The majority of parents (58%, to be exact) think school supplies have become more expensive – no surprise, when families with school-age children expect to spend an average of $890.07 on back-to-school shopping this year. Blame it on inflation, school supply lists that keep getting longer, and higher-ticket tech items that have become necessities rather than nice-to-haves.
For so many reasons, back-to-school shopping can be a pain in the wallet.
But you don’t have to break the bank just to send your kid to school. Lots of stores have awesome back-to-school deals on school supplies, electronics, shoes and clothing, and more, for kids from pre-K through college. Here are some of our favorites.
PRO TIP: Get the ID.me Shop Chrome Extension to discover instant savings!
Preparing for Back-to-School Shopping: Finding Savings
Finding low prices and snagging special deals are the first steps to saving money. Here are some other ways to stretch your dollar:
- Shop during your state’s tax-free weekend
- Shop with brands that have cash-back offers
- Verify your community affiliation (Military, Nurse, First Responder, Teacher, and more) through ID.me to get exclusive deals
- Take 10 seconds to install the ID.me Shop Chrome Extension
School Supplies, Office Supplies, and Stationery
Think “back-to-school” and the first image your mind might conjure is a mountain of school supplies like scissors, glue sticks, crayons, pens, and binders. Get all of these items and more at fantastic prices from the stores below.
Office Depot & OfficeMax
Office Depot and OfficeMax don’t just sell office supplies, stationery, and office furniture, they have great back-to-school deals, too!
Back-to-school deals: Save up to 60% on back-to-school basics, and find school supplies like notebooks, glue sticks, scissors, coloring supplies, and more for just 50 cents each! Find a great selection of lunch boxes and backpacks, too, some of which are on sale.
Bonus feature: Not sure what your kid needs? Put in your zip code to find your school’s school supplies list. You’ll find a handy checklist to help keep you on track.
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to get up to 3% cash back.
Staples
Staples has a huge selection of office supplies, stationery, furniture, and more, and right now it’s running some great back-to-school specials.
Back-to-school deals: Get basics like glue sticks for just 40 cents, crayons, notebooks for 50 cents each, and Crayola markers for 99 cents. You can also get 20% off calculators and find great, affordable backpacks and lunchboxes, too.
Bonus feature: Staples also lets you put in your zip code to find your child’s back-to-school supplies list. It comes up as items that are ready to add right to your cart for seamless shopping.
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to get up to 1.5% cash back.
School Lunches & Dorm Living
Your kid needs more than just some glue sticks and colored pencils to get through the school year! These wholesale clubs are a great place to get deals on other necessities, like dorm life essentials for your college student (think: bedding, toiletries, furniture) or food to pack in your kid’s new lunchbox.
Sam’s Club
Sam’s is a wholesale club discount store with great prices on large quantities for club members. Save money on big quantities – ideal if you’re shopping for multiple kids.
Back-to-School deals: Sam’s back-to-school shop has everyday great prices on items including school supplies, clothing, furniture and accessories for college life, electronics, and food. Special deals change regularly, so check with your local club.
Save even more: For a limited time, use your ID.me discount to save 50% off your first-time membership fee if you’re a Military member, Nurse, First Responder, Teacher, Medical Professional, Student, or Senior.
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Like Sam’s, BJ’s is a wholesale club discount store with a huge variety of products and brands at great prices.
Back-to-School deals: BJ’s has good prices on school supplies, food, shoes and clothing, and more, with a special emphasis on dorm room furniture and accessories for the college student. Deals change regularly; check with your local club.
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to get exclusive savings if you’re part of the Military, Teacher, Student, or Medical community.
Computers & Electronics
Back-to-school shopping season is one of the best times of the year to get hot new tech like laptops, wearables, and TVs for the upcoming school year. These brands have great deals right now, so you can get more bang for your buck.
HP
HP is known for their high-quality reliable computers and accessories. Right now, HP has some great offers on desktops, laptops, and more for back-to-school savings.
Back-to-School deals: HP is currently running a Back-to-School sale with PCs starting at $249.99 and free shipping nationwide. You can save hundreds off of HP’s laptop and desktop computers, with the option to customize many of them to your preferred specs!
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to save up to 62% off and get free shipping if you’re part of the Military, Nurse, First Responder, or Medical community.
Dell
Dell is another big name in computers, and what sets them apart is their approach to customizing. Most models allow you to choose the processor, graphics card, memory, hard drive storage capacity, and more so you can get the computer you need.
Back-to-School deals: Get hundreds or even thousands of dollars off laptops, desktops, gaming PC set ups, and monitors, plus save on accessories and extras like laptop bags, during Dell’s once-a-year Summer Sale.
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to save 10% off if you’re part of the Military community.
Best Buy
Best Buy has everyday low prices on computers and accessories as well as other consumer electronics, games, movies, and more. It’s a great place to look for laptops and desktops for the school year, plus other electronics – like TVs, stereo systems, and even small kitchen appliances! – for college students looking to deck out their dorm rooms.
Back-to-School deals: Save on electronics of all kinds, like laptops, desktops, monitors, tablets, gaming set ups and accessories, printers, smart watches, and more.
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to get up to 0.2% cash back.
Clothes & Shoes for Back-to-School
Kids grow up so fast, and it’s likely your little one (or not-so-little one) needs new shoes and clothes for the school year. Check out these stores with awesome back-to-school deals on shoes and clothing now.
Reebok
In addition to its adult-sized shoes and clothing, Reebok has a wide selection of athletic shoes and clothes for kids from preschool to high school. Even better, Reebok is running a fantastic back-to-school offer right now.
Back-to-School deals: Save up to 50% with the code BACKTOSCHOOL on select items.
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to save 50% off if you’re part of the Military, Nurse, First Responder, Teacher, Government, or Medical community.
Old Navy
Old Navy is known for its fun, affordable clothing for kids and adults alike. But did you also know it has great basics for school uniforms? Find shirts, sweaters, polos, pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, and even shoes in solid, neutral colors
Back-to-School deals: Save money and get an extra 30% off at checkout on items from The Uniform Shop through September 30 2023. Old Navy also has deals on an ever-changing selection of casual clothing for kids and adults, so check back often to catch limited-time deals.
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to get up to 3.0% cash back.
JCPenney
JCPenney has always been a family-friendly department store with great back-to-school promotions on a wide variety of different brands. Save money on items for kids from toddlers to high school seniors to college students.
Back-to-School deals: JCPenney is currently running money-saving promotions on kids clothing (including uniform staples), shoes, accessories, backpacks, lunchboxes, and more, plus items college students need like bedding, bathroom essentials, kitchen items, and more.
Save even more: Use your ID.me discount to get up to 3.0% cash back.
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