Maritimers start the shift from beach days to book bags

The count down to back to school is officially on with just two weeks until the first day of classes in New Brunswick, and for many that means it’s time for back-to-school shopping.

Inside We Got Stuff in Riverview, N.B., business is picking up as summer is winding down.

“People are coming in of all different ages looking for a bargain before they head back to school,” said owner and assistant manager Kim Bennett.

“We have, as well as children and families coming in, we have the adults coming in that are going back to say the business schools, the universities, the community colleges looking for business causal wear.”

The discount store offers new and used clothes at a fraction of the price and Bennett says that’s exactly what families are looking for this year.

“What they’re basically saying is they’re looking for a good deal along with purchasing the school items such as your book bags… and those back to school items that you need, those aren’t something that you can thrift for,” she said.

At We Got Stuff all of the prices include the taxes and give people the option to buy brand new clothes for a discount or vendor clothes including brand names at prices parents can afford.

“We understand as grandparents what it costs to put your child through school, but not only that they grow out of their items so fast so if we can provide a little bit of a discount, a little bit of relief in your pocketbook, then we’re happy to do so,” said Bennett.

Parents are taking to Facebook looking for this year’s supply list as they get ready for the upcoming school year.

Melissa Cranidge is the education director of Oxford Learning in Bedford, N.S.

She has been in the education sector for nine years now and she’s seen the demand on parents change first hand.

“Earlier on in my career here, some of the big stores, Staples, Walmart, would have massive blowout sales where you could get loose-leaf for like 10 cents a pack and those days are pretty much gone now,” she said.

“If you’re looking to save costs, take a look at some of the flyers but places like dollar stores or if you can afford to buy in bulk sometimes you can get great deals in Amazon by buying in bulk, maybe splitting with other families or having it on hand if you have a little one for upcoming school years as well.”

Stores, non-profits, and helpful community members across the Maritimes have started school supply drives for families in need.

Salisbury Helping Hands, a food bank, asks for donations every summer.

“At this rate, we will not have enough. We will have to purchase,” said Helping Hands president Laurie Stewart.

He says that while the demand hasn’t changed, times are tight for everyone.

“We have about 60 families here and that equates to about 180 children, so we collect the same every year here,” he said.

If donations don’t come in, Stewart says they’ll have to purchase the items with money from their food budget.

“We don’t have a choice. We just purchase and hope that the donations come in to cover it. We make sure they have it to go to school,” he said.

“It’s early yet. We have a great community here, so they’ll probably come through in the end.”

Salisbury Helping Hands tries to make sure that the expensive and mandatory items are available each year like shoes, calculators and book bags.

“We can always find somebody to donate to and if they want to donate dollars then we can make sure to buy what’s needed. Money always works,” said Stewart.

“It takes a village and we have a good one.”

Officials say that each grade has specific demands with the younger students typically needing more items for September.

“Typically the older students really they don’t typically get supply lists,” said Cranidge.

“They need a binder and loose-leaf or a notebook, pens, pencils, a calculator for math and that’s pretty much it. Younger kids they need very specific duo tangs, and notebooks and erasers and lined paper and graph paper and coloured pencils and markers.”

Cranidge says it’s also not just back to school shopping that needs to be done before the first bell.

She points out that another way to set kids up for success is helping them get back into a routine over the next two weeks.

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