This is one tradition I can definitely do without.
Every single year, there’s ONE item that is a pain in the backside to procure. I end up hitting several different stores to find this item. It’s different every year, so I can’t “prepare” by stocking up on the missing item months in advance. Did that the year I couldn’t find Expo markers and there were buckets of them everywhere the following year. Naturally.
What peeves me off is that the school supply list is never a huge shock. I mean, every year, I have to buy generally the same basic things, plus one or two extras (like this year, Princess needed a flash drive). So why is it always a very basic thing that’s impossible to find? Why do I have to roam the entire store looking for the items on the list? I mean, would it be so difficult to have everything I need in one or two aisles?
Seems to make sense to me. But whatever.
This year, it was paper folders with brads. Yep, you know, those 20 cent folders in rainbow colors. How hard is that?
They had plastic ones (no brads). Paper ones (no brads). Decorated ones with holes (no brads).
I went to Wal-Mart. Target. Struck out. Luckily my GROCERY STORE had them. Yes, my grocery store. How sad is that?
Don’t even get me started on how much it cost to send three girls back to school.
($118, not including any shoes, clothes, or even backpacks. This was ONLY supplies.)
Hubby is the music librarian for his barbershop chorus. They use *red* paper folders with brads for their holiday concert. Of course, since they’re paper folders, they aren’t taken care of by the chorus members. My job each summer is to find replacements while they’re available during back-to-school season. This year I could only find plastic ones and even then, not enough red ones. I’ve singlehandedly moved his chorus to plastic red *and* green folders for this year’s concert.
Oh man, I can imagine exactly how difficult that is every year!
What is nice where I live is that some of the stores package up everything the students need and sell the package.
We had some pre-packaged kits for $40 each but they didn’t have everything on the lists. So why bother?
Wasn’t it wooden rulers one year?
I think I live in one of the last school systems in the country where we don’t need to purchase the supplies. All I needed to get for The Son to start Kindergarten was a backpack and a lunchbox!
It sure was! I could find plastic and metal ones, but not wooden ones (which is what the school ordered). I’m so jealous you don’t have to buy supplies!!
I had the same issue as you. I couldn’t find just regular No. 2 pencils. I was like, really??? It is only the most basic thing that each child needs for school regardless of their grade. I also had issues with the folders. I could only find 4 out of 5 colors that my son needed, not to mention all of the other people shopping. I actually love to shop normally, but that day was very frustrating. I got most of what he needed, but still need to get a few things. Luckily, I only have 1 who is in school right now, so I didn’t have to spend much on supplies, but because he wears a size 12 in men’s shoes, that can get expensive. Good luck with the rest of your back to school shopping. 🙂
Wow. As a former teacher, I apologize to any family member I ever demanded any specific supply from (I think plastic and bradless should have been acceptable).
We haven’t had to deal with the ones with brads yet, but I’ve had to swap out the paper folders for plastic this year. And you are SO right. There is always one item and it is NEVER the same each year. I’ve come to the conclusion the manufacturers are in cahoots with the schools and plan to drive parents crazy. 👿 Our impossible to find item this year…5 tab dividers! Oldest needs 20 packages?!?! What possible purpose could he need 100 dividers for?! Loved #4’s teacher last year, no list just a request for a $20 Walmart GC, I didn’t have to shop at all for him. Too bad that’s not the case this year. 😆 (That being said, our school’s list is more of a request for donations than mandatory and we have a limit of $20 per child.)
But don’t get me started on the clothes…boys. If a pair of jeans makes it through the entire school year without a knee blown I’ll count myself lucky. Maybe one year it’ll happen, LOL, yeah, not holding my breath.