Back-to-school shopping season is upon us, and parents around the nation are scrambling to make sure their kids have all the supplies they'll need this Fall. Back-to-school shopping can be a major hit to the budget, but coupon-savvy parents have mastered the art of slashing the overall cost of buying school supplies. Dealspotr recently surveyed 78 parents who are influential couponers, bloggers, and social media influencers to discover their back-to-school shopping habits and learn their secrets to saving more money.
We asked respondents at which retailers they did most of their back-to-school shopping. Wal-mart topped the list by a significant margin (66% of respondents), followed by Target (52%) then Staples (42%). Amazon was another popular choice (30%), followed by Office Depot (18%) and Dollar Tree (17%). Up-and-coming online retailer Jet.com (now owned by Wal-mart) is still relatively unknown, with only 1% of respondents doing most of their shopping on the site.
We asked survey respondents which retailer(s), in their experience, offered the best coupons and promotions during the back-to-school shopping season.
Staples was perceived as having the most compelling back-to-school discounts with 48% of the vote. Staples offers a unique 110% price match guarantee, which was popular with many coupon-savvy parents. Staples also has a reputation of offering extremely low prices on items during their back-to-school sales.
Wal-mart came in as the second-best retailer (at 43% of respondents) in terms of offering great discounts for back-to-school. Wal-mart offers the popular Savings Catcher feature in its mobile app which offers price matching benefits.
Target's popular Cartwheel app contributed to its third place appearance with 41% of respondents listing them as a top discounter for back-to-school savings.
Other retailers received significantly fewer votes than the top three, indicating that Staples, Wal-mart, and Target are perceived as offering the best discounts.
We asked respondents to tell us how much they spent (per-child) on back-to-school shopping. Surprisingly, two-thirds (67%) of respondents spent less than $50 per child. Only 5% of respondents spent over $150 per child.
Given that our survey respondents consisted of influencers in the deals community, perhaps these statistics indicate their enhanced ability to acquire more products at less cost.
77% of deal-savvy parents in our survey base were able to save more than 10% of their total back-to-school shopping cost using coupons, with 17% able to save over 50% using coupons. This statistic speaks to the effectiveness with which the most coupon-savvy shoppers are able to slash their purchase costs using coupons.
Coupons accessed from mobile applications (63%) along with coupon codes used online (63%) are the two most popular forms of coupons used by coupon influential parents. In-store printable coupons followed closely at 62%, along with sales received in email newsletters (60%).
We asked coupon bloggers to share their wisdom and inside tips on saving more money on back-to-school shopping, and here are some of the best responses.
Some states run a tax-free weekend when certain items escape sales tax. Couponers are well aware of these dates, and focus their back-to-school shopping on them.
If your state has a tax free weekend, take advantage of it. That coupled with coupons and already low prices can equal huge savings. For after school snacks and lunch box treats buy in bulk. Sam's, BJ's and Costco are your best friends. - Michelle Delgado of Most Awesome Mom
Stay away from brand names and trends! Wal-Mart now sells a bag of common school supplies for $15 and it includes everything kids need for back to school. - Vanessa Page of Vanessa's Money
The best time to shop back to school is about a few weeks after kids go back to school. Everything goes on clearance. Think of it like holidays..once the holiday is over everything gets marked down. So your biggest savings are going to be after your local school district goes back wait about a week or two after to do your school shopping. If you must get the supplies right away check Dollar Tree and Staples for the cheapest sales. - Nicole of Mom's Coupon Binder
Find a friend (or friends!) at the school and buy in bulk with coupons! Many retailers offer better prices on the larger packs of items and there are great coupon codes out there to save even more. Have you signed up for their emails? Often times that nets you a 15-25% off purchase coupon. Perfect when buying things like folders or notebooks online! - Kristina Bainbridge of Savory Savings
Go in with friends and buy school supplies at a large wholesale store like BJ's or Sam's. Always search for coupons on supplies you'll need. For instance, search "Notebook paper coupons". Find a coupon match up website that will give you info on a particular store's sales and what coupons are available for those items. And when school supplies go on deep clearance this year, snap them up for next year! - Vicky Floyd of Coupondipity
Buy in bulk and smartly re-use the extra! For example, extra supplies can be used to fill Operation Christmas Child boxes at holiday time. The white t-shirts my kids need for art class, I buy in my husband's size and refresh his t-shirt stash every fall with the extra. Similarly, I restock our own art supply stash at home, or I will even buy a large box of pencils and save half for the next year. As for the class lists of what donations the teachers would like? I match the two lists up for commonalities. This year, both listed sanitizing wipes, glue sticks, hand sanitizer and markers, so I bought all these items and bulk and split them up. Bulk-buying is the way to go! - Meredith Spidel of Mom of the Year
Stacking coupons on top of sales! Best way to get to use multiple coupons along with sales that are already going on. I love shopping the Back To School sales. Everything is already low, so when stacking coupons on top you get to save the maximum. - Lauren Cheely of Southern Mammas Reviews
See 30 more inside tips from lifestyle bloggers here.
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