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Back to school shopping comparison: Wide price range between Target, Staples, others

Posted at 3:38 AM, Aug 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-02 08:30:24-04

A comparison of 30 back-to-school supplies found a wide price range between popular stores like Target, Walmart, King Soopers, Office Max, Safeway and Staples.

The comparison, completed by UGrocery founder Eva Fry, found the same items at King Soopers are more than $30 cheaper than at Staples. See the comparison here.

Fry said this is her third year doing the price comparison and for the third year in a row, King Soopers was the cheapest.

"King Soopers, Walmart and Target were within 5 percent, within just a couple dollars," Fry said. "You may have a greater selection at Target and Walmart, but the prices were surprisingly really affordable at King Soopers. They put out a good sale promotion this time of year to lure customers in."

If you're looking to save money, Fry says shop early in the morning for the best selection, stick to your shopping list and leave the kids at home.

"I've found throughout the years, with my three kids, if I take kids to the store with me, they get emotional about their purchases. They see cute folders with puppies and they want those," Fry said.

She said leave kids at home, stick to the list and you'll save a lot of money.

She also recommends using coupons from the Sunday inserts and coupons you can find on King Soopers' Clicklist and Target's Cartwheel app.

Fry said you should also look for generic or store brands.

"The Avery binders, the three-ring binders, those are always more expensive. Those were $4.99 for a 1-inch binder at Target. The Up and Up brand, same binder in my opinion, was a $1.89. Why would I want to pay $3 more for a binder?" Fry said.

When you're shopping for three kids, the savings really add up.

Are there any things you should wait on? Fry suggests waiting on shoes, so they don't get dirty before school starts. She also said to wait on new school clothes until September.

"I find clothing goes on sale in September," Fry said. "You'll see a lot of promotions right now, but the prices are not discounted at this particular time. They actually go down in September."

Learn more on Fry's blog.