The 5 best places to buy school supplies in 2023

Back-to-school season is upon us! With prices still rising, many families are looking for the best places to shop to stay within their budgets. One easy way to achieve this feat is knowledge where To buy school supplies in the first place.

We’ve rounded up the best stores that help shoppers tackle this annual tradition without having to sacrifice a lot of cash. Check out our guide below on the best places to buy school supplies in 2023, plus what kinds of deals you can expect. Then check out our articles on back-to-school sales and the best school supplies to buy for more shopping tips.

The 5 best places to buy school supplies in 2023

Our infographic covers the top stores for great back-to-school savings and shoppable items. After you’ve had a look, read on to learn more about where to buy school supplies.

1. Amazon

Best for: Backpacks, cleaning products and school supplies

Amazon sells pretty much anything you can think of. So it should come as no surprise that the online retailer is one of the best places to buy school supplies. But just because they sell a wide variety of items doesn’t mean you’ll find good deals on everything on your supply list. However, it’s still beneficial to use your Prime account when shopping in categories like backpacks, cleaning supplies, and traditional school supplies.

See also: 2023 BACK TO SCHOOL SALE AVAILABLE! Here are the most important deals

For example, in August 2022, Amazon offered the following discounts:

• Up to 38% off writing and correction supplies
• Up to 50% off BIC writing instruments
• Up to 43% off Arteza art and stationery
• Up to 54% off Crayola products
• Up to 57% off Pilot pens and Rocketbook notebooks

This year, there’s a good chance we’ll see generic offers like $10 off $30 office supply purchases, too.

You can’t just save on school supplies. Amazon is also a good option if you’re looking for backpacks; The retailer put out up to 62% off these items last year. It’s also worth checking out the cleaning products on offer as well, and stocking up now may help stave off illness when cold and flu season really begins. In fact, this summer we’ve already seen Amazon take up to 42% off select Purell products.

2. Best Buy

Best for: laptops

You might not think of Best Buy when thinking of back-to-school shopping, but it’s a great place to look for tech deals this time of year. From laptops and printers to accessories and even bags to protect those expensive devices, you can find a good portion of what you need at Best Buy.

Food items may not be on your back-to-school radar, but they should be! They offer supplies for under 40 cents each and additional savings via coupons.

This past August, Best Buy offered a Lenovo Chromebook for just $99, a 14-inch HP laptop with an AMD Ryzen 3 processor for $200, a refurbished 128GB Microsoft Surface Pro 7 for $468, and a Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming laptop. 3 for $550, and the Apple MacBook Pro M1 (2020 model) for $900. All of these deals were strong enough to earn it the title of Personnel Choice.

The retailer also took up to $300 off select Lenovo devices, plus it offered other tech deals. Shoppers can get discounts on wireless earbuds from Anker and even savings worth savings on select Apple Watch Series 7 models. Needless to say, no matter what you need and your budget, Best Buy likely has an offer to match.

3. Staples

Best for: Conventional cleaning products and school supplies

As a stationery store, Staples is probably on more shoppers’ radars. But many may think that there is not much overlap between office and school supplies. However, the retailer sells plenty of items that are suitable for offices and backpacks alike.

See also: The 7 Best School Supplies To Buy In 2023 (Plus What To Skip)

This back-to-school season, for example, Staples has already knocked up to 40% off select 3M school supplies that teachers may find especially useful. They include:

• command strips

• adhesive pads

• scotch tape

At the time of publication, Staples also had a special offer for shoppers who spent $50 on select school supplies. Qualifying purchases came with a free $10 gift card. You can save a card like this to put in items you may not be ready to buy yet, or items you forgot to buy. Or you can give this gift card to your child’s teacher to help fill in the gaps for any supplies you may still need after school starts.

4. The goal

Best for: School clothes and supplies

The Taurus retailer may be one of the only stores where you can shop in one place, whether it’s for K-12 students or recent high school graduates needing college essentials. Shoppers can take advantage of school supply deals that offer super high savings, with prices starting at 25 cents. We’ve seen traditional items like notebooks, glue, and pencils included in Target’s deals, but also more specialty products like stationery and craft supplies.

Target is the perfect one-stop shop, whether you need school supplies for grades K-12 or items for first-time college students.

Looking for dorm essentials at Target? At the time of publication, the retailer had kitchen and dining items from just 50 cents, bathroom items from $3, bed linen from $4, and furniture from $28.

Watch the retailer to also offer deals on health, beauty, and home essentials that will make stocking new dorms and apartments that much easier. Target has historically offered promotions that let you buy four eligible bath, body, and facial care items and earn a free $5 gift card, or get a free $15 gift card when you buy $50 of household essentials.

5. Wal-Mart

Best for: School clothes and supplies

Walmart is another one-stop-shop for those on a back-to-school mission. They often have some of the lowest prices available, too. For example, this year we’ve already seen Walmart offer dorm furniture for $30 and children’s clothing for as low as $4.

Of course, traditional school supplies are also available, and prices start at around 15 cents at the time of publication. The retailer also had backpacks starting at $6 and lunch essentials from a dollar or so. If you need to stock up on school supplies of any kind and want to stay within budget, Walmart is worth checking out.

Are you ready to shop? Check out the best back-to-school deals available right now, and follow us on Facebook for more helpful savings tips.

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