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If you need new school supplies, children’s clothing, electronics, dorm decor and more to start the school year off right, now’s the time to get shopping while the stores are fully stocked and the deals are excellent.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) says families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $875 on back-to-school shopping, while college students and their families plan to spend $1,365. That works out to an estimated total spend of $39 billion on back-to-school and $87 billion on back-to-college. The largest amount of cash will be dropped on electronics, while other top categories are clothing, shoes, and dorm/apartment furnishings.
Quick tips before you see all the stores offering excellent deals:
- Always double-check current deals on RetailMeNotbefore you shop.
- See if your state is offering a back-to-school tax-free shopping weekend this year to help your wallet.
When Does Back-to-School Shopping Season Start?
It’s not your imagination. People are shopping earlier for back-to-school every year. Pretty much as soon as July 4 decorations come down, BTS comes up. One reason seems to be those big summer sales that consumers are getting used to, like Amazon Prime Days, which typically fall mid-July. Other major retailers follow suit, and suddenly, every store seems to be competing to sell you what you want at an excellent price at a period people often refer to as Black Friday in July.
According to the NRF, by early July, 55% of shoppers had already begun stocking up for back-to-school, though 86% said they had more than half of their list still to purchase. So the season started sooner and goes on longer, giving shoppers time to look around and take advantage of the best deals they can find.
Why It’s Smart to Start Back-to-School Shopping Early
As noted above, back-to-school shopping is underway, and that trend isn’t going to change anytime soon. A few excellent reasons to start shopping earlier:
Get your hands on what you need
If you have ever tried to get everything on your kid’s school supply list the day before school starts, you’ll understand. Some key essentials do sell out, and early shopping can prevent you from being left empty-handed.
Spread out your payments over multiple months
When the average household is planning to spend $875 on back to school (and $1,365 for college students) spending some each month allows you to spread out your payments so you don’t get hit with one big credit card in early September.
Deal hunting
With retailers competing with one another for your purchasing power, giving yourself some extra time to shop around can be a big benefit to your bottom line.
Retailers Offering Back-to-School Deals
To help you easily prepare, I’ve rounded up a list of the best deals on back-to-school shopping from retailers we love.
— Featured Sale —
Image: TargetTarget: Deals on school supplies, furniture, electronics, clothing, backpacks and more.
Featured deal: Teachers and school staff can get 20% off with Target Circle now through 8/24/24. You can also get a Target Circle 360 subscription for just $49 if you’re a teacher or staff member now through 8/14. School supplies start at $0.25, and so much of it is on sale, from smaller items like crayons all the way through tech like computers and headphones. For a limited time, college students save 20% off one sitewide order.
Image: AcademyAcademy Sports + Outdoors: Find deals on apparel, school supplies, backpacks, tech and more throughout the back-to-school shopping season.
Featured deal: Right now, you can save 15% sitewide and get 10% cash back when you shop Academy Sports + Outdoors via RetailMeNot. There are other excellent ways to save, including buy one get one 50% off on-field apparel and footballs, and a special welcome offer of 10% off to people who sign up for the retailer’s free MyAcademy membership program.
Image: Adidasadidas: This popular sportswear brand is perfect for outfitting kids of all ages for back-to-school!
Featured deal: Right now, score 8% cash back at Adidas when you shop via RetailMenot, and you can also save 15% on almost everything in stock.
Image: AmazonAmazon: Deals on school supplies, disinfecting wipes, calculators, backpacks, lunch boxes, headphones, laptops, AirPods and lots more.
Featured deal:The retailer is currently offering 20% cash back on Amazon devices when you shop through RetailMeNot. And especially for college students, Amazon Prime Student gives college students free two-day shipping on millions of items, referral bonuses, unlimited photo storage, discounts on newly released video games and other special offers. After a six-month free trial, it’s just $49 a year—half the price of a regular Amazon Prime membership—including unlimited streaming of movies, TV, and music with Prime Video and Prime Music and more.
Image: American EagleAmerican Eagle: Stock up on women’s and men’s tops, bottoms, shoes and accessories.
Featured deal: Now is the time to get your back-to-school styles over at AE. Everything is 25% off, jeans are currently 25-40% off, and students score 4% cash back, too.
Image: AppleApple: Deals on laptops, accessories, gift cards and AppleCare+.
Featured deal: Apple has fantastic deals for students and educators. Students can buy a MacBook Air (from $899), the MacBrook Pro (from $1,849) or the iMac 24-inch (from $1,249) – and get a $150 Apple gift card and 20% off AppleCare+.
Image: Best BuyBest Buy: You can find savings on laptops, tablets, headphones, and more top deals on electronics for students, plus gadgets, and, in case you didn’t know, a solid selection of furniture and decor. Also, My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members get exclusive deals.
Featured deal: Get discounts on laptops, headphones, computers, TVs, projectors, controllers, massage guns and more, plus a special deal of the day with savings of up to 60% off a featured item.
Image: Carter’sCarter’s: They are offering many deals on children’s clothes, shoes, school supplies, fun backpacks and more.
Featured deal: The entire inventory is currently 40% off, and there’s a 10% cash back offer if you shop through RetailMeNot.
Image: The Children’s PlaceThe Children’s Place: Leading children’s apparel brand The Children’s Place has uniforms for boys and girls to get them looking their best for the first day of school. From long sleeve and short sleeve polos, slacks, shorts, skorts, cardigans and more, The Children’s Place has uniforms in every color you can imagine.
Featured deal: Right now, you can earn up to 15% cash back on The Children’s Place purchases, plus $10 PLACE bucks for every $20 you spend.
Image: The Container StoreThe Container Store: Shop everything you need to get the home, or dorm room, organized, like shoe storage, carts, baskets and more storage.
Featured deal: Students setting up a dorm room or off-campus apartment, the Container Store is offering a buy one get one 50% off. Just Text COLLEGE to 22822 to save. There are also further sales on already-existing price reductions, and a 2% cash back offer sitewide when you shop through RetailMeNot.
Image: CVSCVS: CVS is kicking off the school year with a brand-new lineup of the latest and trendiest products to prep for school days ahead. Whether it’s school supplies, beauty supplies, health care essentials, seasonal goodies, snacks, gifts, and cards, CVS has stuff for the whole household.
Featured deal: For a limited time, you can score a whopping 25% cash back right now at CVS. Perfect time to stock up on essentials not only for back-to-school, but also your home and anything else you might need.
Image: HPHP: They’re offering deep discounts on laptops, monitors, printers and more tech.
Featured deal: Save across the board at HP on back-to-school tech. Check out their back-to-school guide. You can also take advantage of their special financing for six months on purchases of $200 or more. And you can get $20 off your purchase if you sign up for HP.com emails.
Image: IKEAIKEA: This popular home furnishing company is perfect for making sure your dorm room is comfortable and matches your style.
Featured deal: Prices are always reasonable at this beloved company, but right now, IKEA family program members can save up to 30% on select college essentials. There’s a special 10% off home decor and furniture sale happening, and last chance items are going for as little as $1.29.
Image: JCPenneyJCPenney: Deals on kids clothing, backpacks, school uniforms, dorm essentials, school supplies, shoes and more.
Featured deal: Parents and caregivers should check out JCPenney for savings for students of all ages. First of all, you sSave 25% sitewide when you shop at JCP and when you spend $75 or more online, you get free shipping. But if you decide to visit a store near you, student haircuts are only $12. Finally, there is an amazing sale on eyeglass frames for kids at JCPenney Optical — one pair only costs $39.99 and two is a super-cheap $69.99.
Image: Kohl’sKohl’s: Deals on kids’ clothing, shoes, backpacks, lunchboxes, school uniforms and more.
Featured deal: Save 15% off when you spend $100 or more.
Image: Macy’sMacy’s: They are offering deals on kids’ clothing, backpacks, shoes, bedding, school uniforms, beauty, college essentials and more.
Featured Deal: Sign up for Macy’s emails or texts and save 25% off your order. Plus, get cash back with RetailMeNot!
Image: MadewellMadewell: Take 15% off sitewide for college students and teachers. That includes all their awesome pants, shirts, dresses, jumpsuits and more.
Featured Deal: Right now RMN has a coupon code allowing you to save up to 70% when you shop at Madewell.
Image: NikeNike: Shop sneakers, athleisure, clothing and more.
Featured Deal: Save 25% off certain items with a special code, and students and teachers get a bonus 10% off their orders.
Image: Office DepotOffice Depot & OfficeMax: You can get up to 60% off on Office Depot’s best-selling school supplies, including deals on backpacks and additional in-store savings for teachers with a free Office Depot OfficeMax Rewards membership.
Those who shop all year-round can also give back to a school of their choice through Office Depot’s Give Back to Schools program. Shoppers can provide the name or ID number of the school of their choice at checkout (in-store or online) and their designated school will receive 5% back in credits for free supplies. Check out Office Depot’s Back to School Shopping Headquarters for helpful shopping tips.
Featured Deal: School supplies are reduced up to 60%, so load up on everything your student is going to need this fall, from pens and paper to bags and organizers. RetailMeNot is also offering an exclusive savings deal. Get $10 off a qualifying regularly priced item of $50 or more. (*In store only.)
Image: Old NavyOld Navy: You can find lots of deals on kids’ jeans, clothing, shirts, socks and more.
Featured deal: On top of the 75% clearance item prices, you also get 6% cash back when you shop at Old Navy via RetailMeNot. And Old Navy is offering an amazing one-year guarantee on all school uniforms. Return your item for a full refund for 365 days after purchase if you’re not happy with it. (You’ll need the original receipt.)
Image: WalmartWalmart: Deals on school supplies for all ages, electronics, teacher supplies, clothing, dorm decor, shoes, snacks for lunch, and more.
Featured deal: With RetailMeNot you can get 6% cash back on select back-to-school purchases. They are also offering lots of deals on everything from dorm bedding essentials and school supplies to back-to-school tech.
Image: WayfairWayfair: Get all your home decor, furniture, kitchen supplies like coffee makers and mini-fridges, and everything else needed for a comfortable dorm room.
Featured deal: New customers who sign up for Wayfair emails or texts can save 10% off their first order. Free shipping for purchases of at least $35. And always low prices on a huge, huge inventory.
Parent & Teacher Resources for the 2024 Back-to-School Year
To get some insights into what school supply lists even look like this year, we reached out to TeacherLists, a great free resource that empowers parents and teachers to easily share and access school supply lists. Dyanne Griffin of TeacherLists says that the most-popular items continue to be notebooks, pocket folders, crayons, scissors, glue sticks, markers, filler paper, pencils, colored pencils, dry erase markers, highlighters, erasers, pens and sticky notes. Facial tissues, hand wipes, and disinfecting wipes are also popular on the in-school lists.
Teachers should also check out RetailMeNot’s list of 50+ teacher discounts, with savings for educators across categories like apparel, home goods, tech, books, classroom supplies, travel, education programs, food, and more.
Related: Score Apple’s Back-to-School Offers for 2024
The post The Best Back-to-School Sales, Period appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
