What to Buy in August and Save

The dog days of summer are upon us.

And so is yet another sales time period we can't ignore.

Humid temperatures loom large for much of the United States as August hits, and kids are soaking up that last bit of summertime freedom before the bell rings at the end of the month, and class is back in session.

Parents and consumers alike find themselves, too, needing a little bit of education as August approaches, complete with plenty of Back to School deals that are going to move the needle in some cases, and not do a whole lot in others.

August, from a retail perspective, really is about Back to School shopping more than anything else, with kids pandering and pleasing for backpacks, lunch boxes, pencil cases and a new wardrobe, among other Back to School staples.

Back to School spending in general is on the rise from one year to the next, case in point with 2016 and 2017.

Shopping per child rose to around $500 in 2017, with an increase over the 2016 numbers, roughly $488.^[1]

While that’s not a huge jump in cost, you’d believe that predications are that you’ll see a bit of an increase this year as retailers clamor for business. Cost of Back to School items, per unit, have risen, too, and that can explain the increase in the amount per child, per household.

A study put forth last year said parents, including school activities, are right around $1500 per child, which was down versus 2016 but only by about 1 percent.^[2]

Perhaps that statistic is the most telling of all when it comes to August and how we spend money. Sure, school shopping steals the headlines, but consumers also are looking for ways to save on more than just books and notebooks as August can also be a month in which more than just school supplies are priced to moved, such as laptops for example.

Last year wasn’t a real strong indicator of what the temperature, sales wise, was for August, as 2017 as sales dropped to the surprise of retailers, roughly .2 percent, backed by a huge falloff in the sales of motor vehicles (a 1.6 percent drop) and last year’s Hurricane Harvey, which is noted in the report as part of the causation for the decrease in sales.^[3]

A more damning statistic in August 2017 saw online retailers tumble to the tune of 1.1 percent as well, although some argue that is understandable since July is Amazon Prime Day, and that always offers a sales punch before a lull, but again August was supposed to see growth, not recede in sales.^[4]

But despite August being a “down” month in 2017, you still can’t ignore the power of Back to School sales with a whopping with 2018 projections for shopping to reach 27.6 billion dollars and more shopping to be done in store, rather than online (83 percent prefer that method with Back to School shopping), with $510 per household spent on Back to School shopping, up from 2017.^[5]

So while Back to School is going to dominate the headlines and expenses, again, consumers who are savvy and in the market for a product that is tailored for kids going back to school but also can be a huge benefit to them, personally, are quick to point out that more than just school-related items are an August staple, purchasing wise.

Here are products that are tailor made for kids and back to school, along with some that may catch the eye of any shopper who is ready to save if they’re in the market for any of these deals:

Laptops: Deals on computers in August are as good as any Black Friday sale

So this is one of those products that screams Back to School, and rightfully so, but you can’t overlook laptops in general even beyond making sure the kids are stocked up before the first day of class.

Last year, per reports, prices dropped 11 percent on certain brands of laptops, with basic laptops hitting the shelves at around $130 for smaller, 11-inch screens to the 15.6 screen size models going for just under $300.^[6]

Much to the chagrin of some retailers but surprise (pleasantly) to consumers, laptop deals run roughshod across the board with anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars off courtesy of specials running on Amazon at the moment.

From the Microsoft Surface Pro priced at $799 versus $1,159 to the Acer Chromebook 15 at $319.99 versus $372, Amazon is riddled with remarkable deals on laptops as school (or any reason, honestly) is back in session.^[7]

Wal-Mart, a close second, has plenty of reason to take more than just a second look at the retail giant, namely a Dell Inspiron 2-in-1, 11.6 inch computer for $199.^[8]

Amazon and Wal-Mart have a bit of an advantage over a retailer like Best Buy in that parents like the idea, of course, of one-stop shopping so if you’re in a market for a laptop but also need other Back to School staples, chances are Amazon or Wal-Mart appeals for that reason.

Best Buy is still trying to keep pace, and does a nice job with its laptop deals, such as $200 to $300 off Microsoft Surface devices either online or in store or Lenovo brand PC’s at $100 off if the Surface isn’t the laptop or PC of your choice.^[9]

Summer Clothes: Process of preparing for Fall attire has started, so discounts are big

Much like laptops, August is riddled with sales on summertime clothing as retailers are reading to move on to long sleeves, ditching the short sleeves and shorts, among other staples of the warmer temperatures.

Now is a perfect time to cash in on deals, whether that’s JC Penny, Finish Line or Old Navy.

While clothing sales scream Back to School, you can’t look past (like laptops), that these discounts are universally loved by consumers, even if they’re not heading back to the classroom any time soon.

JC Penny is offering $10 off a $50 purchase, with 50 percent discounts at Finish Line and American Eagle (buy one pair of shorts, get one 50 percent off), along with 40 percent off Old Navy everything and $10 clothing price points to start at Forever 21.^[10]

Back to School...Everything: Well, you had to know this made the list

Let the Back to School games begin. Retailers are ramping up sale prices on just about everything, but the real kicker and trick for consumers is to know which stores price match and which ones don’t.

Wal-Mart and Target come to mind quickly since they’re the big-box chains that offer clothing for kids heading back to school but also everything from lunch boxes to pencil cases, folders and files, everything you could imagine.

Telling a parent that they can make one trip and call it a season sounds lovely.

Target has crayons for the smaller kids (24 count) for .50 cents, and 10-count markers for .99, along with backpacks and lunch pails (Cat & Jack brand) starting at $9.99 for the former and $14.99 for the latter; Wal-Mart has notebooks (Pen+gear brand) for as little as .25 cents and composition books for .88, along with the same .50 price on the 24-count crayons as Target and paper as low as .82 cents.^[11]

But as much as you want to believe this is a two-horse race with Back to School supplies, you can’t count out other retailers who are attempting to make a splash play, too, with moms and dads.

Dick’s Sporting Goods also is in the backpack market with $9.99 starting prices, along with 15 percent of shoes at $69.99 and up; with Staples, a big-box supplier of office supplies, getting in on the mix with $19.99 backpacks featuring what kids want to display: My Little Pony and DC Comics.^[12]

Not to be outdone, Office Max (Office Depot) also is offering $14.99 backpacks as well, along with 75 percent off a variety of other office-related materials, such as laptops, desks and printers as part of a 72-hour “Flash” sale^[13]

A place like Office Max (Office Depot) can’t be overlooked in that they’re also offering discounts on notebooks, pencils, pens and other standard school supplies, but also throw in laptops and furniture, too.

Kids might be in the market for a work station that is better than doing homework on their bed.

And as far as those Office Max (Office Depot) backpacks, they’re also 25 percent off all of them.^[14]

August is one of the months, sales wise, that deserves to be lumped into the Labor Day, Memorial Day and July 4 type sales, but just a bit short of the Black Friday, Cyber Monday craze.

The fact is retailers recognize that August is a transitional month as kids head back to the classroom but also new products and models for what would be 2019 are on the horizon, so this year’s crop is being discounted, and retailers and consumers alike know this to be the case.

The steady increase of Back to School shopping in billions of dollars from 2011 to 2017 shows that this time period isn’t a fluke, but instead has morphed into a dreamy situation for most retailers (while providing a bump to in-store sales as well and previously noted).

From 31 billion dollars in 2011 to more than 70 billion in 2017, the August sales forecast, while finding ways to slump, certainly has more than a silver lining behind the numbers, thanks to the propensity of parents to spend.^[15]

This isn’t to say that all Back to School or August sales are created equal, with some products and services standing out versus others, so sticking to those and still keeping your sights set on the best deals possible is a passing grade in anyone’s sales report card.