Meijer Changing the Way Parents Shop for Back-to-School Supplies

Retailer adds classroom essentials to home delivery service and drops prices on 300 popular back-to-school items

News provided by

Jul 27, 2017, 08:00 ET

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Meijer is making it easier for parents to plan ahead for the coming school year. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer is adding key back-to-school items to its popular home delivery service and cutting prices in-store on more than 300 of its most popular items.

Beginning today, customers with home delivery memberships can shop online for the most frequently-shopped back–to-school items and have everything delivered store-to-door by Shipt shoppers as soon as one hour after the order is placed, or up to one day in advance. For customers wanting to shop in-store, the selection for back to school features price drops on the hottest items and has nearly 200 items priced $1 or less.

"Each year, we see parents and students shopping earlier and earlier, and they continue right up until the week school starts," said Meijer Back-to-School Buyer Michael McKenzie. "Everyone is looking for the best combination of selection, convenience and low prices, so we hope providing this new way to shop and save time is going to help customers be better prepared for back to school and maximize their fun this summer."

The Meijer home delivery service combines personalized shopping with fresh grocery and a wide selection of daily essentials available 24 hours a day. It is now available throughout Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. Since launching the service in Detroit last September, Meijer has expanded the service to more than 160 stores and Shipt shoppers have made more than 250,000 deliveries.

McKenzie said Meijer stores have seen back-to-school business double week over week in late July, and he expects sales will continue to increase through September as families make their weekly grocery trips. Some of the hottest items so far include washable crayons and markers - as parents seek ways to keep clothes and homes clean - and pourable glue and food coloring, which are main ingredients for the incredibly popular slime-making trend.

Other hot items include:

Journals and calligraphy back in style: Journals are quickly becoming more popular than binders as students continue to mix durability with style. Following the coloring book craze from the past few years, calligraphy is now gaining popularity as another way to promote art and mindfulness exercises for kids and young adults.
Eye-catching accessories and supplies: Licensed products like backpacks, lunch kits and assorted school supplies are ever-popular, with top choices including Minecraft, Emoji, Princess Elena, Paw Patrol, Super Mario, Power Rangers, Despicable Me and Pokémon. For older students, Under Armour, Adidas and Swiss Gear, as well as Rachel Hale and bohemian-style are just some of the 90 different backpacks available at Meijer this year.
Stylish and comfortable apparel: Ribbed swing dresses, suede tops and leggings, quirky print mixing, and destructed denim are all hot trends in young girls' clothing this season. Athleisure styling with velvet and satin details are big for juniors. One-quarter zip action tops, hooded fleece jackets, and jeans and joggers that mix texture and stretch are popular for both boys' and kids' outfits.
Lunches packing personality and taste: Bento boxes and reusable containers continue to grow in popularity, and kids are personalizing them even more. They are also much more interested in exploring exotic flavors – even trying child-friendly versions of sushi made with fruit, sometimes referred to as "frushi." Parents are also using more whole grain wraps, pasta and crackers in kids' lunch boxes.

About Meijer: Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates more than 230 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. A privately-owned and family-operated company since 1934, Meijer pioneered the "one-stop shopping" concept and has evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, pet departments, garden centers, toys and electronics. For additional information on Meijer, please visit www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/Meijer and @twitter.com/MeijerPR or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.