There are just some places that you should avoid purchasing school supplies. The reason is, because no matter how great one deal is, that is how they rope you in. They hope by offering a great deal, you’ll stay and purchase the rest. Not a good idea, if you are truly interested in saving money. There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of a deal, if its worth it, but don’t do the rest of your shopping there, just because its more convenient.
Here are some places to avoid purchasing school supplies:
Pharmacies – Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Eckerd, just to name a few. These places often offer awesome deals, and you should certainly take advantage of those. But if you comparison shop, you will see that many of the items they offer are much higher than elsewhere. Avoid purchasing more than just their sale items from these locations.
Office Supply Stores – While I did recommend visiting the office supply stores to take advantage of their school supply specials only, I don’t necessarily recommend doing your school supply shopping at an office supply store. Their prices are much higher and what they are doing is trying to get you into the store by offering the specials and hoping the convenience of shopping there, will make you overlook their high prices. Don’t fall for it!
Packaged School Supplies – While supporting your school’s PTA or PTO seems like a great idea, if you are trying to save money, it’s not. Many schools offer packages of already put together school supplies for a price. Usually the supplies are much more costly this way, because the proceeds benefit your schools’ PTA or PTO.
The Mall – Department stores and other specialty stores inside the mall, will often offer school supplies when you are picking up clothings, shoes and other items. Again, don’t fall for it. Those items are priced much higher than you’d find them elsewhere for.
Specialty Stores – Stationary, Crafts and other types of stores are much like the above, offering an item or two at a substantial discount, and then the rest of the supplies are there for you, at a cost much higher than elsewhere.
What other locations have you found to avoid during school supply shopping season?
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