. It's really funny.”
"Purple scissors,” she said as she shopped last week at Target in Tyler with her mother, Kaycie, and 3-year-old sister, Kyndal.
Ms. Honzell, 36, a stay-at-home mom, said she looked for the sales and took advantage of coupons during her back-to-school shopping.
With list in hand, she showed Kamyn the options and let her pick her favorites.
With the start of school just around the corner, supplies fill the shelves at area stores.
Sales aim to help parents get the most out of every dollar.
But for some, cost is balanced with preference, and when it comes to supplies children can be particular.
With five children, four of them school-aged, Tyler mother Kelly Favre, 42, has a lot of supplies to buy.
“I have to start early because obviously it can be a budget buster,” she said while taking a break from Target shopping. “We get a list from our school. I do shop the ads so that we can get the most of our money.”
She expects to spend as much as $200 for her four school-aged kids.
Although she lets her children choose their backpack, for other supplies, she selects the ones that are on sale. She said she and her kids have become experts of sorts throughout the years.
“You learn what the really good pencils are, the best eraser,” she said. “It's little things that you thought would never be in your repertoire of knowledge that you become experts in. It's really funny.”
IN STYLE
This year, certain items stores are touting could make opening that notebook and doing homework a little more exciting.
Kate Lohmuller with Target's communications department said the staples are back in bold colors and a range of new styles for easy customization.
“Neon color combinations, glitter and peace signs can be found on everything from sneakers and apparel to notebooks and pencil cases,” she said.
At the elementary age, backpacks with glitter, dinosaurs and flowers are new and trendy for students, Ms. Lohmuller said. The animal theme also made its way to lunch boxes.
Licensed products with personalities or characters continue to be a hit among the elementary students.
For high school students, patterned backpacks in camouflage, plaid, ombré and animal prints are a hot trend, as are peace signs on backpacks, Ms. Lohmuller said.
“Target's team works year-round, identifying and forecasting emerging trends to bring innovative and on-trend product to guests each season,” she wrote in the email. “We continue to evolve our products and solutions for the back-to-school/college season by listening to students and parents and understanding their needs and wants.”
At OfficeMax, retailers are touting school supplies featuring video game characters, superheroes, animal prints and jewels.
“This year's back-to-school supplies were designed and selected for today's style-centric student with trendy, affordable supplies that are a win-win for children and parents alike,” Michael Lewis, executive vice president and president of retail at OfficeMax, said, according to a news release.
The store will offer 25-cent, 50-cent and $1 value deals on some supplies such as markers, composition books, glue, and scissors. OfficeMax also partnered with Old Navy to provide certain savings to customers.
“Our customers have come to expect our extensive assortment of unique school supplies for children of all ages and appreciate our focus on maintaining an extensive selection year-round to meet their needs and budget,” Lewis said.
Kate Lohmuller with Target's communications department said the staples are back in bold colors and a range of new styles for easy customization.
“Neon color combinations, glitter and peace signs can be found on everything from sneakers and apparel to notebooks and pencil cases,” she said.
At the elementary age, backpacks with glitter, dinosaurs and flowers are new and trendy for students, Ms. Lohmuller said. The animal theme also made its way to lunch boxes.
Licensed products with personalities or characters continue to be a hit among the elementary students.
For high school students, patterned backpacks in camouflage, plaid, ombré and animal prints are a hot trend, as are peace signs on backpacks, Ms. Lohmuller said.
“Target's team works year-round, identifying and forecasting emerging trends to bring innovative and on-trend product to guests each season,” she wrote in the email. “We continue to evolve our products and solutions for the back-to-school/college season by listening to students and parents and understanding their needs and wants.”
At OfficeMax, retailers are touting school supplies featuring video game characters, superheroes, animal prints and jewels.
“This year's back-to-school supplies were designed and selected for today's style-centric student with trendy, affordable supplies that are a win-win for children and parents alike,” Michael Lewis, executive vice president and president of retail at OfficeMax, said, according to a news release.
The store will offer 25-cent, 50-cent and $1 value deals on some supplies such as markers, composition books, glue, and scissors. OfficeMax also partnered with Old Navy to provide certain savings to customers.
“Our customers have come to expect our extensive assortment of unique school supplies for children of all ages and appreciate our focus on maintaining an extensive selection year-round to meet their needs and budget,” Lewis said.
