--- title: Higher Back-To-School Sales Expected This Year | TIME description: According to The National Retail Federation, at $74.9 billion, this year’s total school supplies spending is expected to be 3 percent higher than last year's figure. canonical: https://time.com/video/ofYi8PbI/ og:title: Higher Back-To-School Sales Expected This Year og:description: According to The National Retail Federation, at $74.9 billion, this year’s total school supplies spending is expected to be 3 percent higher than last year's figure. og:url: https://time.com/video/ofYi8PbI/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ofYi8PbI/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Higher Back-To-School Sales Expected This Year twitter:description: According to The National Retail Federation, at $74.9 billion, this year’s total school supplies spending is expected to be 3 percent higher than last year's figure. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ofYi8PbI/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Higher Back-To-School Sales Expected This Year > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Higher Back-To-School Sales Expected This Year [Watch (HLS stream): Higher Back-To-School Sales Expected This Year](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ofYi8PbI.m3u8) (1:34)  _Published 2014-07-21. According to The National Retail Federation, at $74.9 billion, this year’s total school supplies spending is expected to be 3 percent higher than last year's figure._ --- Jul 27, 2023 5:02 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Apple's Annual Back To School Sale Might Be On The Way](/video/237fPl0F/) ### Apple's Annual Back To School Sale Might Be On The Way [New Year's Eve By The Numbers](/video/UEb85Joe/) ### New Year's Eve By The Numbers [The Hazards \(and Power\) of Higher Heels](/video/6QvTY2qc/) ### The Hazards (and Power) of Higher Heels --- ## Transcript Parents, it's almost the time of year again. If you have not done your back to school shopping yet, you're not alone. How much money will you spend on supplies? Possibly a lot, according to the national retail foundation. which says this year's spending is expected to reach a whopping $ 74. 9 billion. That's up about 3 % from last year. The average family with kids in kindergarten through twelfth grade will spend about $ 670 on supplies. Makes sense when you consider how quickly those pens and pencils all add up. According to the National School Supply List Directory, required lists for students this year, have an average of 18 items, a number up, 29 % from last year. Another factor driving spending, an increased demand for electronics. The National Retail Federation estimates, back to school shoppers will spend about $ 212, on items like laptops and tablets. Again, more than last year. If these numbers have you anxious to get started on shopping, you're in luck. Some retailers didn't even wait for school to let out before promoting their Back to School sales. J. C. Penney, Wal- Mart, and Land's End were advertising deals for shoppers as early as June. Why the rush? Brad tunnel and money are for summon site. Families generally have finite resources they can allocate to back- to- school fashion and paraphernalia. Retailers want to be beat the competition to the punch, before the family's back- to- school budget is depleted. Another interesting find for the national retail federation, teens returning to class this year, will spend more of their own money on school supplies. Impressive teens. Now, we wonder if it has something to do with all the Bieber notebooks. Thanks for watching. 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