Back-to-School Crunch: School Supply Lists vs. Egyptian Parental Budgets

Updated 9/17/2024 8:00:00 AM

The back-to-school season in Egypt, like in many countries, is a significant economic event that drives demand for various consumer goods. School supplies, such as notebooks, pens, backpacks, and even detergent, play a crucial role in this market.

As parents prepare their children for the new academic year, their spending on educational materials can have a substantial impact on both local manufacturing and retail sectors.

Price Gouging in the Back-to-School Season

Globally, the school stationary supplies market is expected to flourish in the upcoming years. “The global school stationery supplies market looks promising in the next five years,” according to Business Tech News’ latest research on the "School Stationery Supplies Market 2024."

“As of 2022, the global school stationery supplies market was estimated at $88,987.55 million, and it is anticipated to reach $124,121.83 million in 2028, with a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast years,” the research showed.

In Egypt, the back-to-school season boosts the purchases of school supplies, including stationaries, detergents, and daycare products. Abdullah, a salesman in a skincare and hygiene store, tells Arab Finance: “Sales of detergents, tissues, and health care products typically increase by up to 250% before the school year starts.”

Inflation pushes up the prices of school supplies, especially during the back-to-school season. In September 2023, the consumer price index (CPI) for newspapers, books, and stationery increased by 4.3% compared to August 2023, and by 50% compared to September 2022, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics’ (CAPMAS) October 2023 bulletin.

As demand for stationaries climbs, prices in the back-to-school season can sometimes become unreasonable. Reema, a young mother and a former teacher who once owned a nursery, tells Arab Finance: “I closed my nursery about two years ago. The prices of supplies I buy now for my child have significantly increased since then.”

“Supplies are usually expensive, so I went to some stationary stores looking for the lowest prices. For example, the lowest price of the lamination pouches was EGP 290. When I asked if there was a cheaper brand, I was told that the pouch is sold for only EGP 200 in winter. However, in the back-to-school season, prices are inflated by factories because they know people will buy them anyway,” Reema shares.

She further adds, “I knew that back when I was running my nursery, therefore, I was purchasing my nursery’s needs months before the back-to-school season.”

Parents React to Excessive School Supply Lists

Due to the high prices, many parents do not stick to the list of school supplies requested by their kids’ schools.

Ehdaa, a young mother in her thirties, states: “I think most of the items on the supplies list are unnecessary. Honestly, I will not buy everything on it, and I am definitely not sticking to the brands required.”

She recounts a past experience, saying, “Last year, I bought my daughter high-quality pencils. Later, I found out that teachers mixed all the class’s pencils together, and my child ended up using a low-quality pencil. And when she asked for hers, they did not listen. I ended up sending my daughter to the school with a whole new pencil case, regardless of the supplies.”

Meanwhile, Marwa, a mother of two kids in kindergarten, tells Arab Finance: “I bought all required supplies for my kids, but I think the amount of tissues requested by schools is unreasonable. I do not think they will be used that much.”

On the other hand, Reema does not agree, emphasizing the importance of hygiene items. She states, “I do not mind buying all the required amounts and brands of hygiene items, such as wipes and tissues. I also do not mind buying items, such as play dough, sharpeners, erasers, copybooks, and art supplies like googly eyes. I know kids actually use them. As a former teacher, I know that sometimes these items were running out of stock, and I used to buy more of them for my classroom.”

Meanwhile, Reema sees that some schools request an excessive number of supplies. She explains, “In terms of quantities, I think some schools ask for unreasonable amounts. I used to work as a teacher in a school at some point in my life, and I did not use even a quarter of the supplies demanded by the school over several months.”

“Most of the supplies, such as Canson sheets, A4 papers, U-shaped files, and lamination sheets, are stored by the school, as they make a stock of them. These amounts are not used throughout the year,” Reema adds.

When it comes to purchasing certain brands of supplies, Reema claims that she did not purchase the brands required in her kid’s school supply list, such as colored markers, and pencils; instead, she bought cheaper copies, and this actually saved her around EGP 1,500 of the total supplies’ price.

Looking at the rocketing prices, Reema advises school owners, saying, “Schools should take prices into consideration and ask for reasonable quantities of supplies. For example, my son’s school asked for 1,000 A4 papers, a packet of 100 lamination sheets, and a packet of 50 U-shaped files. These amounts are unreasonable, even if the school asks for extra amounts to stock as they represent a load on parents.”

The back-to-school season in Egypt presents a unique economic landscape, where the demand for school supplies surges, impacting both local businesses and consumers. While the global school stationery market is growing, Egyptian parents are facing the dual pressures of inflation and unreasonable school demands.

The escalating costs of supplies, coupled with excessive quantities and brand requirements, have led many parents to question the necessity of certain items and seek more affordable alternatives to save money.

By Sarah Samir