How do Officeworks, Big W and Kmart’s school supplies stack up?
A Choice survey has put the ruler over the prices of popular retailers for a basket of back to school supplies — see which store came out cheapest.
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Retailers are in a price battle to win over shoppers for back-to-school supply basics.
And families who shop around can cut their spend by about 10 per cent, consumer group Choice has found.
A Choice price survey found the cost of a basket of classroom essentials at three major stores varied from $26.87 to $30.
It declared Officeworks the cheapest choice for the reviewed basket of 17 back-to-school staples at $26.87.
Big W was next at $29.69, and Kmart the most expensive at $30.
Choice reviewed prices for comparable items including pencils, pens, scissors, rulers, erasers and water bottles.
Big W had fallen slightly behind this year, it said, pushed from first place by Officeworks.
Choice’s managing editor, Marg Rafferty, said many parents would be heading to the shops this week in a last-minute rush to get back to school items as the holidays draw to an end.
“There are a lot of different options when shopping, so it pays to be aware of the cost of individual items because it does all add up,” Ms Rafferty said.
She suggested parents carefully check what was actually needed to avoid overspending.
“Don’t buy things if they are not needed, it’s very easy to give in to pester power.
“Take a stocktake at home to see whether you have things that are still usable rather than buying new items.”
Ms Rafferty said that once uniforms, shoes, backpacks, lunch boxes and devices were added to stationery needs, budgets could be substantially stretched, especially if there was more than one child at school.
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“It pays to save where you can, as every dollar counts,” she said.
Choice’s survey checked prices in stores and online on the same day in mid-January.
The Herald Sun has revealed some families are turning to payday lenders and getting themselves into “catastrophic” debt to pay rising back to school costs.
Relief agencies have reported being overwhelmed by the number of parents seeking help as the new school year looms.