School shopping to start earlier, cost more
Houston parents are buckling up to spend big on back-to-school supplies, and they plan to start earlier to stay ahead of any supply shortages that may arise, according to a report released Thursday by Deloitte.
The consulting firm forecasts Houston-area families will spend an average of $935 per child, driving back-to-school spending in the region to $1.2 billion this year as schools prepare to reopen following a fitful pandemic year. Nationally, the average household will spend 18 percent more this year than it did in 2019 as electronics needs balloon back-toschool budgets, Deloitte said.
Consumers have gotten more savvy about supply chain snags and plan to shop early this year, said Tony Torres, Deloitte’s regional audit leader in Houston.
In addition to shopping earlier, he said, ongoing virtual learning scenarios will also have them spending more. “Four in 10 people expect there to be some sort of virtual learning; it won't be 100 percent in-person,” Torres said, noting digital learning requires more electronics. “All of those things add up and result in more spending.”
The Deloitte survey of 400 Houstonians with school-aged children, conducted May 27 through June 5, tracks local consumer spending each year, though it did not conduct a 2020 poll in Houston.
Despite overall optimism in the economy, respondents remained concerned about sending their children back to school in-person — 66 percent said they’re worried about their family’s health and 50 percent said they’re anxious about sending their kids in for class.
Around 44 percent of participants said at least some of their
children’s learning will still happen virtually; 10 percent said their children will remain on virtual-only platforms, while 34 percent anticipated a mix of both virtual and in-person instruction, according to Deloitte.
More than a third of Houston’s back-to-school spending (39 percent) will happen by the end of this month, propelled by growing clarity about children’s learning platforms and concern over potential shortages, Deloitte projects.
Consumers in Houston plan to stick with shopping habits they picked up during the pandemic, Deloitte’s survey found. Electronics purchases are more likely to happen online, with 46 percent of respondents planning to spend their back-to-school budget online. Additionally, 53 percent of local respondents plan to use social media to browse available products, promotions and reviews.
“This virtual environment that we’re in has really changed the behaviors of consumers,” Torres said.