The 5 Best Places to Buy School Supplies in 2025
Back to School season is upon us! With prices still running on the higher end, many families are looking to find the best places to shop to stay within their budgets. One easy way to accomplish this feat is to know where to buy school supplies in the first place.
We've rounded up the top stores that help shoppers tackle this annual tradition without having to sacrifice too much cash. Check out our guide below on the best places to buy school supplies in 2024, as well as what kinds of deals you can expect and discounts you can get now! Then check out our articles on Back to School sales and the best school supplies to buy to get more shopping tips.
Top School Supply Deals to Shop Now
1.
Amazon's Back to School ShopStore: Amazon
Price: From 25 cents
Shipping: Free shipping with Prime
Shop a variety of school supplies for the upcoming academic year with prices starting at just 25 cents per item. Eligible products include notebooks, pens, glue sticks, and more. While the most affordable prices likely fall under the Amazon Basics line, plenty of items are name-brand, as well. Plus, you can narrow your focus by choosing to shop by grade, including Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st to 2nd, 3rd to 5th, 6th to 8th, and 9th to 12th.
2.
School Supplies at TargetStore: Target
Price: From 15 cents
Shipping: Free shipping with $35
Stock up on a ton of different supplies for school, including pens, pencils, markers, paper, binders, notebooks, and much more. Take advantage of deals like folders from 15 cents, glue and crayons from just 25 cents, pencils from 39 cents, and erasers, colored pencils, sharpeners, markers and other items from around 50 cents.
3.
Tombow Xtreme Removable Indoor/Outdoor Mounting Putty 60-PackStore: Amazon
Price: $3.39
Shipping: Free shipping with Prime
Moving into college dorms? Odds are good you'll be restricted from putting holes in the walls, but will still want to hang some items and make the space your own. This heavy-duty adhesive tack is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and works with a variety of materials, including metal, masonry, brick, wood, glass, ceramic, rubber, fiberglass composite, china, and stone. So you should be able to hang even the heaviest of decor with ease.
4.
Amazon Basics Retractable Gel Pens 12-PackStore: Amazon
Price: $7.14
Shipping: Free shipping with Prime
Frugal college students will appreciate this 12-pack of retractable gel pens and the variety of colors they offer for all their note-taking sensibilities this school year. Having so many different colors enables students to organize their notes to make studying even more efficient. And at this price, it works out to 60 cents per pen. It's worth grabbing a couple of packs now and stocking up for the semester to start off strong.
5.
Ohome 3" x 3" 40-Page Sticky Note Pads 12-PackStore: Amazon
Price: $5.99
Shipping: Free shipping with Prime
Whether you use them for studying or to serve as a vehicle for analog reminders in your everyday life, this set of 12 sticky note pads is worth adding to your shopping cart. At this price, it works out to just 50 cents per pad, so it's worth grabbing a couple of packages to get you through the semester (if not the whole year).
6.
BIC Cristal Xtra Bold Ballpoint Stick Pen 10-PackStore: Walmart
Price: $1.44
Shipping: Free shipping with $35
Fans of the old-school BIC ballpoint stick pens should consider adding this pack of colorful writing utensils to their Walmart carts, as the 10-pack works out to around just 14 cents per pen — that's an excellent bargain! Plus, the different colors ensure you can make your notes more colorful, or color-code your notes for different classes to make them more aesthetically pleasing.
7.
School Supply Deals at AmazonStore: Amazon
Discount: $10 off $50
Shipping: Free shipping with Prime
School supply shopping can be a pricey endeavor, no matter how many tricks you use to save. Fortunately, this offer from Amazon is makes saving a little easier and provides $10 off $50 purchases of eligible school supplies. Note that a ton of name-brand picks are in this sale, too, so if you prefer Post-Its over various generic offerings, for example, this promotion is definitely worth checking out.
8.
Expo Dry Erase 2-in-1 Assorted Markers 8-PackStore: Amazon
Price: $9.68
Shipping: Free shipping with Prime
Dry erase markers are on a lot of school supply lists these days. But even if you aren't shopping for a student in grade school, you may still find a use for these. College students who use white boards in study sessions or even have their own hanging on the walls can benefit from stocking up on these handy markers. Two tips are in each one, which amounts to 16 different colors in this 8-pack.
9.
Uniball Vision 0.7mm Fine Point Rollerball Pen 12-Pack (Green)Store: Amazon
Price: $8.88 via Subscribe & Save
Shipping: Free shipping with Prime
You'll need to really love the color green to find the most value in this deal. But if that's the case, you can grab 12 smooth-writing utensils for just 74 cents each when you opt for shopping via Subscribe & Save. Note that you can cancel your subscription whenever, so if you find yourself stockpiling more green pens than you know what to do with after a couple of months, just make some quick adjustments in your Amazon account.
10.
Amazon Basics #2 Woodcased Pencils 150-PackStore: Amazon
Price: $12
Shipping: Free shipping with Prime
Having number 2 pencils on hand is important for students of all ages, and some even prefer to use these for note-taking in advanced classes because they're less trouble than having to replace lead in mechanical pencils. Just make sure you have a sharpener on hand to carry with you to ensure the best writing circumstances.
The 5 Best Places to Buy School Supplies in 2024
Our infographic covers the top stores for big Back to School savings and items to shop at each. After you take a look, read on to learn more about where to buy school supplies.
1. Amazon
Best for: Backpacks, cleaning products, school supplies
Amazon sells pretty much anything you can think of. So it should come as no surprise that the online retailer is one of the top places to buy school supplies. But just because it sells a variety of items doesn't mean you'll find good deals on everything on your supply list. However, it still pays to utilize your Prime account when shopping categories such as backpacks, cleaning items, and traditional school supplies.
SEE ALSO: Back to School Sales for 2024 Are Live! Here's What to Expect
For instance, in August 2022, Amazon featured the following discounts:
- Up to 38% off writing and correction supplies
- Up to 50% off BIC writing instruments
- Up to 43% off Arteza art and office supplies
- Up to 54% off Crayola products
- Up to 57% off Pilot pens and Rocketbook notebooks
It's not just school supplies you can save on either. Amazon is also a good option if you're looking for backpacks; the retailer knocked up to 62% off these items in 2022. It's also worth checking out the cleaning products on offer, as well, and stocking up now may help to stave off illness when cold and flu season really kicks in. In fact, historically we've seen Amazon take up to 42% off select Purell products.
2. Best Buy
Best for: Laptops
You might not think of Best Buy when contemplating Back to School shopping, but it's a great place to look for tech deals around this time of year. From laptops and printers to accessories and even bags to safeguard those pricey devices, you can find a good bit of what you need at Best Buy.
In August 2022, Best Buy offered a Lenovo Chromebook for just $99, an HP 14" laptop with an AMD Ryzen 3 processor for $200, a refurbished Microsoft Surface Pro 7 128GB tablet for $468, a Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 laptop for $550, and the Apple MacBook Pro M1 (a 2020 model) for $900. All these deals were strong enough to earn our Staff Pick designation.
The retailer also took up to $300 off select Lenovo devices, plus it provided other tech deals. Shoppers could get discounts on wireless earbuds from Anker and even Staff Pick-worthy savings on the Apple Watch Series 7 model. Needless to say, regardless of what you need and your budget, Best Buy likely has an offer to fit.
3. Staples
Best for: Cleaning products, traditional school supplies
As an office supply store, Staples should probably be on more shoppers' radars. But many may think there isn't a lot of overlap among office and school supplies. However, the retailer sells plenty of items suitable for offices and backpacks alike.
SEE ALSO: The 7 Best School Supplies to Buy (Plus What to Skip)
During previous Back to School seasons, for instance, Staples knocked up to 40% off select 3M school supplies that teachers might find particularly useful. They included the following:
- Command strips
- Post-it pads
- Scotch tape
Historically, Staples has also had a special offer for shoppers who spent $50 on select school supplies. Qualifying purchases came with a free $10 gift card. You could save a card like that to put toward items you may not be ready to buy yet, or items you forgot to buy. Or you could present that gift card to your kid's teacher to help fill the gaps on any supplies they may still need after school begins.
4. Target
Best for: Clothing, school supplies
The bull's-eye retailer might be one of the only stores where you can do all your shopping in one spot, whether it's for K-12 students or for new high school graduates needing college essentials. Shoppers can take advantage of school supply deals that offer savings so high, prices start as low as 25 cents (or even lower!). We saw traditional items such as notebooks, glue, and pencils included in Target's deals, but also more niche products like stationery and craft supplies.
Looking for dorm essentials at Target? In 2023, the retailer had kitchen and dining items from just 50 cents, bath items from $3, bedding items from $4, and furniture from $28.
Watch for the retailer to also offer deals on health, beauty, and household essentials that'll make stocking new dorm rooms and apartments much easier. Target has historically offered promotions that let you buy four eligible bath, body, and facial care items and earn a free $5 gift card, or get a free $15 gift card with the purchase of $50 in household essentials.
5. Walmart
Best for: Clothing, school supplies
Walmart is another 1-stop shop for those on a Back to School mission. It often has some of the lowest prices available, as well. For instance, in previous years we've seen Walmart offer dorm furniture from $30 and kids' clothing priced as low as $4.
Of course, traditional school supplies are available, too, and prices have started around 15 cents in previous years. The retailer also had backpacks from $6 and lunch essentials from a buck or so. If you need to stock up on school supplies of any kind and want to stay on budget, Walmart is worth checking out.
Ready to shop? Check out all the best Back to School deals available now, and follow us on Facebook to get more helpful savings tips.
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