RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Back to school means back to school shopping for parents across Central Virginia. However, with rising prices and talks of tariffs, experts said more parents are shopping earlier.
8News joined Chantell Campbell and her son Jaylen as they made their way down the shopping aisle, loading their carts with folders, dry-erase boards and markers. Although the first day of school for Jaylen is weeks away, his mother told 8News he decided to cross items off their list earlier to beat the crowd and find the best prices.
The mother and son duo are two of many families getting their back to school shopping done earlier this year. According to the National Retail Federation, 67% of shoppers started their back to school shopping by early July. This is a 12% increase from 2024.
“Every year you have to keep buying the same thing, and it’s kind of like a repetitive thing,” Campbell said. “And then it’s just like prices aren’t going down, just going up.”…