Analysis-US back-to-school bargain hunt starts early as higher bills pressure families

By Juveria Tabassum

July 6 (Reuters) - American families are diving into back-to-school deals earlier than ever this year, snapping up discounts on backpacks, electronics and other school essentials even as higher food and gas prices leave many feeling stretched.

Amazon.com, Walmart, Target and Best Buy have all rolled out back-to-school promotions earlier than usual, turning what was once a late-summer shopping period into a broader summer sales season. Amazon Prime Day-style events have become an unofficial

kickoff to back-to-school shopping, with retailers competing aggressively for budget-conscious consumers.

But the bargain hunting also highlights growing anxiety among households facing higher everyday costs and pricier school supplies.

Parents are increasingly seeking discounts on basics while budgeting for trend-driven products, from customizable pencil cases, erasers and bento lunch boxes to JanSport and North Face Borealis backpacks, Stanley and Owala water bottles and dorm accessories popular on TikTok and Instagram.

"With the kind of higher gas prices and higher food prices, I am definitely more aware of how I am going to spend my money heading toward back-to-school. I tend to be a consumer who chooses wisely versus just shops for a lot of things," said Julie Kelley, founder of a media consulting company in Vermont with an 11-year-old son.

Families are expected to spend about $922 on average on back-to-school shopping this year, according to PwC, roughly 47% more than in 2025, though part of that increase reflects higher prices linked to the Iran war. The back-to-school shopping season accounts for about 2.3% of total annual U.S. retail sales with about $128.2 billion spent in 2025, according to the NRF.

Children's preferences, too, are playing a larger role in purchasing decisions, according to Kelly Pedersen, PwC's global retail leader. About 61% of households plan to let their children add products directly to online shopping carts after discovering them on social media, Pedersen said.

Target said its sales event in June offered customers a chance to buy trending back-to-school products early. Amazon said it had deals in its back-to-school and college categories but declined to offer further insights.

WALMART AND AMAZON OFFER EARLY DEALS

Shoppers were also buying pricier electronics and apparel, where discounts were the strongest during Prime Day promotions in late June, according to Adobe Analytics. These categories have struggled with uneven demand as household budgets shrank.

The shift toward digital shopping continues, and Amazon and Walmart remain at the center of that trend. PwC expects the share of consumers planning in-store back-to-school purchases to fall to about 70% this year from 79% last year.

Together, the two retailers accounted for about 71 cents of every new dollar spent online in 2025, according to Morgan Stanley, as both companies expanded delivery options and product assortments to win shoppers.

Walmart's four-day deals event last month included small appliances meant for students living in dorms as well as bulk classroom supplies for teachers, the company said. It will also stock back-to-school supplies closer to the start of school from mid-August to early September.

"That's the time then for retailers to make a value play on the less trendy items," said Jeffrey Degner, a research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. "We're going to see a lower-margin timeframe when it comes to August and September."

(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Arriana McLymore in New York; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Cynthia Osterman)