By Brittany Maroney
As national uproar spreads around teacher pay and educational funding, questions are also being raised around whether schools are increasingly underfunded for classroom supplies. Class supply lists continue to grow and are becoming more costly for families nationwide. DollarDays, a premier supplier of school supplies recently released a report that 80-85% of supplies were being purchased outside of the traditional month of August, indicating more teachers and parents are making purchases throughout the year, for items normally supported with tax dollars.
“The average class list costs parents more than $400 per year (per child) according to our data and those same families are expected to contribute additional items throughout the year. Where we used to see Back to School as a seasonal event, we are now seeing individuals making purchases throughout the year, often to offset the needs in classrooms,” says Shelly Chaney, Merchandising and Marketing Director of DollarDays. “When parents are unable to offset the costs, the deficit is passed along to teachers and schools. Retailers should be preparing for this shift from seasonal to year round buying by having an experienced source to find these supplies. Our company has leveraged our resources to ensure that we can offer a great selection of products, at a price that’s affordable, no matter the season.”
When it comes to school supplies, DollarDays is one of the most popular “Back to School” destinations. Sourcing their products from vendors across the nation, DollarDays offers over 75,000 products, sold at wholesale prices in bulk. And after seventeen years in the industry, they truly know how to source and support the products that ensure retailers keep high margins, without being concerned with warehousing product.
“Stocking the shelves with school supplies is about finding the right mix of offerings,” says Chaney. “We can partner with retailers to determine the right category mix, select the correct packaging options and determine whether planograms are the right methodology for their space, all while offsetting costs. This level of partnership ensures our customers have the right solution to sell these products and meet the needs of their own customers.”
As more schools face economic challenges and many districts transition to year-round curriculums, it’s no doubt that retailers will continue to see the “Back to School” industry break out of the traditional seasonal time period. In fact, it may be just a matter of time before school supplies become routine items for any retailers product mix.
You can learn more about DollarDays at www.dollardays.com.