September blow for families. Like every year, as the first bell approaches, the high cost of school falls on parents. They will spend up to 1300 euros per child, with increases that even touch 15% for backpacks and school supplies and 8% for textbooks. There is no escape, every year.
Consumer associations have done the math. According to Codacons, the biggest increases are for designer backpacks and pencil cases. The increases in this case are 15% compared to last year. For a trendy backpack you can spend up to 200 euros, for a complete pencil case (with pens, pencils, markers and erasers) 60 euros and for a diary even 35 euros. Things are better for non-branded products, where the increase is around 3%. And notebooks and exercise books? The increase is limited (1.1%), but the Consumers Union points out that families are still paying the increases of past years, which are added to those of this year. The outlay “on the paper side” is 18.5% higher than three years ago, 10.4% higher than two years ago. The cost of other stationery items, such as pens, pencils and highlighters, increases by 3.2% in 2023, by 9% in 2022 and by 16.1% in 2021.
And then there are textbooks. Istat has recorded average increases of almost 5% in the last month (4.9% precisely). This means 8.1% compared to 2022. Translated into euros for families, this is an expense that ranges from 300 to 700 euros per student, depending on the school and the level of education (secondary school I or II level).
So, all things considered, we arrive at 1300 euros per child for this school year. Why? According to analysts, the main culprit is inflation, which has led to an increase in the cost of raw materials in recent months. But there is certainly the “law of the market” factor. The continuous and constant demand for branded products brings with it the inevitable increase in prices. Are students asking for the trendy backpack and pencil case? The sector is responding by making money.
The return to school is therefore a bloodbath announced for families, who can save up to 40% by following some indications according to consumer associations: do not chase trends, choose the points of sale (in some supermarkets the prices of stationery products are 30% lower), postpone purchases (you don’t need everything at once) and look for the offers in circulation. And for books, the Consumers Union is once again asking for the modification of Law 128/2011, which limits discounts on high school textbooks by supermarkets and online platforms to 15%. The liberalization of discounts would lead to substantial savings for Italian families.
