INDIANAPOLIS — Inside many stores, the school supply aisles are buzzing with people.
Parents with lists in hand, checking off all the items they throw in their carts.
The National Retail Federation estimates parents, on average, will spend more than $875 per child on supplies — including electronics, clothes, and shoes.
But still that high ticket price, is causing many parents to shop around trying to find the best deal.
WRTV'S Kaitlyn Kendall went to the store to compare the prices to see where you can get the biggest bang for your buck.
We shopped a few staples, at four different stores:
- Pencils
- Highlighters
- Folder
- Notebook
Your kids will likely have a much bigger list than four items, but we wanted to compare just a few.
Notebook:
- Walmart- $.45
- Target- $.99
- Meijer- $.99
- Dollar Tree- $1.25
Folder:
- Walmart- $.25
- Target- $.15
- Meijer- $.25
- Dollar Tree- $1.25
Pencils:
- Walmart- $.47
- Target- $.39
- Meijer- $.75
- Dollar Tree- $1.25
Highlighters:
- Walmart- $1.47
- Target- $1.25
- Meijer- $1.99
- Dollar Tree- $1.25
Totals:
- Walmart- $2.82
- Target- $2.97
- Meijer- $4.26
- Dollar Tree- $5.35
Dollar Tree was the most expensive because each item was priced at $1.25, where other stores had items for much cheaper per item.
WRTV found that at many of the stores the store brand or private label for each store were cheaper.
"I bought some stuff on clearance last year so we kind of shopped the closet," Emily Miller said.
WRTV caught up with Miller in the school supply isle as she sopped for her two children.
She says making sure to see what she had on hand before shopping has helped her cut down on costs this year.
Other parents we spoke to say they used price matching or just hit up different stores to get the best deal.
The roughly $875 estimated to be spent this year is about $15 less than last year's $890.
It's the second, highest amount in the survey's history.
