Stores Still Seeing Last-Minute, Back-To-School Shoppers

With some schools already in session and others less than a week away from beginning their classes, stores are still seeing last-minute shoppers.

“We are getting that a lot more this year than in past years. Customers coming in last minute to get their school supplies. The good news is we still have a lot of school supplies left,” said Torq Miskin, OfficeMax’s store manager.

“Moms and dads coming in, you see them a few times and then they will come in a few weeks later and they finish it all up,” said David Fitzgerald, Staples operation manager.

Staples, Target, and OfficeMax all have their shelves stocked for back to school shopping.

Jolyn Thomas decided to wait on her shopping. She said if she buys supplies too early, her kids want to open them.

“Finally this is the last item on the list and I am so relieved to be done,” said Jolyn Thomas, last-minute shopper.

“It was more about convenience for me,” said Cathy Harding, last-minute shopper.

Store managers are trying to make it more convenient for back-to-school shoppers placing all their back to school items in one convenient location.

OfficeMax said the biggest sellers this year: crayons, dry-erase markers, pencils, and glue.

But deals or no deals, the items have to be purchased.

“I waited until about a week and a half before school started. I just didn’t have a lot of time,” said Harding.

“I haven’t noticed any different sales, I think it is pretty much what it was when they came out,” said Thomas

“Typically most our of shoppers watch the sales and shop all along, but we are getting a crowd now that we are getting to the last week before school. We will be very busy,” said Holly Shanklin, Target senior team leader.

“So we have our penny deals, where just about every week we have deals on items that are only a penny,” said Miskin.

So what is the busiest school supply shopping day?

“The last Saturday before the first day of school is usually really a busy day,” said Fitzgerald.

OfficeMax is offering 20 percent off its brown bag special until Saturday, and all three stores say they have school supply lists on hand.