Back To School Savings Starts Now

Have you ever tried walking into Staples immediately after the first day of school ends? It's nothing but total and utter chaos. Lines wrap around the store as if it were Black Friday and the most popular items seem to disappear within a blink of an eye.

This year, don't get stuck having to wait in long lines and pay top dollar on the supplies that your child needs for school. Most local retailers have begun discounting popular back to school items, so start your shopping ahead of time and avoid the crush.

Take a look at some of the best Back to School deals that are currently being offered by stores in the Livingston area:

Silverman's Stationers

Silverman's is one of the longest tenured stores in Livingston and was the lone store to be carried over from the original Town Center. Over the years, the store has developed a loyal following and for good reason.

Despite limited floor space, the store does a very good job at providing customers with the essentials for both the office and back to school. Equally as impressive is the fact that they are able to keep their prices low and more competitive than bigger chain stores despite being an independently-owned retailer.

For instance, a package of 50 Mead index cards at Silverman's lists for only $1.09 and a package of lined notebook paper for $2.59. 

In addition to low prices, Silverman's is also ideal for those who need to pick-up an item or two on the first day of school as the store generally does not get as crowded as some of the other retailers in town.

Walgreens

Much like Silverman's, Walgreens does not have as wide a selection of materials as other big box retailers. But for the essentials, Walgreens delivers at a value price.

A subject college-ruled notebook was recently on sale for only 99 cents, for example.  Also, two packs of Elmer's school glue, was selling for $1.29, a great deal. In addition, you can find good prices on on multiple varieties of three-ringed binders, which are required at just about any grade level, including college. The Oxford one inch binders, which are normally priced at $5.99, can be had for only $3.99 (recent price).

Staples

Staples, by far, has the biggest selection of the supplies needed for going back to school.

One item that recently stood was the 24-pack of Crayola crayons for 99 cents. Crayons can come in handy for students of just about any age. It's always a good idea to keep an extra box or two around the house, especially when it's time for those big poster projects.

For students going into middle school and getting a locker for the first time, it may be beneficial to purchase a magnetic locker organizer. These thin metal organizers are inexpensive and can make your middle schooler's academic year run a little more smoothly.

Another must-have item from Staples is a Book Sox, which is a stretchy cover that protects your school-issued textbooks from being damaged throughout the year. They are by no means cheap ($4.99), but they spare you of having to pay school fines for book damage.

One unique advantage that Staples has over most of their competition is the fact that they have their own brand of supplies, which they can sell at a lower price. For instance, a pack of Sharpie highlighters cost around $5.00, whereas Staples Hype! branded highlighters are only $3.49.

Target

In preparation for the Back to School season, Target has devoted much of the store's back wall to school supplies. They are selling everything from backpacks to dry erase boards. You better act quickly, though, because in recent years many of the most sought after supplies are long gone by the time the first day of class arrives.

Target is hit-or-miss, to be honest, but they recently offered a number of smaller items, such as Mead folders (for only a buck), which is a pretty good price.

For high school and college students, some of the electronics at the store are good deals.  For example, ,the store sells the Texas Instruments TI-83 graphing calculator. This device has become the gold standard, so to speak, for calculators used in many high schools and colleges. Normally it retails for around $100, but Target has recently dropped its price down to $80.99.

Costco

This is only an option if you already have a Costco membership, which is priced between $50 and $100 annually.

There may not be much of a selection in terms of style, but Costco has some of the most inexpensive backpacks around. For younger students, there are the $15.99 High Sierra backpacks, which are catered towards your elementary/middle school student's needs.

For older students, there is the Full Computer Backpack, which is selling for $29.99. This backpack has a sleeve built into it to hold a 17-inch laptop computer.

Unless you have more than one child who needs supplies, Costco really isn't ideal for the little things like pencils and pens because the quantities are just too large compared to what your child will use in a single school year.

With less than a few weeks before students report to school, it is best to shop around the various retailers and check out their sale shelves.