Back to school means stores stock up

With the midpoint of August comes the return of back-to-school lists.

Retailers are in full swing with school shopping, offering a variety of notebooks, colored pencils, pencil pouches, erasers, markers, binders, paper, folders, pens, glue, sticky notes, scissors and rulers.

And classroom supplies are only one part of stocking up.

Many stores also sell lunchboxes, backpacks and water bottles, many boasting images of cartoon characters and superheros.

Consumers even can buy locker accessories that include a disco ball, locker wallpaper and mirrors. The National Retail Federation on July 15 reported back-to-school spending for college and other schools should reach $68 billion this autumn, which would be a nine percent drop form last year, according to CNBC.

But Molly Gansen, a foster and adoptive parent, doesn't care much for those items.

'I prefer to keep it pretty generic,' she said of her school-shopping style.

Gansen, president of the not-for-profit Families Helping Families of Iowa, in all has 10 children who range in age from two to 18.

'There are new things all the time,' Gansen said of back-to-school lists.

Every year she expects to buy supplies that go beyond the traditional pens and notebooks. She said she's purchased dry-erase markers, Clorox wipes and photocopy paper for her children.

Many parents expect to pay more each year. According to a survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers, 67 percent of consumers anticipate they will pay more on back-to-school shopping this year. That's a significant jump compared to the 50 percent who expected an increase in spending in 2014, and the 39 percent in 2013.

Backpacks also can be a costly back-to-school expense, Gansen said, with higher-priced school bags costing around $40.

'I was very surprised by the price of backpacks this year,' Gansen said. But she added cheaper backpacks can have straps fall off and zippers break within a few months.

Shoes also are on most back-to-school lists, noting that children can wear through or grow out of shoes about every three months.

'I have five boys, and they are definitely not into the $30 shoes,' Gansen said.

Christi Usher, a mother of two, said her children would need a new pair of shoes by Christmastime.

While shopping at Target last week, Usher said she wanted to buy backpacks and ear buds, which her children would use during computer times in class. They already purchased some school supplies at Wal-Mart, she said.

As for the apparel, Usher said she had planned to wait until Iowa's Sales Tax Holiday — which was Aug. 7 and 8 — to shop for back-to-school clothes.

With children growing quickly, Gansen said many parents buy kids new clothes along with fresh sets of underwear and socks to start off the school year.

'Water bottles — my kids go through those like lightning,' she said.

Giving away school supplies

In partnership with a number of local organizations, the Salvation Army gave away over 1,000 backpacks to Linn County children last weekend. The give away was part of the organization's back-to-school Backpack Project.

School supplies were included in the backpacks and the bags were given out based on a student's grade. The Salvation Army continued to give out backpacks to walk-in parents until Friday.

319-364-9131; www.tsacedarrapids.org

The non-profit Families Helping Families of Iowa has spent thousands of dollars this year providing school supplies for foster and adoptive children.

Families Helping Families of Iowa also provides school supplies to foster and adoptive children year-round.

319-294-9706; www.familieshelpingfamiliesofiowa.org