Survey Reports 63 Percent of Parents to Spend Up to $500 on Back-to-School Shopping

Some parents are already preparing for the annual ritual of back-to-school shopping. The plan? Spend more.

According to PriceGrabber's® 2012 Back-to-School Shopping Forecast survey, 63 percent of parents will spend up to $500 this back-to-school shopping season, compared to 48 percent in 2011.

Furthermore, the national survey of 4,450 consumers indicated 20 percent of parents will spend over $500 and 17 percent do not plan to set a budget.

“Shoppers are looking to purchase the basics again this year with general school supplies and clothing topping back-to-school lists, according to our survey data,” said Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber.

Prince William County Schools recently passed a policy to encourage students to bring their own devices to aid in their instruction. This supports a national trend, as 40 percent of surveyed parents are looking to purchase personal technology for their children.

“PriceGrabber survey data also shows an increased consumer appetite for tech products with more back-to-school shoppers planning to purchase electronic tablets this year compared to 2011. Tablet computers are lighter in weight and more portable allowing student to carry them from class to class and providing back-to-school shoppers with an alternative to more expensive laptops," Jones said.

To purchase these items, 79 percent of parents will go online to find the best deals, which is 10 percent higher than last year.

"We suspect that given the large of amount of back-to-school shoppers who said they will shop online, many are planning to do so in order to comparison shop, set price alerts, find coupons, and take advantage of last-minute discounts, free shipping and price drops,” said Jones.