Back to School Shopping: Beat the Crowds and Save Your Wallet

Just when you think you can sit back and enjoy those hard earned base tans, swimming skills, and perfected grilling techniques, the dreaded back-to-school shopping ads pop into your life.

Remain calm. We spoke with some expert shoppers and insightful shop owners, and got the scoop on how to beat the crowds and save big this season.

Memorize this mantra for school supply shopping: make a list, shop early, and shop as you go.  Jeanine Garrity, mother of three, was relaxed when she recently stopped at Staples in Mt. Kisco for her supplies.

"We began shopping for supplies in mid-July, buying things a little at a time, and now our list is nearly complete," said Garrity. Shopping early means avoiding the headache of long lines and a picked over selections just before Labor Day, she said. 

A Staples sales associate said the store's back-to-school sales are running now and will continue until August 31, but by mid-month the selections may become limited and checkout lines can stretch to the back of the store. 

When it comes to school supplies, waiting until the last minute won't improve savings.  Shop early to avoid the crowds.

With clothes, early isn't always best.

For the first month of school, it's often warm enough to get by with summer clothes, and according to local shop owners, stores are not fully stocked for back to school items until mid-August.  The national retailers also target mid-August for their full back-to-school rollout, said Jennifer, a merchandise manager at the Danbury Fair Gap.

So when is the best time to shop for back to school fashions? We asked local boutique owners and their assistants to provide a snapshot of their store's best and worst times to shop. As a bonus, they even gave us info on this season's hottest items:

Squires Family Clothing and Footwear

When to Shop: Squires is already 80% stocked for fall, however the entire fall selection won't be on display until the second week of August.

When to Avoid the Crowds: The last week in August.

When to Expect Sales: The sidewalk sale may have just passed, but markdowns continue this week; expect more fall sales sometime in late September.

Hot Items: New styles of Ugg boots, Hunter Rain Boots.

Bubble and Tweet 

When to Shop for the Best Selection: By mid-August.

When to Avoid the Crowds: The Last week in August through the first week of September. 

When to Expect Big Sales: Ongoing from October through November. 

Hot Items: Splendid Leggings, Ella Moss fall dresses. 

Rugged Bear

When to Shop for the Best Selection:  The second week of August.

When to Avoid the Crowds:  Last week of August through the first week of September.

When to Expect Big Sales:  Starting mid-September. 

Hot Items: Life is Good brand layering shirts (boys), hoodies (girls). 

The Gap

When to Shop for the Best Selection:  Starting the second week in August.

When to Avoid the Crowds: Last week in August (elementary crowd), and the 2nd and 3rd week of September (teen crowd). 

When to Expect Big Sales: Promotions will be ongoing, but big discounts on fall merchandise will begin in early October and run through the holidays.

Hot Items: Jeggings and ruffled fashions (for girls), 2-in-1 graphic hoodies and 2-in-1 sporty graphic tees for boys.

Bottom line, successful back to school shopping is all about knowing when to buy:  shop early for school supplies, later for fall fashions, and avoid shopping the last week in August.  It's so simple you can stop thinking about back to school and get back to enjoying the lazy days of summer.