Last-minute back-to-school shopping hitting parents in their wallets

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — This weekend, stores across the Cape Fear will be busy as families stock up on school essentials, from notebooks and pencils to clothes and shoes, in preparation for the new school year.

According to the National Retail Federation, families with students in elementary through high school will spend on average about $875 per child.

Shopper Leah Myers has two children… and said it’s important to make sure what you buy now can last the entire school year.

“School supplies for the first week or so are, are one thing but making them last all year around is hard, especially with clothes and shoes and you know, how hard they are and everything making sure it lasts and is durable,” Myers said. “So quality is just as important as price.”

State Attorney General Josh Stein said reinstating North Carolina’s tax-free weekend would provide some relief for both parents and teachers.

“I want to make it just a little bit more affordable for people in this day of higher costs to prepare their children for school,” Stein said. “So having one weekend, a sales tax holiday, we can let parents take care of their kids, we can help school teachers prepare their classrooms.”

Even college students like Tema Jimenez and Mia Thompson have felt the financial strain of back-to-school shopping.

“I’d say its more expensive now because we want more clothes, more variety, and shoes and just to be in style, you know,” Jimenez said.

“Yeah, and like the basic stuff is still definitely, more expensive, like I went to go get just notebooks and stuff for class and its, I feel like its all just gone up a couple dollars,” Thompson said. “Like I can’t ever find the normal price ones anymore.”

The National Retail Federation said total back-to-school spending this year is expected to reach almost $39 billion nationwide.