{"id":921,"date":"2025-08-13T17:29:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T17:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/?p=921"},"modified":"2025-08-14T14:21:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T14:21:52","slug":"shopping-for-school-supplies-becomes-a-summer-activity-as-families-juggle-technology-and-tariffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/shopping-for-school-supplies-becomes-a-summer-activity-as-families-juggle-technology-and-tariffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopping for school supplies becomes a summer activity as families juggle technology and tariffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By ANNE D\u2019INNOCENZIO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Feeling nostalgic for the days when <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/back-to-school-sleep-schedule-5a3269b20512d9e00802e5571bf14e4f\">going back to school<\/a> meant picking out fresh notebooks, pencils and colored markers at a local drugstore or stationary shop? The annual retail ritual is both easier and more complicated for today\u2019s students.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related left\">\n<h2 class=\"widget-title\" data-curated-ids=\"\" data-relation-type=\"automatic-primary-section\">Related Articles<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/08\/14\/after-pushback-from-denver-residents-developer-wont-re-zone-belcaro-king-soopers-site\/\" title=\"After pushback from Denver residents, developer won\u2019t rezone Belcaro King Soopers site\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tAfter pushback from Denver residents, developer won\u2019t rezone Belcaro King Soopers site\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/08\/13\/sports-bar-breakfast-denver\/\" title=\"Sports bar-breakfast restaurant opening in Denver, taking former Sarto\u2019s space in Jefferson Park\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tSports bar-breakfast restaurant opening in Denver, taking former Sarto\u2019s space in Jefferson Park\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/08\/13\/englewood-auto-body-shop-lawsuit\/\" title=\"Lawsuit claims Denver restaurant owner inflated $4.4M sale of Englewood auto body shop\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tLawsuit claims Denver restaurant owner inflated $4.4M sale of Englewood auto body shop\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/08\/13\/japan-mcdonalds-pokemon\/\" title=\"McDonald\u2019s Japan\u2019s Pokemon card Happy Meals promotion comes to an unhappy end\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tMcDonald\u2019s Japan\u2019s Pokemon card Happy Meals promotion comes to an unhappy end\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/08\/13\/denver-international-airport-nuclear-reactor-feedback\/\" title=\"Denver airport delays study on using nuclear power to get public feedback\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tDenver airport delays study on using nuclear power to get public feedback\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Chains like Walmart generate online lists of <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/parenting-general-news-336060f5a4444690897b90c8c6b87ba4\">school supplies<\/a> for customers who type in their zip codes, then choose a school and a grade level. One click and they are ready to check out. Some schools also offer busy parents a one-stop shop by partnering with vendors that sell premade kits with binders, index cards, pens and other needed items.<\/p>\n<p>Yet for all the time-saving options, many families begin their <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/back-to-school\">back-to-school<\/a> shopping months before Labor Day, searching around for <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/backtoschool-shopping-deals-inflation-c7fc6041e4d34cabc2edbfbc556ef667\">the best deals<\/a> and making purchases tied to summer sales. This year, the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/retail-sales-tariffs-consumers-spending-economy-bf7ac18e10a8e27de5a7159d9a61397a\">possibility of price increases<\/a> from new U.S. tariffs on imports motivated more shoppers to get a jump start on replacing and refilling school backpacks, according to retail analysts.<\/p>\n<p>Retail and technology consulting company Coresight Research estimates that back-to-school spending from June through August will reach $33.3 billion in the U.S., a 3.3% increase from the same three-month period a year ago. The company predicted families would complete about 60% of their shopping before August to avoid extra costs from tariffs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConsumers are of the mindset where they\u2019re being very strategic and conscientious around price fluctuations, so for back to school, it prompts them to shop even earlier,\u201d said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, the research division of software company Adobe Inc.<\/p>\n<h4>Getting a head start<\/h4>\n<p>Miami resident Jacqueline Agudelo, 39, was one of the early birds who started shopping for school supplies in June because she wanted to get ahead of possible price increases from new U.S. tariffs on imported products.<\/p>\n<p>The teacher\u2019s supply list for her 5-year-old son, who started kindergarten earlier this month, mandated specific classroom items in big quantities. Agudelo said her shopping list included 15 boxes of Crayola crayons, Lysol wipes and five boxes of Ticonderoga brand pencils, all sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>Agudelo said she spent $160 after finding plenty of bargains online and in stores, including the crayons at half off, but found the experience stressful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am overwhelmed by the need to stay on top of where the deals are as shopping has become more expensive over the years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of the backpacks, lined paper, glue sticks \u2014 and Ticonderoga pencils \u2014 sold in the U.S. are made in China, whose products were subjected to a 145% tariff in the spring. Under the latest agreement between the countries, Chinese goods are taxed at a 30% rate when they enter the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Many companies accelerated shipments from China early in the year, stockpiling inventory at pre-tariff prices. Some predicted consumers would encounter higher prices just in time for the back-to-school shopping season. Although government data showed consumer prices rose 2.7% last month from a year earlier, strategic discounting by major retailers may have muted any sticker shock for customers seeking school supplies.<\/p>\n<p>Backpacks and lunchboxes, for example, had discounts as deep as 12.1% during Amazon\u2019s Prime Day sales and competing online sales at Target and Walmart in early July, Adobe Insights said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-slideshow\" id=\"mng-gallery-68f42436d8ded9843c7e808890cd4ab9\"><button class=\"icon-close mng-gallery-fullscreen-close\" aria-label=\"Close fullscreen slideshow\"><\/button><\/p>\n<ul class=\"mng-gallery-initialized mng-gallery-slider\"><button id=\"mng-gallery-prev\" class=\"mng-gallery-prev mng-gallery-arrow\" aria-label=\"Previous\" type=\"button\"><\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"mng-gallery-list draggable\">\n<div class=\"mng-gallery-track\">\n<li data-index=\"1\" class=\"mng-ge mng-gallery-active\" id=\"mng-ge-0\" aria-hidden=\"false\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"attachment-article_inline size-article_inline lazyload\" alt=\"Information on a school list assist and a QR code...\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_55147-scaled.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"slide-credit\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-caption\">Information on a school list assist and a QR code is displayed above pencils for sale in the back-to-school supplies section of a Target in Sherwood, Ore., Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane)\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-index=\"2\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_58944-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-article_inline size-article_inline lazyload\" alt=\"Kylie and Cash Zimmerman shop in the back-to-school supplies section...\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_58944-scaled.jpg?w=620 620w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_58944-scaled.jpg?w=780 780w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_58944-scaled.jpg?w=810 810w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_58944-scaled.jpg?w=1280 1280w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_58944-scaled.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_58944-scaled.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"slide-credit\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-caption\">Kylie and Cash Zimmerman shop in the back-to-school supplies section of a Target in Sherwood, Ore., Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane)\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-index=\"3\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_76156-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-article_inline size-article_inline lazyload\" alt=\"Glue is seen in a back-to-school supplies section of a...\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_76156-scaled.jpg?w=620 620w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_76156-scaled.jpg?w=780 780w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_76156-scaled.jpg?w=810 810w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_76156-scaled.jpg?w=1280 1280w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_76156-scaled.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_76156-scaled.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"slide-credit\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-caption\">Glue is seen in a back-to-school supplies section of a Target in Sherwood, Ore., Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane)\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-index=\"4\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_42440-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-article_inline size-article_inline lazyload\" alt=\"A person walks by backpacks displayed for sale in the...\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_42440-scaled.jpg?w=620 620w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_42440-scaled.jpg?w=780 780w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_42440-scaled.jpg?w=810 810w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_42440-scaled.jpg?w=1280 1280w,http:\/\/agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_42440-scaled.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Back_to_School_Supplies_42440-scaled.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"slide-credit\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-caption\">A person walks by backpacks displayed for sale in the back-to-school supplies section of a Target in Sherwood, Ore., Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane)\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button id=\"mng-gallery-next\" class=\"mng-gallery-next mng-gallery-arrow\" aria-label=\"Next\" type=\"button\"><\/button><\/ul>\n<div class=\"caption mng-gallery-information-container\"><button class=\"caption-expand mng-gallery-caption-expand\" aria-label=\"Show caption\">Show Caption<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"slideshow-credit mng-gallery-image-credit\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-count\"><span class=\"current mng-gallery-current-image-number-display\">1<\/span> of <span class=\"total\">4<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"slideshow-caption mng-gallery-image-caption\">Information on a school list assist and a QR code is displayed above pencils for sale in the back-to-school supplies section of a Target in Sherwood, Ore., Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane)\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"#\" class=\"icon-enlarge mng-gallery-fullscreen-expand\" aria-label=\"Expand fullscreen slideshow\"><span>Expand<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Throughout the summer, some of the biggest chains have are advertising selective price freezes to hold onto customers.<\/p>\n<p>Walmart is advertising a 14-item school supplies deal that costs $16, the lowest price in six years, company spokesperson Leigh Stidham said. Target said in June that it would maintain its 2024 prices on 20 key back-to-school items that together cost less than $20.<\/p>\n<p>An analysis consumer data provider Numerator prepared for The Associated Press showed the retail cost of 48 products a family with two school age children might need \u2014 two lunchboxes, two scientific calculators, a pair of boy\u2019s shoes \u2014 averaged $272 in July, or $3 less than the same month last year.<\/p>\n<h4>Digital natives in the classroom<\/h4>\n<p>Numerator, which tracks U.S. retail prices through sales receipts, online account activity and other information from 200,000 shoppers, reported last year that households were buying fewer notebooks, book covers, writing instruments and other familiar staples as students did more of their <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/general-news-01e9302796d749b6aadc35ddc8f4c946\">work on computers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The transition does not mean students no longer have to stock up on plastic folders, highlighters and erasers, or that parents are spending less to equip their children for class. Accounting and consulting firm Deloitte estimates that traditional school supplies will account for more than $7 billion of the $31 billion it expects U.S. parents to put toward back-to-school shopping.<\/p>\n<p>Shopping habits also are evolving. TeacherLists, an online platform where individual schools and teachers can upload their recommended supply lists and parents can search for them, was launched in 2012 to reduce the need for paper lists. It now has more than 2 million lists from 70,000 schools.<\/p>\n<p>Users have the option of clicking on an icon that populates an online shopping cart at participating retail chains. Some retailers also license the data for use on their websites and in their stores, said Dyanne Griffin, the architect and vice president of TeacherLists.<\/p>\n<p>The typical number of items teacher request has remained fairly steady at around 17 since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, Griffin said. \u201cThe new items that had come on the list, you know, in the last four or five years are more the tech side. Everybody needs headphones or earbuds, that type of thing, maybe a mouse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s also noticed a lot of schools requiring clear backpacks and pencil pouches so the gear can\u2019t be used to stow guns.<\/p>\n<h4>Enter artificial intelligence<\/h4>\n<p>For consumers who like to research their options before they buy, technology and retail companies have introduced generative AI tools to help them find and compare products. Rufus, the AI-powered shopping assistant that <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/holiday-shopping-ai-chatbot-cyber-monday-0e809a619e1b80765329b4efb4d786e7\">Amazon launched last year<\/a>, is now joined by Sparky, an app-only feature that Walmart shoppers can use to get age-specific product recommendations and other information in response to their questions.<\/p>\n<p>Just over a quarter of U.S. adults say they use AI for shopping, which is considerably lower than the number who say they use AI for tasks such as searching for information or brainstorming, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ai-artificial-intelligence-poll-229b665d10d057441a69f56648b973e1\">poll in July<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4>Some traditions remain<\/h4>\n<p>Before the pandemic turned a lot more people into online shoppers, schools and local Parent Teacher Associations embraced the idea of making back-to-school shopping easier by ordering ready-made bundles of teacher-recommended supplies. An extra fee on the price helped raise money for the school.<\/p>\n<p>Market data from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edukitinc.com\/\">Edukit<\/a>, a supplier of school supply kits owned by TeachersList parent company School Family Media, shows that about 40% of parents end up buying the boxes, meaning the other 60% need to shop on their own, Griffin said. She noted that parents typically must commit no later than June to secure a bundle, which focus on essentials like notebooks and crayons.<\/p>\n<p>Agudelo said her son\u2019s school offered a box for $190 that focused on basics like crayons and notebooks but didn\u2019t include a backpack. She decided to pass and shop around for the best prices. She also liked bringing her son along for the shopping trips.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s that sense of getting him mentally prepared for the school year,\u201d Agudelo said. \u201cThe box takes away from that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By ANNE D\u2019INNOCENZIO NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Feeling nostalgic for the days when going back to school meant picking out fresh notebooks, pencils and colored markers at a local drugstore or stationary shop? The annual retail ritual is both easier and more complicated for today\u2019s students. Related Articles After pushback from Denver residents, developer won\u2019t&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=921"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":928,"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions\/928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.agencywebdesigners.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}