Promising start to uniform shopping
BACK-to-school shopping has started with uniform and stationery suppliers reporting increased business compared to last year.
The new academic year will start on January 12 for schools in the Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West provinces.
Schools in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and the Western Cape will start on January 19.
When the POST visited Gem Schoolwear in Juniper Road, Overport, last week, the store was packed with shoppers.
The store stocks locally-made uniforms for more than 200 primary and high schools.
Nomzamo Mbokazi said she bought three pants, three shorts, three pairs of socks, a pair of shoes and undergarments for her son, Ayabonga,12, a Grade 8 pupil at Overport Secondary School.
Mbokazi, a waitress, said she had started saving from her November salary for uniform and stationery purchases.
She said she spent about R1 400 on the uniforms and shoes. She had budgeted R1 000 for stationery.
“I still have to get a jersey and a blazer, which I will do in winter. I will get some of the basic stationery such as books, pens and pencils in the coming days, and the rest once I get a stationery list from the school.
“It has been a very challenging year, especially financially as the industry I work in was gravely affected, but I made sure to prioritise my child’s school requirements first. I started planning early. I made Christmas clothing purchases earlier in the year and in November I could budget for the uniform and stationery. I will also need to budget for his transport and other expenses in the new year,” she said.
Shantal Pillay said she spent about R1 500 on her daughter Ria Nadia, 9, a Grade 5 pupil at Collegevale Primary School. She bought two dresses, two pants, a tracksuit and socks. Pillay said she would buy the shoes closer to the school’s reopening.
“Children’s feet grow quickly. I would rather wait a little longer, instead of having to buy another pair in a few weeks or months because she has outgrown them.”
Pillay, who is employed part-time, said buying uniforms and stationery was a priority and she tried to do her back-to-school shopping soon after the festive holidays.
“We cannot compromise when it comes to our children and making sure they are fully prepared for the school year. At times, it does come with making sacrifices on other luxuries.
“However, my daughter is very understanding and had even said that instead of buying her something for doing well in school last year, I must get her uniform and stationery first. So I am blessed that I have a child who is enthusiastic about learning,” she said.
Pillay said she would spend about R600 on stationery.
“I don’t really budget, but I do visit a wholesale store which has stationery items at reasonable prices but still good quality. I will probably complete the shopping by next week,” she said.
Muhammed Patel, a manager at the 53-year-old Gem Schoolwear shop, said business had improved from the previous year.
“We have seen a promising start this week, and had a steady stream of customers. We find more parents are excited for the new school year and are optimistic it will be better than the previous two years where there were many interruptions. They are also confident that it will be a complete year of schooling and are making full uniform purchases.
“We are averaging about 200 to 300 families a day, but expect about 500 to 700 families per day from mid-January. We also have our online store, which we introduced at the start of the pandemic, which is also doing quite well.”
Waiting
Some parents are hoping to start school shopping in the coming days.
Rehana Hornsby said she bought uniform items during the year, as her children needed them.
Her son, Mikah, 12, in Grade 7, and daughter Farah, 8, in Grade 3, attend Penzance Primary School.
“I try not to do any bulk shopping at the beginning of the year to ease the burden of huge costs, and in the event of the children having a sudden growth spurt.
“This year, they will use uniforms from the previous year. However, I may need to purchase a few new items such as socks and sneakers for physical education. I budgeted around R500 and will shop a few days before school reopens.”
Hornsby, an accountant, said she had already bought stationery, which cost about R900 for each child.
“I try to do the stationery purchases early from the (school) stationery supplier which also enables me to take up a discount offer. However, I also try to see how I can save, as some unused
stationery from the previous year can be carried over,” she said.
Dravina Ramai said she would shop soon for her son, Deniel Jordan, 16, a Grade 10 pupil at Trenance Park Secondary.
She said she had a budget of about R750 for his uniform and stationery.
“I hope to get at least one new pair of pants, two shirts, a few vests, socks, a belt and shoes. I usually start saving from July as I earn very little. I am a single parent and collect a child support grant, which does not cover most expenses as the cost of living is very high.
“I am also hoping that some stationery from last year can be used. This will help me save a bit,” she said.
Unemployed Raksha Pooran said she would start shopping for her children, Shayden Chinnsamy, 12, in Grade 6, and Shaina Chinnsamy, 7, in Grade 1, later this week. They children attend Kamalinee Primary School.
“I have a budget of about R2 000 for uniforms and stationery, so it means no lavish or extravagant spending.”
Pooran said for her son, she will buy three shirts, two pants, a shorts, T-shirt, undergarments, socks and shoes. For her daughter, she will buy three dresses, a petticoat, undergarments, socks, a shorts, T-shirt and shoes.
“My husband and I find it difficult to purchase now due to high prices and being unemployed, but we make sure our children have what they need for school as education is a stepping stone to success,” she said.
Stationery
Last month, the POST visited Alert Stationers in Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street, central Durban.
Pranesh Behari, the chief executive of the 35-year-old stationery supplier, said they had seen an increase in orders in their stationery pre-pack services, which they provided to 15 schools across Durban.
“In the previous year, we suffered a 66% loss, but we are on the road to recovery. For the 2022 academic year, we had orders from all our schools, ranging from 50 to 200 stationery pre-packs per school, so it has definitely been better than last year.
“We also expect a peak in sales in January. We generally get between 40 to 50 walk-in customers a day and up to 120 customers a day just before the school year commences. Some either want a full-pack of stationery or basics, like the 72-page books, pencils and glue sticks.
‘So we are optimistic for the new year and hope it continues so we can fully recover as we were severely affected over the past two years,” he said.