It’s back-to-school time here in the U.S. and that can mean only one thing… shopping. Yes, the age-old tradition of back-to-school shopping is in full swing and, for many parents out there, the final window of opportunity will be closing this weekend. The state of Texas has stepped in to offer a “Sales Tax Holiday” this weekend (August 20-22), a program also offered in many other states throughout the country, but is it enough to lure and your family away from the A/C and out into the heat of summer?
With the highest sales tax in the U.S. hovering at about 10.75% (California), you have to ask yourself if the savings are worth the effort. Crowded stores, long-lines, uncooperative kids and driving all over town might save you that 10%, but what if you could save more from the comfort of your own home or office? I think it is possible to save on your back-to-school shopping and, if you start today, you can still have your student(s) stocked up and ready to head off to their first day.
Start With Amazon.com
No other online business makes shopping as easy as Amazon.com. Take that required list of school supplies provided by your school district and head over to the Back-to-School Savings area. Items on Amazon.com are typically less-expensive than their big-box store counterparts and you don’t pay tax, ever (at least in Texas). Become a member of Amazon Prime (FREE trials available, $79 a year) and you can take advantage of unlimited fast shipping, including FREE Two-Day shipping and One-day shipping for $3.99 per item on all eligible purchases.
I myself have been an Amazon Prime member for the last year and I will never go without it again.
Shop Competitvely
I’m not saying you need to put on a helmet and pads, but you do need to flex your tech skills to get the best prices on the more expensive items on your child’s list. Whether your college freshman needs a new laptop or your middle-schooler needs a backpack, you can use online or smartphone shopping tools to compare prices from other retailers before making your decision to purchase.
For those of you with smartphones (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry) there are numerous barcode scanning apps that you can download. ShopSavvy (my favorite Android tool) is just one of these apps, which allows you to scan a barcode and get instant comparison results from over 20,000 retailers and 200,000 products. In many cases, the online price of an item can be 20%, 30% or more off of retail.
Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!
No matter where you end up shopping, don’t forget the coupons. “But why would a blog about computers and tech write about something as traditional as coupons?” you might ask. Coupons have evolved as much as shopping over the last few years. Not only can you find coupon codes for just about any website (thanks to RetailMeNot.com), retailers like Target and JCPenney are distributing digital coupons that cam be redeemed right from the screen of your smartphone.
For Next Year
Unfortunately, it’s too late to take advantage of this great service I found while doing my research. Next year, stay ahead of the game and order your supplies from a company like School-Pak, Inc. They have been preparing and shipping packaged school supplies since 1991. You email them your list and they send you a quote for all the items and delivery.
If you have school shopping left to do, just open a new tab in your browser and get started now. You could be done with it all before you leave the office today. If you know someone else with school-aged children, forward this article on. They’ll thank you later.
Tags: Amazon.com, Android, back-to-school, barcode, Blackberry, high school, iPhone, online coupons, retailmenot.com, sales tax, sales tax holiday, school. elementary, shop savvy, supplies, tax free weekend
