Parents hunt for deals as inflation expected to impact school supply prices
A recent survey from the Retail Council of Canada says many parents expect to pay more for school supplies this year.
As a result, some parents said they went out early in the summer hoping to find deals, while also relying on hand-me-downs.
"Especially with COVID being over, we have gym class again where they need to change runners, so I have three sets of runners I now need to buy," said Michelle Anderson, who has kids going into grades two, four and six.
She said she has already noticed the price of food to feed her kids has gone up, but now she is feeling the pinch on school supplies.
"I need two binders and I'm spending $40 on two binders. Wow!"
The survey said a third of respondents expect to spend more on school supplies than last year. Statistics Canada lists recreation, education and reading costs as one of the nine categories of items which contribute to high inflation rate.
"I'm always worried about money, and whatever the inflation number is, I'm that percentage more worried about money, and children are expensive," said one parent who talked with CTV News Winnipeg.
It's not just parents who are paying more - so are retailers.
"We've noticed almost every supplier has had minimal increases to, you know, quite substantial ones in some cases," said Janeen Junson, the owner of Artists Emporium.
Artists Emporium sells art supplies to schools, parents and students. In anticipation of cost hikes, the company bought a lot of items in bulk from last year's stock at last year's cheaper prices.
"We have (these sketch books) on sale for $9.99. Once that is gone from last year, the new shipment has come in and they’re $11.99. They're still on sale, but they're $11.99."
Meanwhile, Anderson is hoping to rely on hand-me-downs to save money, but she knows there's always something growing in the house, whether it be inflation or not.
"They aren't stopping growing, and we're getting close in size as well with the older two," said Anderson.
The Retail Council of Canada found that clothing was the number one item for back to school spending.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks beat Oilers 5-4 in comeback to take Game 1
The Vancouver Canucks won the first game of their NHL playoffs series with the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 on Wednesday night coming back from a three-goal deficit.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.