Back-to-School Shopping Causes Anxiety for Fifty-One Percent of American Parents, According to a Survey Commissioned by Slickdeals

Poll Shows Two-Thirds of Parents Expect to Spend More Than Last Year on School Supplies

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Aug 18, 2021, 07:03 ET

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifty-one percent of American parents with school-aged children report that their kid's pricey school supply list gives them anxiety, according to a new survey commissioned by Slickdeals, the leading social platform for shopping.

Two-thirds expect that school supply shopping will be more expensive than last year, with parents planning to spend nearly $450 on supplies for each child, according to the poll.

Commissioned by Slickdeals and conducted by OnePoll, the survey of 2,000 American parents with school-aged children showed that respondents anticipate spending a few dollars more on school supplies than clothes ($225 vs. $217). Just over half of parents also expect to spend more on technology for their kid's education this year compared to last (51%). Both face masks and hand sanitizer made it on most school supply lists for the first time ever this year (47%).

After a year of at-home learning for many, the study also revealed nearly half of parents aren't prepared for their kids to return to in-person learning (47%). According to the poll, the most concerning factors for parents are the cost of supplies (43%), their child's separation anxiety (40%) and drop off/pickups (36%).

While 54% of parents have already started school supply shopping, more than a quarter are holding off because they can't afford school supplies right now (28%).

Nearly half of parents said they have savings set aside specifically for their child's school supply costs (47%) and 42% spend the summer months building a budget for the upcoming school year, but parents still struggle to check items off their lists. Most parents find themselves spending more money than usual when they go to buy school supplies (87%).

Although 57% of parents don't have a college fund set up for their child, 42% of those who do say they have had to borrow money from their child's college savings to pay for their school supplies.

"It's not surprising that parents report feeling stress over the cost of school supplies, but there are some simple strategies that can help save money," says Ryan Tronier, Senior Personal Finance Editor for Slickdeals. "One of the first things parents should do is take inventory of what they already have at home. Also, saving some of your shopping until after the school year starts can be a good thing for your wallet as you may find that some of the things you thought your child might need are not as necessary."

The results further showed that having a picky kid doesn't help 45% of parents when it comes to school shopping. Similarly, 44% of parents surveyed have a kid that unknowingly picks out the most expensive version of a product because it comes from a specific brand.

Still, most parents opt to buy the more affordable version, regardless of what their kid wants (57%).

"Between new sneakers, supplies and technology, back-to-school costs can add up quickly. At Slickdeals, we've assembled the largest community of savvy shoppers so users can score the best deals on the best products from all the top retailers, with insight from millions of real people," added Tronier.

PARENTS FEEL THE LEAST PREPARED FOR

The cost of supplies 43%
Dealing with my child's separation anxiety 40%
Drop off/pickups 36%
School supply shopping 36%
Waking up early to prepare kids for school 35%

To learn more about the survey, visit here.

About Slickdeals
Slickdeals is the leading social platform for shopping, where 12 million users interact to share the most up-to-date information on online shopping deals and coupons. Through the power of crowdsourcing, Slickdeals has saved its users over $8.7 billion by providing a forum for communication; as well as shopping tools such as its free Android or iOS app and its browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. Slickdeals consistently ranks in the Top 100 most visited sites in the U.S. per Alexa.

SOURCE Slickdeals