Back-to-school shopping market quiet

Many parents are not in a hurry to buy school supplies for their children, even though businesses have proactively provided abundant sources of goods, clearly listed prices, and implemented attractive promotional programs.

At the Dak Lak Book and School Equipment Joint Stock Company Bookstore (Truong Chinh Street, Buon Ma Thuot Ward), one of the province's major textbook sales points, the number of customers coming to buy books this year has decreased significantly compared to the same period last year. Although the unit has proactively imported goods early, classified books by grade level, and implemented many incentive programs such as: 5% discount on textbooks when buying a complete set, 20-25% discount on reference books and 10% on school supplies, shoes, etc., purchasing power has not improved.

Parents choose to buy school supplies at Dak Lak Book and School Equipment Joint Stock Company Bookstore.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, representative of the Bookstore, said: “Most parents just come to look at the books, ask about the price, and then leave. They want to wait for the school to hold a parent meeting and announce the official list of textbooks before buying to avoid waste.”

The gloomy situation also occurred at many stationery stores in rural areas. In Ea Na commune, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, owner of a stationery store, said: “Compared to last year, the number of customers buying textbooks and school supplies has decreased by about 1/3. Since the beginning of June, I have only sold a few dozen notebooks and pencil cases. Many parents reuse old books and choose to buy backpacks and shoes online to save costs.”

The main reason why the market for the new school year is not yet active is because many families have a wait-and-see mentality. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoai (Thanh Nhat Ward), this year her family has a child entering grade 9, but due to economic difficulties, she only bought a few textbooks for Math, Physics, Chemistry for her child to study more, and will wait until the school year to decide on the rest.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Truong Quan (Ea Kao ward), a parent with two children preparing to enter grades 3 and 5, said: "Now each school uses a different set of books, so buying the wrong one would be a waste. Therefore, I will wait until the parent meeting is over before deciding. The children's old school bags and pencil cases can still be used, so I will use them to save money."

This mentality not only affects the textbook market but also causes the purchasing power of accompanying items such as notebooks, school bags, pens, rulers, etc. to decrease sharply. Although many stores have coordinated with schools to prepare combos of supplies for each grade level, sales are still low.

According to Mr. Dung, it is expected that by mid-August, when schools hold parent meetings and finalize the book list, the stationery market will really become active again. However, Mr. Dung also noted: "Parents should not wait until the opening day to shop because there may be a local shortage of some items. In addition, it is necessary to prioritize buying books at official points of sale to avoid buying fake or pirated books, which will affect children's learning."

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202508/tram-lang-thi-truong-mua-sam-mua-tuu-truong-a4d11ea/