Back to school shopping is some serious business since it’s one of the largest retail events of the year! Not just for school supplies, which makes it a crazy busy time, as well as a great time to snag some savings. It’s also a time of stress for parents and kids alike.

Rakuten conducted a survey in June of 1,010 Canadians to find out how they deal with the back to school stress for everyone in their household.

Surprisingly, three quarters of parents admitted to starting the shopping early, while only 21% get it done in June or July to avoid the rush. Yet 89% admit to enjoy shopping for back to school if they’re able to do it early, and 42% shop online to avoid the IRL hassle.

Budgets

The expense of the back to school shopping is marked as the number one stressor for parents, so 80% look for the best deals to save as much money as possible. While 61% create a back-to-school budget, 41% of parents start teaching their kids good financial habits by making their kids aware of the back to school budget, and 22% even have their kids help keep track of the budget.

Ninety-four per cent of Canadian parents say they include their kids in the whole back-to-school shopping process in varying ways. Some (70%) bring them to buy in-store, some let them pick out the products they prefer (68%), some ask for help creating the shopping list (60%), and some have them help with the online shopping (27%).

Participation

While parents stress about the financial implications of back to school, kids have their own stresses. The parents surveyed consider their children worry about homework (27%), waking up early (25%), and not fitting in with other kids (21%). In order to manage these factors, parents are using these stress-reducing strategies to help their kids: starting a sleep routine before school starts (77%), keeping their kids’ minds engaged with books and activities (74%), and celebrating the end of the summer with BBQs and special outings (59%) so the kids have something to look forward to and don’t feel so sad.

Routines

Keeping routines similar year-round helps smooth the transition when the school year starts. Therefore, many parents try to maintain these routines during the summer, like 83% pick their own clothes for school,77% pack their own backpack/school bag, 73% help with chores around the house, 50% make their own breakfast on school mornings, and 42% pack their school lunch.

For the best back to school deals and to get Cash Back on your shopping, don’t forget to check out all the stores you can shop to stock up on supplies! For more sweet savings, check out the Rakuten Gift Card Shop, and for our In-Store Cash Back offers.