It’s that time of year again! The summer vacation is almost over, and it is time for parents to do some back-to-school Shopping. As you might imagine, parents are handling this in a variety of ways.

Dallas Morning News (via MSN) reported this is the last weekend to check out prices before Texas sales tax weekend Aug. 11-13. Many parents scope out the selection in advance of saving of up to 8.25% in sales taxes.

In Texas, there’s little time left for back-to-school shopping for parents with students in some school districts. The first days of school in Mesquite, Garland, and Plano are next week. Dallas and Richardson start on August 14.

After splurging over the past couple of years, Dallas-Fort Worth parents aren’t spending as much on back-to-school as in the last few years, according to a new local survey.  

“While Dallas-Fort Worth spending is high, it’s down from last year, and they’re looking for deals,” said Sam Loughry, Deloitte’s consumer industry leader and partner in Dallas.

Local parents said they will spend $707 per child, down from $987 last year, but still well above the national average of $597, according to Deloitte’s annual back-to-school survey.

KIII-TV Corpus Cristi reported that one of the most stressful times of the year for parents is last-minute back-to-school shopping time. With most districts beginning the school year next week, some parents may be left trying to find affordable clothes for their students. 

Director of Rising Tide Ministries Lisa Gerdes said that this time of year is busy for the resale shop. “We’ve had people shop all summer, gathering items for back to school,” she said. Gerdes said that with each school year, shopping is the first assignment. “It’s stressful for a parent,” she said. “You want to do the best for your kids, but you also have a budget.”

Purple Door Resale Store Manager Christine Hoover says the shop is calm now but a few days ago, it was very busy. “We’ve already had to restock our backpacks,” she said. Hoover is a mother of two sons and understands that no parent wants to send their child to school in worn-out clothing.

San Francisco Examiner reported that the rise of e-commerce has been blamed for the closures of countless stores in the Bay Area and beyond, but one surprising trend challenges the idea that in-person shopping is entirely outmoded: San Francisco parents are still shopping for school supplies in-store.

Back-to-school shopping is often the second-largest spending event for families after the holiday season, which is expected to reach $41.5 billion nationwide this year. Deloitte, a multinational accounting firm with offices in San Francisco, analyzed shopping trends and found that 77% of surveyed parents prefer in-person shopping.

“Bay Area parents prefer to shop at mass-market retailers for back-to-school, with one-third planning to spend most of their back-to-school budget there.” Managing Director Karla Martin of Deloitte Consulting, told The Examiner.

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Prepare Your Kids For Going Back To School

Ways To Cope With The “Homework Gap”

Get Ready For The New School Year