‘Parents were already struggling’: Inflation hits Charlotteans’ back-to-school spending
For Chenell Maddox, just the thought of back-to-school shopping is stressful.
Maddox and her husband have three children and, as foster parents, took on three additional children in December 2021.
And, as prices of supplies, clothes and shoes continue to rise, the Charlotte family has gotten off to a good start: the nonprofit Youth Villages surprised them with stuffed book bags filled with back-to-school items. Maddox also plans on taking advantage of some of the community’s back-to-school events where giveaways include back-to-school needs, and she’s keeping her eye out for sales.
“We have to be careful on how we shop,” Maddox said. “Headphones, times that by six kids; tissues, times that by six kids, dry erase markers, etc. It’s more of the higher priced items that are needed that will have to be paid out of pocket.”
After months of rising prices and stagnant wages, economic pain is piling on for low- and middle-income households in Charlotte. Now, teachers and families say it’s complicating even the simple task of back-to-school shopping.
Inflation has hit a new four-decade high this summer. The Consumer Price Index – the U.S. labor department’s measure of the price of everyday goods – was up 9.1% year-over-year in June.
The costs of essential expenses like food, gas and shelter have skyrocketed in the last several months as U.S. officials struggle to slow the pace of rising prices.
“Our parents were already struggling with making ends meet but increases in rent, food and gas are making it impossible,” said Jane Shutt, executive director of Pineville Neighbors Place.
The nonprofit is in its sixth year of providing new backpacks with school supplies for all 800 students at Sterling Elementary, a Title 1 school where about 90% of the students live at or below poverty, Shutt said.
Back-to-school supplies like books, clothes and technology are no exception to the increases, said Rod Sides, a Charlotte-based vice chair at Deloitte and an author of the firm’s annual back to school survey.
“It’s the number one thing weighing on the mind of consumers today — the economy, and specifically inflation,” Sides said.
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Shoes, socks and ‘cutting back’
With six children, Maddox goes through the same ritual prior to every school year: she and her husband buy each child five outfits and a pair of shoes to go back to school. That pair of shoes doesn’t include football cleats or basketball shoes. Her children, ages 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 17, are very active.
“We all know that kids run through socks,” she said. “So we have to include that, as well. On average we would spend about $600 to $700 between the three kids on clothes and shoes. If we cannot find a deal, it will be more because the 12, 13, and 17-year-old are in men’s sizes.”
Adding to that mix are three foster children.
“I have not come across any resources to assist with the purchase of clothes, so we have to shop for a different child each month leading up to school starting,” Maddox said. “We had to cut back on the amount of clothes that they get to start back to school in and also the amount that we will pay for shoes.”
More than 1 in 3 North Carolinians are planning to spend more on school supplies this year, according to Deloitte’s survey. Some 38% are concerned about affording back-to-school expenses for their children.
It’s not just North Carolina. According to the National Retail Federation, expected back to school spending this year totals $864 per U.S. household. That’s 24% higher than pre-pandemic spending.
According to the trade group, a third of families surveyed said they’re cutting back other spending to cover costs of shopping for the upcoming school year.
“Families consider back-to-school and college items as an essential category, and they are taking whatever steps they can… to purchase what they need,” NRF president Matthew Shay said in a news release.
In general, parents have little choice but to shell out on pricier supplies, Sides said, the same way they’ve had to adjust to higher prices on other essential goods.
“It’s indicative of what we’re seeing from an overall economic challenge perspective,” he said. “Parents are dipping into their savings to make sure their kids are set up for the school year.
‘Sacrifice of a teacher’
Teachers also are facing economic challenges as they set up their classrooms for the coming school year.
Hilary Marshall and Kara Sease both teach English Language Learners in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and are co-sharing a classroom.
While the district is providing the teachers a desk, bookcases, students desks and a storage closet, the teaching duo are expected to pay for any other furniture, accents and decor out of their own pockets.
“We’ll have room for a cozy reading nook and lots of blank wall space,” they wrote on gofundme, the place they turned to raise money for a “classroom makeover.” They’re optimizing the learning space for students, who some will be setting foot in an American school for the first time.
They’ve surpassed their goal of raising $440 for floor lamps, world map wall decal, sofa chair lounger and positive affirmation decals, among other items.
“Some will never understand the sacrifice of a teacher,” said Jamir Barnes, a beginning teacher at Ranson Middle School in Charlotte. “Some teachers have stopped trying to explain what all goes into teaching.”
Barnes, who teaches English/Language Arts, has been researching the discounts available to educators to help offset the higher prices.
Barnes also will take advantage of organizations like Classroom Central, an organization that provides supplies and resources through its Free Store, Mobile Free Store and several other community-supported programs in nearly 200 schools across six Charlotte-area school districts, according to its website.
“Prices have risen for almost everything,” he said, “and couponing helps a great deal.”
Barnes has a budget in mind that he’s categorized by needs and wants.
“My back-to-school shopping routine is emerging,” he said. “One of the first things I found myself doing in preparation to shop was thinking about a theme for the school year for my scholars and I. I ask myself, what vision do I have for us as a community this year? What atmosphere will best help us to achieve that particular vision?
“I’ll find items to bring into our space that will hopefully remind and charge them to reach that place.”
‘Simple way to make a big impact’
Various organizations and churches in and around Charlotte are helping to blunt the impacts of school supply costs by adopting individual schools or holding backpack and supply drives, among other events.
For example, Pineville Neighbors Place, in addition to Sterling Elementary, stuffed 200 backpacks for its other partner school Pineville Elementary.
Providence Baptist Church is helping families with school supplies at Rama Road Elementary, and Families Forward Charlotte is collecting backpacks full of school supplies for families in its Family Success Program.
Carrie Christian, the executive director of Families Forward Charlotte, says the program is serving 60 families and the 175 school-aged children in those homes. They’re still in need of donations. The deadline is Aug. 17.
“We rely on local businesses, churches/church groups, day/elementary schools, neighborhood associations, and individuals,” Christian said.
Helen Brennan Gassaway, of LEAD Technologies, Inc., said the company has been doing a summer school supply drive and winter essentials drive for Families Forward Charlotte since 2020.
“I find it super important to give everyone the opportunity to thrive in school,” Gassaway said. “Having basic necessities such as a backpack, enough paper, and pencils are important tools to succeed in school. It’s a simple way to make a big impact on the future generation.”
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Hope Smith is a single mom, who is working toward her bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. She has a 9-year-old daughter who is in a specialized classroom setting.
Smith has started her back-to-school shopping, and plans on providing her daughter’s teachers with anything they may need for the classroom because her teachers “are a godsend.”
Smith’s tip for other parents — plan on keeping costs lower by keeping an eye on prices at different stores.
“It is crazy how much prices vary from store to store,” Smith said. “We are somewhat worried about the prices of school supplies being high due to inflation but it is a worthwhile cost to pay to have our children back at school.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
