GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — This week if you are a parent, you are likely scrambling to get back to school shopping done before the first bell rings.
I wanted to take a look at school supply prices and give you a look at what popular supplies will cost you across an array of popular box retail stores.
Shout out to my friend and Rockford teacher, Alyssa Scheidel who gave me the list of needed supplies she sends out to her students ahead of the first day of school.
The list includes everything from backpacks and headphones, to Clorox wipes and composition notebooks. Some items are personal for the student and others will be used by the entire class.
We did our best to find the same products to compare prices between Target, Walmart, Meijer and Amazon.
Based on our back-to-school shopping trip (detailed below), here’s about what you can expect to pay for your full list across four major options:
TARGET: $135.52
WALMART: $136.78
MEIJER: $139.42
AMAZON: $131.96
As you can see prices were pretty even across the board. Amazon comes out cheapest at $131.96 dollars for the total specified using the same products at each retailer. Meijer coming in at the most expensive at $139.42
Here’s where you can find some savings.
Target and Amazon were cheapest for shoes:
GYM SHOES
TARGET: $32.99
S Sport By Skechers Kids' Spencer Sneakers - Black 5 : Target
WALMART: $34.90
Skechers Youth Boys Vortex 2.0 Sneaker - Walmart.com
MEIJER: $34.99
Skechers Boys Go Run 400 Athletic Shoes, Blue, Size 3 | Meijer
AMAZON: 26.88
Amazon.com | Skechers Boy's Go Run 400 V2 Sneaker, Black/Yellow, 13 Little Kid | Sneakers
Notebooks were cheapest at Walmart as well as masking tape and sandwich bags:
-1 PERSONAL NOTEBOOK (ANY DESIGN/COLOR)
TARGET:$1.39
https://www.target.com/p/wide-ruled-1-subject-flexible-plastic-cover-spiral-notebook-up-up/-/A-80796217?preselect=78871405#lnk=sametab
WALMART: $.45
Pen+Gear Wide Ruled 1-Subject Notebook, 8" x 10.5", Red, 70 Sheets - Walmart.com
MEIJER: $1.49
Mead Spiral Notebook, 1 Subject, Wide Ruled, 70 Sheets, 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" | Meijer
AMAZON: $2.50
Amazing has the cheapest headphones:
-HEADPHONES (LABELED WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME)
-TARGET: $14.99
Jbuddies Studio 2 Wired Kids Headphones - Black/pink : Target
-WALMART: $14:49
JLab Audio JBuddies Studio On-ear Kids Folding Headphones with Microphone, Volume Safe, Gray & Blue HJKSTUDIORGRYBLU6 - Walmart.com
-MEIJER: $14.99
JLab JBuddies Studio 2 Wired Headphones- Blue/Gray | Meijer
-AMAZON: $14
Amazon.com: JLab JBuddies Studio 2 On-Ear Kids Wired Headphones, Grey/Blue, Toddler Headphones, Kid Safe, Studio Volume Safe, Volume Limiter, Folding, Adjustable, Noise Isolation, with Mic : Electronics
When not looking at branded backpacks, Walmart had the cheapest option across the board at $3.99. The cheapest option on Meijer’s website was $17.49.
Here’s a look at a breakdown across the board:
BACKPACKS:
-TARGET: $5.00
Summit Ridge Kids' 17" Backpack - Swirl Butterfly : Target
-WALMART: $3.99
EUDIDV Water-Resistant backpack Large High School Student Backpack Sports Bag Female Schoolbag Male Fashion Trend Large Capacity Travel Travel Bag School Supplies Durable type - Walmart.com
-MEIJER: $17.49
FUEL SPORT SHOCK BACKPACK | Meijer
-AMAZON: 7.99
Amazon.com | Star Wars Mandalorian Kids Grogu All Over Print Backpack for Kids | Kids' Backpacks
