3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 21
Summary
Back-to-school shopping is costing more this year, with tariffs pushing up prices on some basics such as crayons and notebooks.
Parents are responding by recalculating what they can afford, deciding which items can be reused from last year and which teacher-requested supplies may have to be skipped.
The price pressure is landing during a seasonal spending peak, turning routine school shopping into a budget trade-off for many households.