It’s that time again! It’s time to start shopping for the new school year. There’s so many option out there, how do you know the best places to buy school supplies? I’m here to make things a little easier for you. I’m sharing the 10 best places to buy school supplies, and I’ll tell you why each of them is a good option. Plus I have a few other helpful tips in store including a list of tax free states and the specific dates for each state.
Do you like to make school shopping easy with a one stop shop, or do you prefer to shop around and find the best deals? Either way, I’m here to help you. I’m sharing all the deets to make your school shopping experience the best yet.
10 Best Places to Buy School Supplies
- Walmart
- Target
- Amazon
- Staples
- Office Depot
- Dollar Tree
- Kohl’s
- Discount School Supply
- Etsy
- Best Buy
Now let’s take a look at why these are the best places to buy school supplies
Walmart
Walmart is your best one-stop-shop option for buying school supplies. If you want to go to only one store to get all your school supplies, Walmart is the place to be. Overall, they have the cheapest prices on the majority of items. You’ll find the best deals on school supplies at the end of July and into the beginning of August. This is when you’ll find items like 2 packs of glue sticks for $0.50, crayons for $0.50, glue bottles for $0.50, composition notebooks for $0.50 and lots more!
My kids go to a school where they have to wear uniforms, and honestly, Walmart is one of my favorite places to buy their school uniforms. I always buy my son’s uniform pants here, and they usually last all year (unless he’s especially rough on a pair or two). I buy all three kids’ polos at Walmart. All of my kids prefer their polos over other brands, and they’re cheaper, so it’s a win win for me! Their polos are softer than a pique polo, and they hold up really well. My kids use their polos for multiple years, and I would consider them fade resistant. I like the quality of their skirts and jumpers for the girls, but they aren’t always the length required by our school. And, Walmart is a great place to buy the extras like socks, belts, etc.
For even more savings, make sure to check out the details at the bottom of this post for using the iBotta app to get some school supplies absolutely free!
Target
Target can be another good one-stop-shop option, especially if you live in the area. Which I do not (gasp!). Target does store pick up as well, including those inexpensive stock up items like glue sticks, crayons, markers and more. They also have several school supplies in their store brand, Up and Up for even less than what you’ll find at Walmart and with the brand names. I cannot personally vouch for the store brand in school supplies as I’ve never personally used them. When it comes to school supplies I have to say, I’m a staunch Crayola and Elmer’s fan. But if you’re not, great, that means even more savings for you!
Target is also a great store to purchase new clothes and shoes for school. And if you have a child heading off to college, Target is a great place to buy all those necessities for dorm life.
Amazon
I would personally choose to purchase my smaller school items likes glue, crayons, markers, etc. in-store at Walmart or Target. However, Amazon can still be a great option when shopping for school supplies. Their inventory is so large you’re sure to find great options on backpacks, shoes, clothes, lunch boxes, dorm necessities, and general supplies listed on those school supply lists.
To find the best deals that Amazon has to offer on school supplies, I would suggest following a deal site or social page like Fun2Find Deals on Facebook. She’s always sharing great deals and exclusive discounts for her followers. And you better believe around back-to-school time she is scouring Amazon for those one-off best deals. So if you don’t mind making your purchases here and there for one or two items at a time so that you can get the best deals, Amazon’s special sales may be just for you. You just have to be willing to be patient and pay attention.
Staples
If you’re planning to purchase all your school supplies at Staples you’ll probably end up spending more overall than if you shop at other stores. However, if you like to shop around for the best deals, you can often find amazing steals on select items at Staples around back-to-school time. Look for deals like $0.25 for a box of #2 pencils, a box of pens for less than $1, and poly folders for $0.50.
If you’re needing office supplies or office furniture like a computer chair for the dorm room, you can find great steals sometimes from Staples.
Office Depot
Office Depot is similar to Staples in that you may not want to purchase all of your school supplies at Office Depot, but if you’re a bargain shopper looking for the best deals, you can run across some items that have the same or better prices than other stores. Watch for their limited time School Shopping Flash Sales and one-day special offers to find the best deals.
Dollar Tree
I’m personally a fan of Dollar Tree. However, you do have to know what to look out for there and what to skip. Some of the smaller supplies on your child’s school supply list like crayons and glue are going to be cheaper and better quality at Walmart or Target during the months of July and August. If your child needs a basic calculator for math, the ones you can pick up for $1 at Dollar Tree are a great option.
Some other great options to grab at Dollar Tree are construction paper, poster board (2/$1), project display boards, binders, loose leaf notebook paper 200ct, and organizational supplies for lockers, school cubbies, etc.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s is a great option for getting those back-to-school clothes, backpacks, and dorm room essentials. This store always has sales going on. Plus, you can stack coupons which can give you some amazing deals. If you happen to have some Kohl’s Cash, you can stack that on top of the coupons and sales and get prices you won’t find anywhere else.
If you don’t have a Kohl’s credit card, it’s one I would suggest. I don’t get anything out of promoting this card, I just think it’s worth it for these reasons. You often get a higher percent discount when you use their credit card, and you can pay off the amount at the register right after you make the purchase. No need to hold off and wait for a month until the credit card statement comes through.
Discount School Supply
Discount School Supply can be a good option for school supplies if you have several children or you like to purchase in bulk. It’s also a great site for teachers. Discount School Supply also carries a wide variety or art supplies. If you only need a handful of each item, this is probably not the place for you to shop. But for those looking to purchase bulk school supplies this may be just the place for you.
Etsy
If you’ve read some of my other posts, like this Etsy Gift Guide For the Entire Family, you’ll know that I’m a fan of Etsy. So what kind of school supplies can you find on Etsy? Etsy is a great place to purchase personalized items for school like stickers and labels for all those supplies you spent your hard earned dollars on. You’ll find personalized items from pens and pencils to backpacks and water bottles.
There are tons of planner options on Etsy, you’re sure to find something that fits your needs. Plus, find one-of-kind backpacks, lunch boxes and more. There’s a good chance you won’t have to worry about another person in your child’s class having a matching backpack to get mixed up.
Best Buy
Best Buy is a good option if you’re looking for new electronics for your child such as a new computer or laptop, tablets, phones, high end calculators, smart notebooks and more.
Bonus school shopping tips to help you find the best places to buy school supplies
Back-to-school clothes for the win!
Just as important as the best places to buy back-to-school supplies is the best place to buy back-to-school clothes. We all know kids grow out of their clothes like every other second. So of course they bound to need new school clothes every single year. As mentioned previously, Kohl’s is a great option for back-to-school clothes. Another great option for back-to-school clothes is The Children’s Place. The Children’s Place is especially great for clothes they’re just going to play in, and you know they’ll get dirty often. They always offer free shipping and have great sales during the back-to-school season.
State Sales Tax Free Weekend by State with dates for 2021
Not all states offer tax free weekends, but for those that do you’ll definitely want to take advantage of this tax-free shopping. Not all products are eligible for this sales tax free weekend, but many items you would want for school are included such as school supplies, clothing and shoes are most often included. Make sure to check your specific state qualifications to find out what is eligible in your state and what is excluded. An extra bonus is, the state sales tax free weekend also applies to online shopping!
The first weekend in August is the most common weekend for sales tax free weekends, but not all states follow this.
Click on each state name to access more details from each state’s government website regarding their state sales tax free weekend and sales tax holidays.
Alabama Back to School Sales Tax Holiday: July 16-18, 2021
Arkansas Tax Free Weekend: August 7-8, 2021
Connecticut Tax Free Week: August 15-21, 2021
Florida Tax Free Holidays: July 1-7, 2021 and July 31-August 9, 2021
Iowa Tax Free Weekend: August 6-7, 2021
Maryland Sales Tax Holiday: August 8-14, 2021
Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday: August 14-15, 2021
Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday: July 30-31, 2021
Missouri Back to School Sales Tax Holiday: August 6-8, 2021
New Mexico Tax Free Weekend: August 6-8, 2021
Ohio Sales Tax Free Weekend: August 6-8, 2021
Oklahoma Tax Free Weekend: August 6-8, 2021
South Carolina Sales Tax Holiday: August 6-8, 2021
Tennessee Sales Tax Holidays: July 30- August 1, 2021 and July 30- August 5, 2021
Texas Back to School Sales Tax Holiday/Tax Free Weekend: August 6-8, 2021
Virginia Sales Tax Holiday: August 6-8, 2021
West Virginia Sales Tax Holiday: July 30- August 2, 2021
iBotta App Back to School Free for All
As of July 2021, if you don’t yet have the iBotta app, you’ll want to make sure you go and download it now! Now through the month of August they have a list of back-to-school items that you can get completely free with their cash back. It’s literally cash that you can just put right back into your checking account. Plus you can get $10 just for creating a free account and redeeming your first cash back offer.
iBotta is not just for school supplies. You can get cash back on groceries you already purchase anyway. Plus, you can get cash back on your purchases from tons of online retailers. It costs nothing to download the app, and it brings you free money! So what can it hurt?! Download the iBotta app now.
Use it for school supplies and groceries at places like Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, Aldi, Instacart and many more.
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