Shop for September success

August 27, 2010 by Community Admin · Leave a Comment

No, you don’t have to buy in bulk for back to school. Here’s a strategy for making your star student’s first day special without breaking the bank.

By: Shelley Youngblut, Calgary Herald August 27, 2010

No one could dispute the catchiness of Staples’ new TV commercial, which cleverly links the rampant commercialism of the Christmas season with the buying frenzy that accompanies the transition from the dog days of summer to the first day of school.

But is it really “the most wonderful time of the year, the hap-happiest season of all”? No offence to Andy Williams or the agency that created the ad, but when I heard those familiar bells ringing “ding-dong, ding-dong” on the TV last week, all I could think was, it’s the spend-spendiest season of all– and it’s August! Of course, maybe that’s the response Staples is after.

By subconsciously encouraging parents to equate back to school with Christmas, the hope is that we won’t think twice about loosening the purse strings and buying in (literally!) to the notion that every kid deserves to start the school year with a stash that is as new (and as sharp) as the insane number of pencils required in elementary school. Those HB beauties, along with pencil crayons, pens and markers, are mandatory, and are just part of a school-supply list that leaves a solid dent in the family finances.

You have no choice but to cough up for the binders and the glue sticks (and, if your kid is of a certain age, the laptops and the locker locks). Fortunately, however, there are still aspects of the back-to-school wish list that remain open to negotiation–whether you add them to the tab comes down to whether you and your child can decide if they are a want or a need. Your star pupil probably wants a new backpack, but unless last year’s model appears to have been attacked by bears, it’s probably good for one more tour of duty. The lunch box, on the other hand, is likely a health hazard (the combination of kid and yogurt tube is a recipe for bacteria, no matter how diligently you disinfect the innards at night) and should be replaced at once (Chapters, of all places, has a terrific selection of reusable lunch boxes and bags).

New shoes, sadly, are a need, and one that must be filled in duplicate (I often curse the custodian who came up with the concept of “indoor shoes,” although I grudgingly understand why). Word to the wise: if your kid is 10 or under and you find a pair of Velcro runners that he or she likes, buy not one, but two pairs at full price and consider yourself lucky: they’re likely the last pair left in Calgary. And if you don’t, your kid will drive you crazy tying laces before and after school, and this is the one time when running late will be your fault.

But there’s one need that is sometimes confused with a want–and it shouldn’t be. Every child deserves one special first-day outfit. Whether they wear it on Sept. 2 or not isn’t the point, but they should have something new to dream about, to help them craft their identity as they enter a new grade. It doesn’t have to be from any one store, or conform to any one trend (although we love Joe Fresh’s pink take on Dr. Martens, Gap’s 1969 jeans and the plaid tunics at Zara). And it might wind up being just one perfect thing instead of the whole shebang. Sure, it’s a drag leaving the deck for a packed mall, and yes, if you wait until Thanksgiving, everything will be on sale. But this is your opportunity to let them have their say, their way, as they psych themselves up for what should be the most wonderful time of the year, but is (for them) often the scare-scariest season of all.