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Back to school: should you buy supplies in neighborhood bookstores, super or wholesalers?

2021-02-17T22:58:19.436Z


In wholesale stores, prices are up to 40% lower. But there is 'fine print' and funding is lacking. Comparative values ​​and expert advice.


Martin Grosz

02/17/2021 19:25

  • Clarín.com

  • Society

Updated 02/17/2021 7:38 PM

Some of the boys have already started classes.

Others wait their turn to return to classrooms in the coming weeks.

In all cases, it was time for their families to face a complex challenge: to

fill their backpacks

with the useful orders and with the least possible impact on their pockets.

But the mission does not look easy this year.

The NGO Consumidores Libres found a basket of 33 bookstore products

50.7% more expensive

than last year.

And a study by the consulting firm Focus Market revealed that a list of 23 tools of medium brands went from $ 2,282 to $ 3,399: an increase of

49% year-on-year

.

The more cautious bookstores speak of an average of 

38.6%

increase in 12 months.


As in other times of crisis, the reflection of many was to turn to the wholesale bookstores of Once and other areas, and make

long lines on the sidewalk

to try to get the merchandise at lower prices than those of the retail bookstores and the super and hypermarkets .

But is actually buying from wholesalers the best thing to do?

Or is it better to go to retailers in every neighborhood, close to home?

On the day of the restart of classes,

Clarín

surveyed the prices of different Capital stores and asked experts for their opinion to determine it.

The prices, face to face

A dozen stationery and writing and crafts products from different brands were analyzed.

The result was that, taking into account

only the prices

, the wholesale bookstores were in all cases the cheapest option.

How much cheaper do they charge?

In some cases,

15% less

for the same product.

But in others, up to

40% less

.

v 1.5

Compared prices

Tap to explore the data

Source:

Clarín Survey

Infographic:

Clarín

For example, they offer $ 70 containers of Voligoma that in common stores are $ 110 or $ 115 (39% savings).

They sell boxes of 12 BIC Evolution colored pencils for $ 195, which are priced at $ 250 in bookstores and $ 275 in supermarkets (29% savings). 

If you compare a large replacement of Rivadavia reinforced folder sheets, in wholesalers you can pay 

$ 1,100

instead of $ 1,300 or

$ 1,380

(up to 20% savings).

And if it is Exito brand, $ 1,000 instead of $ 1,200 or $ 1,300 (23% less).

There are also 15% lower values ​​in hardcover notebooks,

30% lower in

A4

reams

for printers and up to 37% lower in A4 blocks, as reported.

Packs of 12 colored markers were found in wholesalers up to 27% cheaper ($ 350 vs. $ 480) and boxes of 6 tempera, up to 30% cheaper ($ 140 vs. $ 200).

Wholesaler lights and shadows

In Capital, the largest number of wholesale bookstores is concentrated in the Once area: the main ones are on

Larrea

(between Sarmiento and Bartolomé Miter) and on

Azcuénaga

(between Av. Corrientes and Perón).

There is also an important pole in the neighborhood of San Cristóbal, on Av. Jujuy between Cochabamba and Constitución.

These are businesses that, as the name suggests, are primarily engaged in selling merchandise in large volumes to merchants who then resell it.

But at this time they also open their doors to final consumers who need products to fill their children's backpacks.

This Wednesday long lines were formed to enter the wholesalers of Once.

Photo: Fernando de la Orden

Can you get cheaper prices in these shops?

Yes. But it is also true that 

there is "fine print"

.

To access the most convenient price, for example, many times the requirement is to

buy a minimum of the same products

.

In one of the important places in the area, this Wednesday they asked to carry stickers

of 12 small

balls, A4 America blocks in packs of 10 and Rivadavia notebooks of 50 sheets at least

5

.

Something like this would only make sense if many families of the same grade agree to make a "community purchase". 

However, there are also products that can be bought individually

from

wholesalers, and many of the families that visit the area today aim to capture these opportunities.

The

unit purchase

, for example, was found allowed in

spare parts of 480 sheets

of folder N ° 3, which are usually the great attraction since they yield a whole year for several brothers.

And also in printer reams, in some boxes of 12 colored pencils or markers, in tempera boxes and more.

On the other hand, in wholesalers the rule is to 

spend a lot and everything at once

, since the financing offer is very limited, has surcharges or is even non-existent (many stores only accept cash payments).

And those who are not familiar with school products will hardly find a salesperson available to advise them, which increases the risk of buying

too much and badly

.

Retailers have their thing: promos, quotas and Prices Care

Thus, the wholesaler's option may not be as cheap or convenient as their prices suggest.

And

the retailers, not as expensive

as they appear.

The reason for the latter is that, due to the effect of aggressive

offers, discounts and promotions

, in supermarkets and neighborhood bookstores, the most common thing is that they end up paying values ​​much

 lower than those on the list

, and also in several

installments without interest

(which is equivalent to an additional discount for the financial effect).

As

Clarín

already reported

, with different bank and benefit cards, on certain days of the month, it is possible to buy supplies in bookstores and large shopping centers with discounts of 15%, 25%, 30% or even

40%

, which means fact leaves the values ​​very close to or

below the wholesalers

.

And to that are added payment facilities of up to

3 or 6 installments without surcharge

.

Consumers are facing this year a school basket that became more than 50% more expensive, according to different surveys.

Photo: Fernando de la Orden

On the other hand, these days, the supermarket chains brought out their most aggressive offers.

Some today have a good part of the articles with a

25%

discount or with offers of

50% in the second unit

, with financing plans of up to 6 installments without interest.

In this way, for example, a replacement of 480 sheets of folder N ° 3 Rivadavia could drop from

$ 1,380 to $ 1,035, against $ 1,100 for the wholesaler

.

And a box of 12 Maped markers, with a list price of $ 479, can actually be purchased for $ 359, almost like at the wholesaler.

As for the

bookstores

, both the neighborhood ones and the chains, they also make very aggressive offers at this time.

And to that they add discounts of up to

10%

for groups of

at least 4 or 5 families

who come to order complete equal school lists.

To all this is added that the entire retail sector agreed with the National Secretariat of Internal Commerce a series of

 economic

reference prices

for the school basket, within the framework of the Care Prices plan.

One of the notebooks that are in the Care Prices plan

Among the products that are part of the plan - and that

are usually left out of other promotions

- are: a black Faber Castell pencil at $ 22, a box of 12 Faber Castell long colored pencils at $ 125, a replacement of 96 sheets Gloria at $ 113.60, a Simball cartridge fountain pen at $ 89 and a BIC highlighter at $ 81.90.

They also make up the new school basket of Precious Care folders for $ 145 and $ 162, a Maped geometry set for $ 99 and cloth sneakers for between $ 799 and $ 999. And products to prevent Covid-19 were added, such as alcohol gel from $ 99 and chinstraps from $ 89. The complete list can be consulted at www.precioscuñados.gob.ar. 

As reported, this agreement is in force 

until March 31

 in more than 500 businesses, of which each will have a

minimum of 10 products

.

The participating chains are Carrefour, Disco, Jumbo, Vea, Coto, La Anónima, Walmart and Cooperativa Obrera.

In addition, Todo Moda stores and neighborhood bookstores were added.

That cheap does not come out expensive

"The neighborhood bookstore is the best option for the consumer to make a good purchase. This is the case for several reasons. First, because it has the widest

variety

of products. Second, because it has vendors to

advise

and explain how to do it. the smartest purchase. Third, because we offer all kinds of promotions and quotas. And fourth, because we offer after-sales: if they bought badly later they can come to

make a change

, something impossible in a supermarket or a wholesaler ", lists Daniel Iglesias López, the President of the Argentine Chamber of Stationery, Libraries and Related (CAPLA).

Along the same lines, from the

Staples Argentina 

chain they

assure: "It is convenient for parents and students to buy in physical and online bookstores, since they are dedicated to understanding the market throughout the year and have a variety of products than in other format type usually not found.

Thus, parents can get

100% of the products they need

for the school list, with much greater variety to choose prices or presentations, and with the

appropriate advice

".

"The wholesaler sells sealed packs. For example,

12 black pencils

. Why do you want so many, if your child is going to use

two throughout the year

? You have to get someone to buy the other ten for you. Sometimes a boy They ask for four notebooks, one of each color. And in the wholesaler you have to carry 15, and all of the same color, "says Iglesias López.


To buy from the wholesalers in Once, many families make long trips and wait hours on the sidewalk.

Photo: Fernando de la Orden

Sandra González, from the Adecua consumer association, agrees: "Wholesaler prices are cheaper, but you have to be careful in those places because it is very easy to

end up buying things that you will not use later

. You have to be very clear about the list of necessities and not to carry more in order to take advantage of a good price ".

For its part, from Acción del Consumidor (Adelco), its president, Claudia Collado, told

Clarín

: "The ideal was always to buy supplies from a wholesaler, but the current dispersion of prices shows us that many

warehouses and small bookstores

of neighborhood have cheaper supplies. The reason is that they reduce the profit margin because they want to sell and position themselves in the neighborhood as a cheap option for parents. "

"This year many schools have chosen

not to send the list of supplies

 to avoid higher expenses and to ensure that parents are going to pay the tuition / tuition without complaining. This makes parents decide what basic supplies their children are going to take and

buy only what essential

in neighborhood stores or supermarkets ", added the leader of Adelco.

In that entity they do recommend the option of the wholesaler when it is possible to join with several parents of the same course, buy together and then distribute.

Among the other advice Adelco gives are not to buy without first

asking the teachers

what the kids will need and to reuse everything that may have been left over from the previous year.


Card by card, the bank promos still in force

CITY BANK

.

It will offer 25% and 3 interest-free installments on clothing from Dexter, Moov and Stock Center, from February 24 to 26 with its credit card.

And

36 installments without interest

in

bicycle shops

and their accessories (helmet, bell, lights, etc.), valid until March 31, paying with Visa and MasterCard credit cards of the entity. 

PROVINCE BANK

.

You will have discounts of between 20 and 30% and up to 12 installments without interest for the return to classes.

The benefits start this February 19 and will run until March 13.

These are savings in sports houses, uniforms and shoe stores, textbooks, commercial and toy stores.

In addition, there will be a special promotion for the purchase of computers and desk furniture.

BANCO GALICIA

.

This Thursday 18, there will be 25% and 3 payments without surcharge, without cap, in selected brands of clothing and leather goods;

and 10% in 3 installments without interest in selected bookstores.

COMAFI

.

This Wednesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 18, 15% savings in 3 payments without surcharge in participating bookstores, with a refund limit of $ 3,000.

ITAÚ

.

Every Tuesday in February it will offer 25% and 3 interest-free installments on attached brands of uniforms, shoes, school supplies and backpacks, including Staples, Karpatos, Moov, Grimoldi and Topper.

The promotion is valid paying with credit and has a refund limit of $ 2,000.

For Personal Bank clients, the savings are 30%;

and for Personal Bank Black, 35%.

ORANGE

.

The company told

Clarín

that in different cities throughout the country, it will launch promotions to buy sports and school clothing, leather goods, bookstore products, electronics and technology, among other items, with up to 15% discount and 6 interest-free installments .

UALÁ

.

Paying with the MasterCard prepaid card you can access a 15% discount on bookstore products (Staples) and clothing (from Seven Sport, Chelsea, Exit and Top Sport, every Wednesday).

Also, for the purchase of technology, the same benefit in Logitech and Banghó.

And to study at Coder House, 80% discount on live online courses and careers.

MACRO

.

Every Wednesday in February, it will offer 20% and 3 interest-free installments (for Selecta clients, 30%) in clothing stores, with a refund limit of $ 2,000;

and 10% in 3 payments without surcharge (for Selecta customers, up to 6 installments) in adhered bookstores, without a return limit.

Also, up to 12 installments without interest in electronics and computers.

PATAGONIA

.

This Wednesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 18, in Falabella, up to 30% and 3 installments in fashion, footwear, furniture, mattresses, home decor, white and bazaar.

And on February 25 and 26, up to 30% and 3 installments at Kell, Cúspide and Staples bookstores with all credit cards.

MG

Source: clarin

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