Yes, more teachers. Yes, more books. And yes to all the rest of it, as school bells in some areas start ringing in August.
The good news for parents is that there are some bargains on school supplies and kids' clothes. But the timing of the sales and how long they last will vary, depending on where you live and the return-to-school dates in your area, says Daniel Butler, vice president of retail operations for the National Retail Federation.
You're likely to see special prices on things such as rulers, tablets, notebooks, pencils and other back-to-school basics, he says. While savings will vary, retailers are stocking up and offering "prices they don't normally have for amounts they don't normally have," he says. "But when they blow through them, they're gone."
Those prices may also extend to items on schools' wish lists that weren't included when today's parents were kids: everything from art supplies to hand sanitizer, he says.
In addition, clothing for local school uniforms (such as white dress shirts), "can be anywhere from 25 (percent) to 35 percent off," Butler says. And kids' socks and underwear will be discounted 25 percent, he says.