Best Bargains on Back-To-School Supplies

It is that familiar time of year again....summer has nearly drawn to a close, fall is just around the corner, and depending on the age of your children, they are either eagerly anticipating the return to school or dreading it like the plague. Regardless, the school supplies shopping list is part of every student's vocabulary and an assignment that must be completed prior to the start of school.

Do a Little Homework to Track Down the Best Bargains on Back-to-School Supplies

Smart and savvy parents will browse the circulars, watch the commercials, and hunt around online for the best deals at local discount stores so that their back-to-school dollars are stretched to the maximum extent possible. In this economy, a little shopping homework and reconnaissance is a necessary evil to save a few bucks and pennies.

Shop the Deals at Local Discounters for Best Values in School Supplies

Each and every store will likely have some sort of savings offerings on school supplies. The trick is to know which store has the most savings on the particular items on your child's back-to-school supplies list. Driving to and fro to save a few pennies and requiring that you frequent half a dozen stores defeats the purpose and is way beyond the call of duty. However, doing a bit of quick research online, by phone, or in circulars and planning your shopping attack can help save you serious coin.

Consider these three stores in your research, at a minimum, and preferably for your eventual back-to-school shopping. For, these familiar discount stores traditionally offer the best economical deals on the widest variety of school supplies across all ages.

1. Wal-Mart.Many of the best deals in town are found there. All of the staples and ample selection exist there, too. Wal-Mart even has many dollar bins now to help with further savings. Watch for the red "roll-back" signs for even further savings. From pencils to folders to spiral notebooks to pens to notebook paper, Wal-Mart has you covered with a wide variety of quality and offerings at discounted prices. There are frequent online specials, as well. Wal-Mart accepts coupons, so if you have them from the Internet, circulars, or other sources, don't forget to bring them along. Wal-Mart is also a convenient shopping point because they have a kiosk at this time of year containing the school supplies lists for most of the local schools to make parents' shopping trips as easy as possible and to provide the list of what is needed for a child's particular age and grade at his own school and unique to his particular teacher assignment. For quality and price, Wal-Mart is a great place to start (if not finish) your back-to-school shopping.

2. Dollar Tree. This bargain venue may not have a huge selection, items may go out of stock fast, and the quality may not be at the top of the charts; however, the savings are undeniable. Consider it as a "go to" place for staples that don't really depend on a name brand or top quality. For example, for pencils, pens, invisible tape, glue, scissors, and markers, this is a good place to start. You are likely to find some of the lowest deals in town there. For items like notebook paper, organizers, folder systems, book covers, and more specialized items, a larger selection such as that available at Wal-Mart, Office Max, or Office Depot will likely become necessary. Often, the older your child, the more particular and specialized the list, and the more expensive the individual items on the list are likely to be.

3. Target. In an attempt to keep up with and compete against the Wal-Marts and Dollar Trees of the world, Target has attempted to enter the dollar arena with the bins located at the entrance of most stores. This is a great place to start for school supplies. The best deals are likely found there. Also, remember to check the daily deals online, as well. Additionally, Target carries several designer and specialty lines unique to its brand and school supplies are no different in this respect. Backpacks, organizers, stationery, and items of that type are offered in a variety of patterns and styles, and many of them are unique to Target. Target also accepts major coupons, so don't forget to bring them along. Target offers a wide variety of brands for each item on your child's school supplies list and they too have kiosks with local school lists to assist parents in making their shopping as convenient as possible. The quality of the items available at Target is likely not a problem either. Target is a good place to go for the more specialty items and those supplies on your older child or teen's school supply list because their patterns, styles, and designs are likely to appeal to the older students who are more prone to express a preference in their back-to-school supplies purchases.

Whether it's Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree, or Target, you are able to save appreciably in making your back-to-school supplies purchases if you do a little advanced homework to ascertain where the best deals are at each respective store. So, watch those commercials, read those ads, look at those circulars, and browse those emails and websites to locate the best deals possible before heading out to fill your shopping carts with the trappings of going back to school. Happy smart shopping!