BUSINESS

As back-to-school shopping in Sarasota-Manatee kicks off, retail industry deals with supply shortages

Laura Finaldi
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Constance Barbier, 13, an eighth grader at Incarnation Catholic School, gets help picking out a jacket from family friend Alison Vesco at Children’s World on Thursday.

Last year’s back-to-school shopping season was a big one for Discount Computers Inc. in Sarasota.

As kids in the area prepared for virtual schooling during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the computer and accessories retail store was selling laptops and desktops left and right, owner Amelia Manning said. Money that would normally be spent on a summer vacation or a couple of meals at a nice restaurant instead went toward families upgrading their tech. 

“Everyone was buying like crazy,” Manning said. “People were really needing them.” 

Florida tax-free weekend 2021:What back-to-school supplies are covered and NOT covered

But a year later, the need for new devices from Discount Computers' client base has dwindled, she said. Now, the focus has turned to whether people will even be able to get what they need. 

As the back-to-school shopping season kicks off, the retail industry is dealing with supply shortages, caused by COVID-19-related production delays and natural disasters, like the winter storms in Texas.

In case you missed it:Nationwide furniture shortage hits Sarasota

Experts told USA TODAY that products like backpacks and sneakers could be in high demand because of these supply chain issues. 

This has impacted shoppers’ perspective on back-to-school shopping; roughly half of those who need things like dorm room supplies, computers and backpacks are anticipating encountering at least one “out of stock” sign, according to a Deloitte study. 

Back to school is one of the biggest shopping periods in the U.S. Last year, expected back-to-college spending was $1059.20 per person, more than people were expected to spend during the winter holidays ($997.79). Back to school shopping came in third, at $789.49 per person, according to the National Retail Federation. 

A selection of backpacks hang on a wall at Children’s World in Sarasota, which carries school uniforms, accessories and toys.

Discount Computers has been lucky, Manning said. The store isn’t dealing with any supply shortages, including things like video cards and processors, which she said have been out of stock at some big box stores. They made sure to order what they needed well ahead of time. 

But consumers overall are mindful of production delays, and in order to avoid them, many have opted to do their back-to-school shopping earlier than usual, the Deloitte study said. 

This year, consumer spending on back-to-school goods is expected to be at an all-time high.

According to the National Retail Federation, families with children in grade school will spend $848.90 on back-to-school items, a $59 increase over last year. College spending is expected to be $1,200.32 per family, the National Retail Federation found, an increase of $141 over 2020. 

While Discount Computers’ sales are not as frenzied as last year, the National Retail Federation found that spending on electronics overall is expected to be higher than last year. That’s a big part of what’s driving the expected spending increases for back to school and back to college. 

The other part of that spending increase has to do with going back to in-person learning. About two-thirds of people surveyed by the National Retail Federation expect to go back to school in person. 

“Children heading off to school may not have needed uniforms last year – they may be purchasing those items this year,” Katherine Cullen, senior director of industry and consumer insights for the National Retail Federation, said Wednesday on a webinar call. “They may need different types of clothing or more clothes than they have in the past, and then items like shoes, backpacks, lunchboxes, all of those things we associate with the typical back to school shopping season.” 

Florida still has a whole back-to-school sales tax holiday ahead – and most of it takes place in August. The back-to-school tax-free holiday runs from July 31  to Monday, Aug. 9.

Floridians can enjoy tax savings on clothing, footwear and backpacks costing $60 or less, school supplies costing $15 or less and the first $1,000 of the sales tax price of personal computers or personal computer-related accessories.

School starts in Sarasota County on Aug. 10, so Tim Holliday, co-owner of Children’s World on Bee Ridge Road, said he thinks those last-minute crowds could be crazier than usual. 

Children’s World sells school uniforms and other clothing, backpacks, lunchboxes, educational games and much more. The store typically orders uniforms in December for the following year, Holliday said, so having the school-specific clothing hasn’t been an issue, but it has been hard to get generic plain T-shirts and some educational items.

The back-to-school shopping rush comes throughout the summer, starting with a burst of traffic at the end of the school year and more business as the first day of school gets closer. Combining those last-minute shoppers with those looking for tax-free savings could create, Holliday said, the “perfect storm.” 

“It used to be back in the day, that it was, the last week of July into the weekend of the first couple of days of August and school didn’t start till the 10th so procrastinators still weren’t even thinking about shopping,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see how that all plays out this year, because it’s never been like that before.” 

He said he advises shoppers to plan ahead to avoid the last-minute rush. 

“Just remember it’s going to be crazy crazy busy, not just here, but anywhere that sells school stuff,” Holliday said. “If you’re spending $20 you might be fighting a lot of parking and a crowd to save $1.20. It might not be worth it.” 

Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald Tribune