The weather is more of an incentive to buy sunscreen and swimsuits than schoolbags and tubes of glue. However, it is at the beginning of August that you will be able to find the best good deals.
On the shelves of large retailers or office supply specialists, commercial operations are already there, sometimes with limited time offers. Here are our tips for making the most of a low cost back to school.
Take stock of the needs. This is the basic rule, common sense itself. Take about ten minutes to examine the contents of your child's pencil case and binder and check what is still reusable. "We have to take an inventory of the equipment," confirms Charlotte Barre, responsible for the education sector of the family union confederation, which publishes a study each year on the cost of schooling. "Pens, rulers, squares, or pencil cases and satchels could be used for another year," she explains. Especially with the confinement, some supplies may not have been used as much as expected or on the contrary, felts may have been bought at the end of the year and are therefore almost new.
Exchange the old binder for vouchers. If during your inventory you decided it was time to buy a new binder, don't throw the old one away. It is worth the money. Every summer, distributors offer their customers to take back old school bags (which must be in good condition in order to distribute them to associations) in exchange for vouchers to be used on the school supplies shelves and / or the purchase of school bags. The most generous are Carrefour and Auchan which offer 20 euros. Unfortunately, the offer was only valid in July (think about it for next year). But you can always fall back on Leclerc (until August 16), Cora or Monoprix where the operation is still in progress all month with vouchers of 10 euros up for grabs.
Get a refund for your items. If you don't delay too long - the offer ends this Saturday (Sunday if you order online) - you can even find free supplies. Since July 27, and until this weekend, Bureau Vallée, the specialist "supplies from major brands at discount prices" reimburses 20 items at 100%. "These are consumer products that can be found in each child's kit or satchel: glue, markers, Clairefontaine brand notebooks, binders ...", lists Adrien Peyroles, Director of Digital, Communication and Bureau Vallée services. “We've been doing this for five years, and it's still a success,” he smiles. We have already registered three times more reimbursement requests than last year. "
Take advantage of 70% loyalty discounts. At the beginning of August, classic distributors are also all communicating about immediate reductions of 25% to 50% on dozens of school supplies. The offers are quite similar from store to store. For some, however, “loyalty” discounts (the sums are transferred to the customer card) can reach up to 70%. At Carrefour, the Bic Velleda slate will cost you € 0.39 for an initial price of € 1.30; the Oxford brand notebook (Open Flex) at 0.66 € (against 2.19 €). Intermarché even offers six products that benefit from a loyalty discount of 70%. We can cite the Oxford diary at € 4.05 including € 2.84 reimbursed, the 18 Bic markers at € 1.75 (including € 1.23 on the card) or the Canson drawing pouch (€ 2.24 reimbursed on 3.2o €). Also note that until the end of the sales, August 11, on Auchan.fr, you can find kits and satchels at -70%. However, you must include the delivery costs (from 3 € to 8 €).
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Play the optimization card. To lower the bill, "also think about optimization through reimbursement applications," recalls Leslie, this mother at the head of a Facebook group of 37,000 members, on the lookout for any good plan. On Coupon Network, for drive or delivery orders, you will be able to benefit from reimbursement vouchers of 40 or 50 cents on several products of the Bic brand. These offers can be combined with promotions and other discounts offered by the brands.
Prefer batches, cheaper. Good news: while large formats are reputed to be less expensive, brands have bet this year on batch packaging "so as to be able to offer consumers much more attractive prices and thus respond to this concern linked to purchasing power" , points out Stéphanie Verrier, president of the AIFP, the association of stationery and office manufacturers. "We also believe that for fear of localized confinement during the school year, consumers will seek to build up more stock," she adds. To find brands at low prices, think in particular of discounters and destockers (Action, Normal, Stokomani…).
Interesting online sites for large orders. Specialized sites can also be attractive in terms of price. "On rentreediscount.com, it is between 15 and 30% cheaper compared to supermarkets on major brand products", assures Leslie. On its site, Ma-rentrée-scolaire.fr announces tempting promotions which can climb up to 80%. Be careful, however: “Remember to take a good look at the delivery costs, which can represent two to three times the price of the product,” explains Charlotte Barre. On the two sites in question, delivery is free from € 59 for the first, € 69 for the second. Otherwise it is between 5.90 and 9.80 €. To be preferred in case of large orders.
The back-to-school allowance jumps by 100 euros
This is a big boost in purchasing power: for the start of the 2020 school year, the government has announced that the back-to-school allowance (ARS), which will be paid on August 18, would be boosted by 100 euros.
It will therefore be increased to 469.95 euros for children aged 6 to 10, to 490.36 euros for those aged 11 to 14 and to 503.88 euros for 15-18 year olds. This help, which is invaluable when buying books and new sneakers, is provided on a means-tested basis. Categorical net income - income minus charges (such as alimony), and minus tax allowances - must be less than 25,093 euros for a family with one child, 30,884 euros for a family with two children, and 36 675 euros for a family of three for example.
Important detail: if your income slightly exceeds these ceilings, do not hesitate to turn to your Family Allowance Fund (CAF), because you may be able to benefit from a declining allowance.
If you have already received the ARS, in theory you have nothing to do (except for having submitted your tax returns on time). If this is a first request, you will have to complete a declaration of the situation of family and housing benefits. Contact your CAF.