Prices Vary for Back-to-School Supplies

Some school supplies lists have been released by the Commack School District and the items can be found at many local retailers. But to help parents to find the best deals in the district, we compared the prices at Target, Walmart and Staples and created a chart to show you where the deals are. 

Nearly half of the 26 items were found to be cheapest at Target, with Walmart at a close second. Staples had the best deal for three items – ruled index cards, pencil sharpeners, and clipboards. 

Across the board, employees at Staples, Target, and Walmart said that their most popular back-to-school products are marble composition notebooks and pencils.

Though stock has not changed too much over the past few years, each store offers new licensed products, such as Alice in Wonderland notebooks, Justin Bieber folders, and New York Yankees binders.

One item that was requested for kindergarten through second grade at the primary schools is one that most parents typically will not find in the back-to-school section: lightweight, adjustable headband headphones.

This computer class necessity is difficult to find on sale at general supply stores like Staples, Target, and Walmart.

To find a greater variety of headphones, parents may want to go to stores that specialize in electronics like Best Buy or Radio Shack.

Parents of students at North Ridge Primary School must purchase their headphones from the School Store.

Two Commack primary schools have taken initiative to make school supply shopping easier on parents. Parents of students at Indian Hollow Primary School have the option to purchase everything on their lists at the School Store on September 2 from 1 p.m – 4 p.m..

Students of John Mandracchia-Sawmill Intermediate School have the most convenient supply plan, where parents merely need to mail the school a $32 check for their child to receive a pre-made supply kit tailored to their classroom needs.