Back to School shopping for uniforms and shoes to cost $1 billion, Big W data finds
Australian parents are set to spend more than $1 billion on uniforms and shoes alone in the back to school rush... but South Australian shoppers are the thriftiest of all the states — SEE OUR TOP 10 SHOPPING TIPS TO SAVE MONEY.
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Exclusive: Australian parents are set to spend more than $1 billion on uniforms and shoes in the back to school rush as retailers clamour for their every dollar.
The Back to School 2019 report, conducted by YouGov Galaxy on behalf Big W surveyed 1112 adults with children aged five to 17 across Australia.
Overall, it found parents plan to spend an average $476 per child on getting their kids back to school items including uniforms, shoes, backpacks, stationery, lunch boxes and water bottles.
When compared by state, Victorian parents are the top spenders at $530 per child, while Queensland came in second at $482, followed by NSW ($456), Western Australia ($439) and South Australia ($401).
The biggest expenses will be uniforms and shoes, costing a national average of $220 combined per child.
Already, Australia’s biggest discount stores including Big W, Target, Kmart and supermarkets including ALDI, Woolworths and Coles have begun their back to school advertising blitz to win over parents with bargain deals.
The top-selling back to school item at Big W currently is a UHU Value Glue Stic 40g valued at $1.20, which is matched by Officeworks for the same price, but can be found online at Woolworths for $2.95 and at Spotlight for $2.99.
While 81 per cent of parents said they had started shopping, 46 per cent of parents admit to doing it last-minute.
A further 78 per cent of parents overall prefer to shop in-store than online for back to school items, with South Australians leading the way with 95 per cent of them physically shopping in-store.
Of the items that need replacing during the year, 88 per cent said school shoes needed to be bought again, following by water bottles (78 per cent), pencil cases/stationery (65 per cent), lunch boxes (62 per cent), uniforms (63 per cent), hats (58 per cent) and school bags (44 per cent).
‘I JUST GET THEM WHAT THEY NEED’
Laura Brooks, 33, from Woori Yallock in Victoria, has a blended family of 12 children with her husband Dale.
They include Ruby, 2, Lulu, 4, Kenzi 5, Parker, 6, Erica, 6, Isabella, 7, Ronan, 8, Chelsea, 9, Joss, 11, Kobi, 13, Laine, 14 and Amity, 15.
She told News Corp she buys back to school items for her six children.
“High school uniforms cost more it’s about $80 per dress but in primary it’s about $30,” she said.
“My son Kobi has shoes that need to be polishable and that’s about $70 or $80 dollars.
“But my daughter Amity can wear any plain black shoes but she wants a brand name so that’s already around $150.”
Mrs Brooks said she manages paying for her kids’ books and stationery in primary school by getting the school to deduct money from their account every payday.
“But this doesn’t help with shoes and uniforms so we buy one school T-shirt with a logo on it for $30 that they can wear if they’re getting an award or at school photos,” she said.
“I then buy three or four plain polo T-shirts for each of them from Big W or Kmart for a few dollars which makes a huge difference.”
But she said high school is more of an expensive challenge.
“We have to pay for everything — the uniform and sports uniform is $450,” she said.
“Their books, ebooks, all the different pens, pencils, rulers — it adds up. Textbooks can be $79 and an ebook can be another $50, and my son needs an iPad too.”
But Mrs Brooks said they were prepared for the costs.
“I just get them what they need, I’m not wasting money on something that doesn’t bring them huge amounts of joy and I’d rather put it towards a holiday and they know that.”
‘IT’S A BIT DAUNTING’
Sara Keli from Baulkham Hills in Sydney, told News Corp her daughter Olivia, 5, will be going to school for the first time this year.
Mrs Keli, 35, said the process of buying back to school items was “a bit daunting”.
“Parents who have done it multiple times have a better grasp, but when it’s your first time you just hope you’re doing the right thing,” she said.
“It’s just so expensive just looking at the uniforms and we have a list of stationery items to buy.”
“The dresses are $55 each, a sports uniform is another $50, jacket is $50, bag $45, library bag $15 — we keep getting emails and it’s a lot to digest and you’re easily spending over $200.”
She said she spent $170 on her daughter’s school shoes and sport shoes.
“I haven’t added in her lunch box, drink bottle, cooler bag, socks and hair ties, a purse for money for school and other little things.”
While it is an expense, she said she had planned early for it by putting money aside because they don’t have any second-hand options.
She said she likes to shop in-store with Olivia, not online, as it’s part of the “excitement of starting school”.
“She asked me the other day ‘Can we pretend our house is school so we can start understanding what big school is like?’,” she said.
‘$25.20 FOR GLUE STICKS, NO WAY’
Melissa and Joshua Dodd from Victoria Point in Queensland are ready for this year’s back to school shopping after making “rookie errors” years ago.
Their daughter Audrey, 8, is going into Year 3 and her son Harry, 6, will be going into Year 2.
Melissa, 37, told News Corp she used to order everything on the book list from her school, which was a “costly error”.
“We still use the school stockist for speciality items you can’t buy from Big W or Kmart but I look at what I have, and what I need and stick to a list,” she said.
“My daughter’s book list would come to $150 in total without a discount if I ordered everything direct from the school. I got this down to $75.20 as I’m not going to spend $25.20 on an eight-pack of glue sticks for example. It’s ridiculous.”
She said the cost of her son’s book and stationery list would’ve been $154, but she got it down to $92.10.
“All the highlighters, coloured pencils, textas I’m going to buy elsewhere. The kids love Smiggle lunch boxes which they’ve been gifted for Christmas and Spencil plastic book covers but we can re-use them.”
She said Audrey’s new shoes cost $130 as she invested in a pair of Clarks, and Harry will be wearing her old ones she’s grown out of.
As for sport shoes she will be heading to outlets to buy some ASICS or Nikes that will cost a combined total of $150 for them.
While she has her uniforms sorted, she said the national average cost of going back to school was about right.
“It’s all the little things that add up — even labelling kids’ school items is costly and if you have a child that’s had a growth spurt or one that likes to rough and tumble, you will need to buy more items,” she said.
“We’re also lucky in that we have a great community where we can share good quality second-hand uniforms too.
“But if you look at what’s around and up cycle you can be savvy and be smart you can make savings, and we’re very mindful of what we need versus what we want.”
DON’T DESPAIR
Mozo consumer advocate Tom Godfrey told News Corp family finances are often stressed after the Christmas retail frenzy and families must look for ways to save.
“It’s a great time to teach your kids about budgeting and the price premiums brands charge for similar products,” he said.
“Why not show your kids how to bank a saving by avoiding colourful big name brands and opting for a little DIY creative on basic books, bags and notebooks. Getting your kids to customise their own products will not only save you money — it’s fun.”
With big ticket items like school shoes, he said parents should shop around.
“It always pays to check prices online before heading in-store,” he said.
“And remember with kids growing so fast splashing out on a pricey pair might not end up being the best value for money.”
Mr Godfrey also suggested parents should open a savings account and put a little money aside each payday.
“If you can make last year’s uniform work until term starts, the second-hand uniform shop can be your ticket to serious savings,” he added.
10 BACK TO SCHOOL SAVING TIPS
1. Write a list for each child and set a budget
2. Plan your purchases and identify opportunities for getting second hand items
3. Compare prices online, overseas and in-store
4. Look for big ticket items in the post-Christmas sales
5. Check which notebooks you have to buy through your school to avoid doubling up
6, Decorate your own generic notebooks and avoid pricey big name brands
7. Put a call out on your social channels for second hand uniforms
8. Consider buying black sneakers that can be used for school & sport
9. Put your child’s name on all items and buy and extra hat — you’ll need it!
10. Open a savings account and start a savings plan for next year
SOURCE: MOZO
Originally published as Back to School shopping for uniforms and shoes to cost $1 billion, Big W data finds
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