Parents feeling the pinch as shopping peaks
KOTA KINABALU: The current back-to-school shopping has peaked as parents prepare their children for the new semester which begins on January 2.
While kids are excited over a fresh year at school, many parents are feeling the pinch on their wallets.
They said they had to fork out hundreds of ringgit for stationery, school bags, uniforms and books.
Florita Makajil from Penampang said she has spent around RM300 for her first son, Javier who is going to Primary Two, but does not mind spending the amount as she believed that education is not something you should save on.
“I have prepared three pairs of shoes and uniforms for my son which cost me around RM200, while a school bag was RM45 and stationery and sports equipment around RM100. It is not branded but durable according to my previous experience.
“My son obtained good results in his Primary One examination and I want it to be the same in this coming year. I know Chinese schools are very strict on homework and school work but I will make sure he will be getting the best,” she said.
Noni Muhamad, who is sending her first daughter Adriana Natasha to Secondary One said she had spent around RM200 for three pairs of new school uniforms while stationary was not on her top priority because the old ones could still be used.
“I did not go to big supermarkets because prices are more expensive there. I went to the smaller shops in Inanam, where I found the school uniforms were cheaper and of good quality. It can last up to two years,” she said.
A mother from Kota Marudu, Suhana Yahya said she had spent around RM400 for her daughter who registered for her Primary One because uniforms and stationary in the kindergarten and school were not the same.
“Although my husband and I are working, RM400 is not cheap for one kid. We did not buy expensive brands, but everything was around RM400.
“Since my daughter Nur Zulaikha Farhana Jaaffar is very excited to go to school, we gave her the privilege to choose her bags, lunch box and stationery according to her favourite colour,” she added.
Meanwhile, a mother who is sending her son to primary school, said prices of school uniforms were expensive as she had already spent almost RM600.
Maslyn Poh, who is a housewife said she depended on the Christmas sales recently and managed to complete her last minute shopping in a week.
“My son Muhammad Afi Azim is going to be seven next year, and I am already prepared with the amount of money that we need to fork out for his school,” she said.
Not only for primary and secondary schools, expenses for children going to play schools were also the top topic among mothers.
Joannah Ng, who is sending her daughter Jasmine Yap for the first time to a play school, said she had spent RM595 for registration, RM350 for advanced monthly fee and RM300 for school materials, which is needed every session.
“We spent four figures for registration and equipment, which is quite pricey for me as a first timer,” she said.
Currently, most of departmental stores around the city centres are still having ‘back to school’ sales but some sizes of school uniforms and shoes are unavailable.
The other option for parents who do not have the time to go shopping is to buy online.
A teacher, Ruby Ronarita shared that she had spent around RM700 for her two sons who are in the primary school.
“Books and stationery we need to buy from the stores, while school uniforms must be tried before purchasing to ensure we get the right size.
“However, there are some stuffs like school bags, water bottles and some cute stationery that we can buy online, not only because of the designs but the prices are cheaper,” she added.
Ruby admitted that prices were getting higher every year and it was not healthy for the parents.
As a counselling teacher, she hoped parents would prepare their money at least three months earlier, especially for those who have more than two children.