Why parents are stressed about back-to-school shopping
Parents desperate to see their kids “fit in” at school are caving in to fads like Frozen 2 and personalised pencil cases and spending a fortune on back-to-school supplies.
Education
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Parents desperate for their children to “fit in” at school are feeling pressure to buy trendy accessories and shoes.
Families are caving in to fads such as personalised pencil cases and key rings, and lunch boxes featuring movie themes such as Frozen 2 and The Lion King.
Sales of black leather trainers, Princess Charlotte-style buckle shoes, hair bows and headbands are also trending on retail websites.
One in three parents say they are spending more on overall back-to-school expenses than they can afford, research has found.
Two in five felt pressure to purchase specific items so that their child fits in, according to a poll commissioned by ebay.com.au.
Two-thirds said they replaced some essentials every six months or less because of changing trends or fashion.
And two in five indicated that they struggled to meet school requests and guidelines.
eBay Australia’s Sophie Onikul said: “It seems back to school shopping is becoming more costly and increasingly complex with parents juggling meeting specifications from their child’s school with the latest trends.
“Once you factor in time and money pressures, you can see why some parents feel more anxious than their children about going back to school.
“Guidelines differ by school and the lists can be quite extensive covering everything from water bottles to library bags, glue sticks to rain coats to more specific requests such as an “A4 sized homework book” to “a 30cm wooden ruler with cm and mm markings – no bendy or steel rulers”.
Ms Onikul said the cost and growing role of technology was among the biggest challenges for back-to-school shoppers.
The national survey of 1004 parents found seven in 10 agreed they were spending an increasing amount on tech items each year.
Hunting for necessities across multiple stores was another stress point, with some parents visiting four or more outlets to buy supplies.
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Online shopping could help alleviate this, Ms Onikul said.
A recent YouGov Annual Back to School Research Report, commissioned by Big W, found Victorians were expected to spend an average $608 per child on school supplies and uniforms this year.
Parents also faced an average cost of $242 per child for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs in schools where students were required to have their own tablets or laptops.