Back-to-school shopping has always been a highlight of the year for retail business, but in 2021 – with COVID-19 cases rising again – it’s become a matter of survival.
Burnaby stores have been heavily promoting school sales this month, with mailbox flyers and online ads featuring everything from classroom supplies and apparel to electronics and dorm room essentials.
Many are offering classic doorbuster items to lure shoppers into stores, like a 29 cent pack of wooden pencils at Staples on Lougheed Highway in Brentwood or an 88 cent box of coloured crayons at Walmart at Metropolis at Metrotown. The Best Buy at Station Square in the Metrotown area is trying to lure parents looking to get some new tech for their kids – like $150 off on a new Acer laptop.
Retail observers say the aim is to get consumers through the door with steeply discounted items in the hopes they’ll spend more on discretionary items and higher margin goods like backpacks, footwear and clothing.
“Apparel is one of the stars at retail right now as we reopen,” said retail analyst Bruce Winder.
“We’re really seeing apparel rocketing back up now, and that’s after seeing sales slip as much as 80 per cent during the height of the pandemic.”
The neon rainbow playground ball is a top seller. Pop fidget pencil cases and journals sold out coast-to-coast in three weeks. Backpacks with dinosaur and mermaid prints are flying off the shelves.
Parents and kids are not only on the hunt for essential back-to-school supplies this year, but unique gear to help kids settle into a new routine, says Mastermind Toys CEO Sarah Jordan.
“Because kids haven’t consistently been in school for the past two years, there’s a real need for gear to be replaced because it’s either outdated or they’ve outgrown it,” she said. “But back-to-school gear is also a form of expression and it’s more important this year than ever.”
Retailers are banking on a robust back-to-school shopping season as students prepare to return to in-classroom learning – many for the first time in more than a year.
The lucrative spending period was sluggish last year as some parents opted to homeschool their children and many schools shifted to online learning.
But consumer spending is expected to be strong in the run up to schools reopening this fall.
Many parents and students began stocking up early, and sales of school-related supplies from lunch boxes to sneakers are projected to remain strong into September.
“Consumers are expected to spend significantly more than last year,” said Markus Giesler, associate professor of marketing at York University’s Schulich School of Business.
“It’s not that surprising given more students are expected to return to in-person learning,” he said. “But the uncertainty with the fourth wave could still impact sales.”
Statistics Canada said Aug. 20 that retail sales rose 4.2 per cent to $56.2 billion in June as public health restrictions were eased in many parts of the country.
While the agency said its preliminary estimate for July, which will be revised, showed retail sales fell 1.7 per cent, experts say traditional back-to-school categories like apparel appeared to do well.
Tamara Szames, Canadian retail industry adviser with The NPD Group, said early sales figures for the back-to-school period suggest fashion retailers will see double-digit growth over 2020 and single-digit growth compared to 2019.
“July has been a really promising month for what we can expect to see for the back-to-school season,” she said. “But the recovery story starts to overshadow this back-to-school season.”
The wild card, of course, are rising cases in Burnaby and the rest of the Lower Mainland – with the Delta variant possibly softening people’s desire to go to a crowded mall.
Students across the board in B.C., those attending public and private K-12 schools and post secondary institutions will all return to in-class learning next month, despite the uptick in COVID-19 cases.
During a news briefing Tuesday morning, Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside said there will be a requirement for all staff and students in Grade 4 and up to wear masks within the school setting, including in both classrooms and while taking school transportation.
Masks will be strongly recommended for students in Kindergarten to Grade 3.
During the news conference, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said while many younger children under the age of 12 have become used to wearing masks, she indicated the best way to protect those who are not able to get immunized is for adults around those children to get vaccinated themselves.
The province is also not mandating school staff get vaccinated, although Henry said employees are being encouraged to get their shot.
- With files from the Canadian Press and Glen Korstrom
