While nothing signals the end of the festive season more than the onslaught of back-to school advertising and with parents feeling the financial pinch after splurging over the past two weeks, The Herald conducted a flash price comparison on a number of school supplies.
With most retail shops dropping the price of school stationery staples drastically this week before the first term starts, items on the shelves at selected shops may change in the coming days.
Major shops visited this week included Pick n Pay Hypermarket at William Moffett Park, Game The Bridge, and Shoprite and Checkers Hyper at Greenacres.
All the shops visited have specials on various school stationery items, including those listed.
Eight generic items have been selected which are listed on most schools’ stationery supply lists issued to parents.
While you can expect to pay more than R200 for the items priced, Shoprite shows a marginally cheaper offering with a basket full of basic stationery adding up to R208.42, while the most pricey of the shops is Game at R255.92.
Below is a breakdown of the selected items and their pricing at the various retailers.
Staedtler HB Tradition pencils (3 pack)
Pick n Pay R13,95 Shoprite R14,99 Checkers R28,99 Game R14,99
Pritt glue stick (43g)
Pick n Pay R35,95 Shoprite R29,99 Checkers R42,99 Game R38,99
Butterfly A4 pocket file (30 pages)
Pick n Pay R20,95 Shoprite R32,99 Checkers R21,99 Game R22,99
Staedtler retractable wax crayons (12 pack)
Pick n Pay R32,95 Shoprite R33,99 Checkers R33,99 Game R38,99
A4 Office Paper White (500)
Pick n Pay R61,99 (Rototrim)
Shoprite R52,99 (Typek) Checkers R52,99 (Typek) Game R64,00 (Typek)
BIC ballpoint pens
Pick n Pay R21,95 (3+2 free) Shoprite R13,99 (3 pack) Checkers R15,99 (3 pack) Game R20,98 (4+3 free)
Staedtler colour pencils (12)
Pick n Pay R18,95 Shoprite R18,99 Checkers R18,99 Game R41,99
A4 hardcover books (each)
Pick n Pay R10,95 Shoprite R10,49 Checkers R11,99 Game R12,99