NEWS Territory mums and dads brace for costs
AUSTRALIAN parents are set to spend more than $1 billion on uniforms and shoes in the back to school rush as retailers clamour for their every dollar.
The Back to School 2019 report, conducted by YouGov Galaxy on behalf of Big W, surveyed 1112 adults with children aged five to 17 across Australia.
Overall, it found parents plan to spend an average $476 per child on getting their kids back to school items including uniforms, shoes, backpacks, stationary, lunch boxes and water bottles.
The biggest expenses will be uniforms and shoes, costing a national average of $220 combined per child.
Already, Australia’s biggest discount stores including Big W, Target, Kmart and supermarkets including ALDI, Woolworths and Coles have begun their back to school advertising blitz to win over parents with bargain deals.
The top-selling back to school item at Big W currently is a UHU Value Glue Stic 40g valued at $1.20, which is matched by Officeworks for the same price, but can be found online at Woolworths for $2.95 and at Spotlight for $2.99.
While 81 per cent of parents TOM GODFREY said they had started shopping, 46 per cent admitted to doing it last-minute.
A further 78 per cent of parents overall prefer to shop in- store than online for back to school items.
Of the items that need replacing during the year, 88 per cent said school shoes needed to be bought again, following by water bottles (78 per cent), pencil cases/stationery (65 per cent), lunch boxes (62 per cent), uniforms (63 per cent), hats (58 per cent) and school bags (44 per cent).
Poppy Papathomas has five kids at school this year and spends around $300 per child.
She recommended stocking up where possible, especially on stationary.
“I buy tons of stuff in the New Year and when the kids need something, I’ve got a big supply in my cupboard,” Miss Papathomas said.
Mozo consumer advocate Tom Godfrey told the Sunday Territorian family finances were often stressed after the Christmas retail frenzy.
“It’s a great time to teach your kids about budgeting and the price premiums brands charge for similar products,” Mr Godfrey said.
With big ticket items like school shoes, he said parents should shop around: “It always pays to check prices online before heading in-store,” he said.
“And remember with kids growing so fast, splashing out on a pricey pair might not end up being the best value.”
“Splashing out on a pricey pair might not end up being the best value for money”