HOWARD (NBC 26) — A return to in-person learning means a return to the store for back-to-school supplies.
Alyssa South, Keshena, shopped at Meijer Friday with one of her sons, who will be a second grade student at Keshena Primary School this year. They browsed through shirts in the clothing aisle before heading to the school supply section to pick up erasers, markers, pencils and other required school supplies.
“I didn’t have to school shop last year, so they need the clothes," South said. “I’m just glad they’re back in school and everything’s a little bit normal.”
Eliza Lade picked out a yellow folder with a zig-zag pattern while shopping with her mom and younger brother Friday, just one of the items she'll need before entering the fourth grade at Hillcrest Elementary School.
After a year of virtual learning, Lade said she's ready to meet her new teacher and spend time with her classmates.
“I am excited, because I get to see other people and not just be on a screen the whole time," Lade said.
While most school supply lists remain standard this year, requiring notebooks, pencils, markers, tissues and even headphones, some parents said they've noticed supplies won't be shared in certain classrooms. At Webster Elementary School in Green Bay, for example, both the second and third grade lists ask that all supplies be labeled with the student's name.
2021-22 Webster Early Childhood, 4K, K-5 School Supply List by Kelsey Dickeson on Scribd
Other school supply lists ask families to purchase hand soap, hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes. Although these items can be found on many school supply lists on any given year, Heidi Datema, store director at Meijer in Howard, said they've noticed more hygiene items being sold this back-to-school season.
Datema said items that typically sell at a slower rate, like backpacks and lunch pails, seem to be in higher demand this year.
“We can’t believe it’s back to school time and we’re pretty excited for the kids to go back," Datema said. "I’m excited for the teachers, too. More normalcy for the students and the teachers. Also it’s a lot of new people, new faces, because a lot of students didn’t get to meet their teachers last year."
The National Retail Federation estimates families will spend an average of nearly $850 on back-to-school items, which is almost $60 more than last year. Totalback-to-school spending is expected to reach a record $37 billion.
