Back-to-School Tips from the Experts

As the summer of 2013 officially begins to wind down with the advent of August, back-to-school shopping is just warming up.

Patch stopped by some local stores who call the season of preparing for school “our Christmas” to get tips from the experts: Kathleen O’Shea of Schools Are Us, John Goldrick of Big N Little Shoes, Gail Sullivan of The Classmate, and Darlene Myers of Baron’s Shoes.

All emphatically agreed that the earlier you come, the better.

According to O’Shea, who has been in the school uniform business for over 20 years, last minute shoppers tend to run into some trouble. “We always have last minute people. And the sad thing is, some of them will have kids that are a little bigger and come in two days before school and it’s a girl and she’s going to a new school, and you know you’re not going to have a jumper to fit her,” O’Shea said. “So we do extra sizes and always carry a little bit of stock for those people.”

O’Shea also recommended to look for quality, not the quantity of dollars. “Don’t buy the junk because you’re going to end up buying twice as much,” she said. “And that’s a mom’s advice.”

Many times, parents with young children come in Schools Are Us and are concerned about buying enough uniforms for them to survive a school week. “Parents come in here and want to buy five jumpers, but that’s crazy,” O’Shea said. “One is fine, unless you have a split home, then two. They only need three blouses: one on, one in the wash, one waiting to go on. Unless you’re working, then maybe you want to add another blouse to make your life a little easier.”

For Goldrick, manager at Big N Little Shoes for 28 years, back-to-school shopping is about marking the milestones with the family as well as completing school supply lists. “The first day of school is always big at my house,” he said. “I loved taking the pictures of the kids and getting them all ready.”

He suggests bringing the kids with to make sure that the shoes will fit properly and comfortably.

Myers echoed his sentiments. “Bring the socks you would wear with the shoes,” she said. “Socks make a big difference in the fit of the shoe.”

She said she’s noticed a trend that the last three to four weeks of the back-to-school shopping season have gotten busier because of vacations. Some people finish their preparations before they embark on an August vacation, and others spend the last week of summer, after their vacation, rushing to buy everything, she said. Myers has more than 40 years of experience in supplying shoes at Baron’s.

Being prepared when you go shopping can also be advantageous, according to Sullivan, who has owned The Classmate for 27 years. “Have a list of what you need to buy and call ahead to see if we have it,” she advised.

This school year will bring many changes for Chicagoland educators, and Sullivan said that is reflected in the back-to-school shopping. “Because of the [Chicago Public School] closings, some people don’t know what they’re teaching yet,” and teachers aren’t sure what supplies they will need, she said.

The adoption and implementation of the new Common Core curriculum standards for Illinois schools has also influenced The Classmate’s inventory. “There are special catalogues to see what’s aligned with the new Core standards,” she said. “Our companies are on the bandwagon.”