It seems to me that all the anticipation, excitement, preparation (and expense!) for the beginning of the new school year is a marketer’s dream.
For school, there is the preliminary shopping for clothing and shoes. Lots of clothing and shoes. Even kids who wear the required school uniform want (need?) the approved variety of school uniform accessory choices.
There’s the backpack and items of organization to fill the backpack. Notebooks (one for each subject), pencils and pens and Sharpies, markers and crayons, binders, folders, rulers, mini-staplers, erasers, sticky notes, various sizes of note cards, assignment pad (often, one for each subject), and a whole bunch of other things that must be squished and squashed into the backpack.
And separate and distinct from the backpack is the gym bag, and all items to fill the gym bag. Oh, the sneakers, t-shirts, shorts, socks, baseball hat(s), sunblock, soap, towel.
Then there’s the brand new underwear. Why not start off fresh and clean?
And all manner of accessories. Pocketbooks, belts, jewelry, hair necessities. More baseball hats. Lunchboxes and/or designer lunch bags.
There are the haircuts. Visits to the dentist. Pediatrician appointments, just in case a kid wants to play sports, cheerlead, attend a school trip, and probably even if a kid wants to join the theater club or play a musical instrument.
(Oh yeah, must purchase musical instruments.)
Paperwork and checks from parents to sign up for tutorial sessions and/or PSAT and SAT preparation classes.
And let’s not forget the home assessment. Desk, fully equipped. Computer. Paper. Cartridges. Laptop. Dictionary. Thesaurus.
A cell phone. iPod (for relaxation/sports/bribery).
Possibly a new bike.
Or car. At which time gasoline factors in. And all other automotive necessities.
Need I go on!?
Now take, for example, when I was a kid in the 50’s and early 60’s. I remember getting a new pair of dressy “school shoes” for the first day of school (the ones that couldn’t be worn again until the holidays). A new dress or two (one year I got three and I thought I was a princess!). A bright new lunchbox.
And… well, that was about it. Except for the new underwear.
Where were all the marketing geniuses back then, when I could have benefited from getting some of this cool back to school loot!?
- Sharon
Yikes! I think I just had a panic attack there, lol. It’s not too bad for us yet, but I know all of that is coming as the kids get older and more into ‘real’ school. Maybe I should’ve gone into merchandising…
Oh Sharon, all I could think of once I read about the uniform ordering was my sister, Jamee. It was one of the last things she put in order before she died–got Sarah’s school uniforms ordered. She wanted so much to be involved in that process for her little girl.
She died in late July and the uniforms arrived a few weeks later–bittersweet. Very difficult for Andy, yet Sarah (unaware of the significance) was quite excited!
On my homefront, forget the new clothes–I shelled out $120.00 last month for the two highschoolers JUST for their activity passes, parking permits, planners, etc. And they call it free education..pshh! The graphing calculators, binders for every subject, dues for clubs, swim gear for the team, KILL us! xoxo
my hands are sweating. there’s a lump in my throat and i need a nap after reading this.
Amanda’s in her senior year this year and we’re delving into scholarships, admissions processes, SAT’s, etc. It’s SO hard!
wow, it sounds like quite an expensive venture…
I hear you! I’m so glad that Girlie Girl is now going to a school with uniforms. We have to pay for that, too, but it sure helps with having to buy the latest fashions for her.
I so vividly remember the biggest thrill of each new school year for me back in 1970 something and the early 80’s was getting my very own, brand new shiny Trapper Keeper. One year I got one with a pic of a puppy on it. Does it get any better than that?!
I am now TERRIFIED!! Should I start shopping NOW for next year? Mason will be in Kindergarten and I saw the list the school supplies for all the items….I’m supposed to buy ziploc bags 3 diff. sizes, 3 packs of tissues, 3 thinkgs of hand sanitizer, crayons, markers, and color pencils for the CLASS ROOM!! Plus some other stuff! WHAT THE HECK???
It was easier when I sent to school too in the early 80s!! yeash!
Even preschoolers need new things
I manage to stock up on the school supplies, but was completely unprepared for the 3 bottles of Clorox Anywhere spray or three bottles of Lysol wipes…
I brought the girls backpacks from LLBean but they were told they better pick one they like as they aren’t getting a new one for a long, long time. I remember getting a new one (or three when it inevidably broke) growing up and now as a parent not sure why I was allowed to if I had one that was fine. Same as winter coats – if it fits and it’s clean you have to keep it!
The girls have uniforms, but your right, there are things they can accessories with – tights, sneakers for gym days, hair ties, notebooks, folders, bling for their backpacks.
Have you seen the “dorm life” line at Target?? It looks like it is only going to get worse!
And I’m stressed about 1st grade? I won’t make through high school.
But then you would have been raised by a nutcase mom (like me) who nearly fainted when she totaled up the amounts of money she’d spent on all that school stuff! I think I need to take out a 2nd on my house now!
And can someone please tell me why a 10-year-old needs a memory stick?