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From clothes to school supplies and so much more, July through September is the best time to stock up on all the items you need, stress-free. You can also find some great coupons for some of your favourite snacks. It's even a great time to look into upgrading your cell phone or even musical instruments.
Back-to-School Sales
If you're on the lookout for back-to-school sales, they usually start the first week of July. They don't end fast, though. They usually run through all the way into the end of August and early September. With these sales, you can get some great deals at your favourite stores. The deals aren't just on school supplies; you can get them on some of your favourite everyday items.
Some of the best places to check out for back-to-school deals must haves are:
- Best Buy
- Walmart
- Staples
- Costco
- Indigo
There are so many more as well. Most of your favourite clothing stores will offer some great deals as well.
Best Buy
Whether you're in the market for backpacks or laptops, Best Buy has a wide variety of options for back-to-school deals. You can also save money on desks, phones, speakers, headphones and even video games.
The best part is that you don't have to shop in-store either; you can get these same deals online. You can even find some exclusive deals online, but they can't be found in-store.
If you're struggling to find the best product, they have some recommendations and tips on their website to help you make the best selection. Plus, for the best deals, there's the Best Buy Outlet. They have new sales every week on all different types of products, including laptops and smartphones.
Walmart
School supplies are a big part of back-to-school shopping. So many small items are needed every year, and the cost adds up fast, especially if you're buying for more than one person.
Walmart tends to have great prices all throughout the year, but during the back-to-school season, those prices can get even lower. School supplies drop by 40%, backpacks are below $15, and clothes start as low as $5.
If you shop at Walmart.ca, you can sort through the school supplies by grade to find everything you need. Plus, while you're shopping for these supplies, you can pick up some of your children's (or your own) favourite snacks and complete your grocery shopping. There's even some helpful information on the best back-to-school snacks, easy lunches, and some options for other lunch essentials, including lunch bags. It's a one-stop shop for everything you need to start off the new school year right.
Walmart also offers the ability to purchase online and pick up in-store. What's great about their offer, though, is they can have your order ready in as little as two hours. They even offer periodic discounts and incentives on pick-up orders.
Staples
Staples is another store that can offer you back-to-school essentials either in-store or online. Instead of shopping by grade online, you can shop by education level. The different options are:
- Kindergarten
- Elementary
- High School
- Post Secondary
- Teachers
They also have up to 15% off of backpacks and other essentials. There are even major discounts on school supplies and different tech items. As a bonus, when you shop online for a limited time, you can get a $50 gift card when you spend $300 or more. This can be an online order you ship to your home or pick up in-store. For orders over $35, you can get free shipping.
Not only is this a great place for parents and students to find great deals, but it's also great for teachers to stock up on classroom supplies. There are plenty of different options for everyone.
Costco
One great way to save on back-to-school items is by shopping at Costco. Not only do they offer some great back-to-school discounts, but they also offer great prices year-round. You find deals on:
- Laptops
- Printers
- Desks
- Office chairs
- School Supplies
- Cell Phones
- Clothes
- Appliances
With Costco, you have the option to shop online and get the items delivered. You can also pick the items up with curbside pickup. That said, the best deals can be found by shopping in person. There are often deals that aren't posted online or extra charges on items that are delivered.
Indigo
Traditionally, Chapters/Indigo is known for selling books. That's not all they sell, though. They also sell a ton of different back-to-school supplies. You can get lunch boxes, lunch containers, backpacks, notebooks and more.
Whether you purchase online or instead, many different school supplies are marked down by as much as 30%. There are many different items listed for less than $25 each. They also offer some great book sales. Whether you're in need of educational books for school, books for your kids, or just something for yourself, there are plenty of different things to choose from at great prices.
Best Deals on Amazon
If you're in the market for some new back-to-school options, Amazon is a good place to start if you're looking at online shopping. You can find great deals on next-day delivery items if you have Amazon Prime.
Some noted deals on back-to-school items are backpack and lunch kit sets. You can get these for under $50, with shipping. This isn't the only deal available, though. There are pencils, pencil cases, crayons, bento boxes, pens, notebooks, water bottles and other everyday items you're looking for.
One of the other great things about Amazon is that you can get items you might not be able to find anywhere else. They're also available at reasonable prices.
If you're looking for a new tablet, Bluetooth headphones, or even office supplies, there are some amazing offers ranging from 20% to 30% off.
Best 2024 School Laptop Deals
If you're looking for a new laptop, back to school is a great time to purchase one. Some of the latest tech is available at great prices in all different brands. Let's look at the top 5 laptop deals available right now.
- A great laptop available right now is the Lenovo Ideapad Slim 3 (15” AMD). The list price of this laptop is $929.99. Using one of the back-to-school coupon codes SNEAKYDEAL, you can reduce the price by 41% to $544.99. In order to access this deal, you can visit the Lenovo website directly. The best part is delivery is free as well.
- If you're looking for a great deal at Best Buy right now, there are some great offers on the ASUS Vivobook 15 15.6” Laptop. Until August 31, 2023, you can get the laptop for just $399.99. You also have the option to buy an extra warranty. You can also purchase the laptop online and get it delivered.
- If you're a fan of Apple products, the MacBook Air 13.3” Notebook is currently available for a lower price at Staples. The normal price is $ 1,299.99, but right now, you can get it for $1,099.99. You can either purchase it online for pick up or delivery or grab it in-store.
- Another great offer, though staples, is the HP 15.6” AMD Ryzen 5 7520U. You can currently purchase it in-store for just $699.99, regularly $899.99.
- Dell is offering some great sales on their laptops as well. The Inspiron 15 is currently on for the low price of $749.99. Normally, this sells for $999.99. You can either finance this laptop or pay for it outright. Either way, you can have it shipped right to your door.
These are just a few of the available sale items currently out there. Keep in mind that these offers won't stay up forever. There will be plenty of other computers that you will go on sale for some great prices.
Student Discounts in Canada
If you're a student in Canada, then you can get plenty of great offers throughout the year, not just back-to-school offers. Many different stores offer discounts as long as you can prove you're a student.
SPC
The most common program in Canada that offers discounts to students is the Student Price Card. With this card, you're eligible for in-store and online discounts. There are over 450 different stores that are partnered with SPC to offer you discounts. There are also exclusive deals and discounts that go above and beyond the everyday ones.
There are a few different ways to get the SPC card. You can get this card if you're a CIBC client and a youth or student. Don't worry, though, you can still get the card if you aren't. You can register online. That said, though, there's a fee of $11.99 per month. This isn't much if you consider the savings you can get at some of your favourite stores.
Here's a list of some of the most popular partners:
- Apple
- Adidas
- American Eagle
- Foot Locker
- H&M
- Booking.com
- Hudson's Bay
- Pizza Pizza
- Taco Bell
- KFC
- Burger King
- Chatters
- The Body Shop
- Rexall
- Expedia
- Walmart
There are so many more as well—a variety of different places and sites ranging from food to travel. No matter what you're looking for, chances are you'll find some sort of discount.
UNIDAYS Canada
Another popular program that offers discounts to students is UNiDAYS. While this program is similar to the SPC program, the difference is that this one is free and can only be used with online purchases.
In order to sign up for UNiDAYS, you must be at least 16 years old. When you register, you'll also need to provide your student ID as well as your email address. You can then select offers you like and start using them. Each offer will provide you with discount codes you can enter at checkout to receive your discount.
The discounts offered by this program range from 5%-30%. On the website, you can select from different categories which offer you would like. The different categories are:
- Tech
- Lifestyle
- Health and Fitness
- Fashion
- Learning and Wellbeing
International Student Identity Card
The International Student Identity Card, also known as the ISIC, is a great way to receive student discounts internationally. It's actually the only internationally accepted student discount card.
Surprisingly enough, this card was created in 1953 by students. It's been internationally recognized by UNESCO since 1968. The idea behind this is to help students by making their time as a student more affordable but still enjoyable. There's also a mobile app to help you access your card more easily while finding some incredible discounts.
The ISIC offers discounts in over 113 different countries from some of the largest brands, including:
- Flixbus
- Intrepid
- Adidas
- Hotels.com
- McDonald's
- Samsung
- Booking.com
- Emirates
- Homestay.com
- IELTS
- Ikea
- Hello Fresh
- Dominos
- Uber
If you aren't a student but are interested in some discounts and are 30 or younger, you still can. You'll be eligible for the International Youth Travel Card. As a full-time teacher or professor, you can also get discounts with the International Teacher Identity Card.
Student Beans
Student Beans is another great site you can use to get some great discounts. It's free to register and only takes a minute or so online. Once you're registered, you have access to thousands of different discounts.
The great thing about Student Beans is that the offers are always changing. You can get some great deals from brands like:
- H&M
- Foot Locker
- Samsung
- Disney Plus
- Helly Hansen
- Book Outlet
- Nike
- Crocs
- Lenovo
There are many others as well. Plus, as a bonus, they also have a program called Grad Beans. With this program, you can access some great discounts for up to 5 years after graduation.
With either Grad Beans or Student Beans, you can download the app and gain access to some amazing discounts wherever you are.
Other Discount Offers
Along with the student discounts we've already mentioned, there are just too many to list. Even if you don't have any of these cards listed above, you still have access to some awesome student discounts. Let's take a look at a few of the most popular brands.
- Apple offers 10% off with student and education pricing.
- Lenovo offers an extra 10% to all college and university students.
- Microsoft offers student discounts of 10% on certain computers. You also get Microsoft 365 free.
- Levis offers 15% off to students.
- Bulk Barn offers 15% off on Wednesdays to students.
- Spotify premium is only $4.99 per month for students.
- Amazon Prime Student is free for 6 months, then $4.99 per month after that.
Between these discounts as well as the student discount programs, there are so many ways for you to save money as a student.
On top of these student offers you should also look for first-purchase offers from different retail stores. Not only could you get some great deals, but you could find your new favourite store.
Final Thoughts
While back to school can be the best time to find some great deals, students have access to some great deals all year long. Back to school may still be the best time to get what you need. From art supplies to laptops, there's something for everyone.
Even if you aren't returning to school and have no children to send back, you can still stock up on the essentials. It's a great time to get office supplies, household appliances, and tech supplies. Back-to-school season often offers some of the lowest prices of the year.
