Back-to-school shopping for Betsy Jewell normally means spending close to $100 for each of her two sons on supplies like backpacks, notebooks and binders.
But because of coronavirus pandemic this year, her 14-year-old and 16-year-old will take a majority of their classes online, with some still face-to-face at Oviedo High School.
“I think I’m going to spend a lot less on school supplies this year because we have the tech,” said Jewell, who creates the High School Hamster Wheel podcast that focuses on guiding teenagers into adulthood.
As Florida heads into its annual sales-tax holiday this weekend, the pandemic is expected to prompt parents in Central Florida and across the country to spend more on tech devices during back-to-school shopping.
Running Friday through Sunday, the holiday exempts from state and local sales taxes clothing purchases of $60 or less per item, school supplies for $15 or less and the first $1,000 of computers and accessories.
Sales taxes range from 6% to 8% in Florida, depending on the county, and many retailers usually run sales promotions to bring down costs even more.
Parents of K-12 students in the U.S. plan to spend $789.49 per family, up from last year’s $696.70, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
Families are likely going to spend more on technology, with 63% expected to buy computers or other electronics, an increase from 54% last year, for an average of $274.44, a nearly 35% increase over last year’s $203.44, according to the NRF survey.
Spending on clothing is expected to dip slightly to $234.48, down from $239.82, and traditional school supply spending on items like pencils and paper is expected to be $131.37, an increase over $117.49.
“Let’s say, ‘good for Best Buy, bad for Macy’s,’ if that trend continues,” said Neil Stern, a senior partner at Chicago-based retail consulting firm McMillan Doolittle.
The drive to buy devices is being caused in part because fewer than 50% of students are expected for in-person lessons at public school campuses in Central Florida.
But not all technology expenses will fall on parents.
Middle and high school students in the Orange County school district were already provided computers before coronavirus. The district was planning to spend more than $12 million on computers and iPads, allowing every student at elementary schools to have a device.
All K-12 students in schools operated by the Lake County school district will receive a Chromebook computer in the first quarter of the year, the district said Wednesday.
Seminole County schools expect to loan out more than 14,000 laptops, where an elementary school supply list does include traditional items like backpacks and notebooks.
“By any measure, this is an unprecedented year with great uncertainty, including how students will get their education this fall whether they are in kindergarten or college,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a news release. “Most parents don’t know whether their children will be sitting in a classroom or in front of a computer in the dining room, or a combination of the two.”
Jewell also noted that uncertainty.
“We don’t know which classes will be online or in-person so we don’t know what supplies we will need,” the 55-year-old said Tuesday.
The back-to-school shopping season and sales tax holiday comes as the unemployment rate in the Orlando area was at 16.5% in June.
“Many parents are struggling to put food on the table, let alone buy supplies for the upcoming school year,” said Kim Praniewicz, vice president of marketing and mission advancement at Goodwill Industries of Central Florida.
She noted the savings Goodwill offers, including on furniture to set up classrooms at home or on clothing, whether for uniforms or more casual items for students at home.
The list of items that Florida shoppers will save taxes on this weekend on not only includes computers, but headphones, printers, web cameras, pants, shoes and blouses. Also exempt are traditional supplies like binders, calculators and pens, and other clothing including diapers and lingerie, among other things.
“I think Goodwill will see robust sales in apparel, but it may be different type of apparel,” Praniewicz said.
The pandemic is also adding items to parents’ lists that wouldn’t have been thought about in previous years, such as masks.
“I want them to have five, that way they can wear one each day,” Jewell said.
Staff writer Leslie Postal contributed to this report. Contact Austin Fuller at afuller@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5664; Twitter @afullerreporter
