Faced with the prospect of a possible rise in prices of the school basket
, the purchase of utilities was brought forward
and families have been going to bookstores since December with
the fight to beat inflation.
A few weeks before the
start of classes
, and with constant price remarks, there are more businesses that sell school supplies that are surprised by how they got ahead of their purchases.
"During December and January,
sales grew 20%
compared to the same period of the previous season," said spokesmen for the Alot bookstore chain, which has 14 stores and online sales.
"We were surprised that people
had been coming since December
," added Charly Olivares, who works at the Las Flores bookstore, at Pasteur 570. "Instead of a little toy, a Christmas or Epiphany gift, they came to buy school supplies." he claimed.
And when asked by
Clarín
about the cause of this anticipated behavior, he replied: "Due to
inflation
. "
"There is a lot of demand, the families started with the school lists in the second half of December and there were those who directly made the purchases," said Olivares.
"Some even left their supplies marked, went on vacation and, when they returned, came back for them. Last year, the season started in January,
this year it was in December,"
he added.
Prices: To fight inflation, many families bought school supplies in advance like never before.
Photo: Andrés D'Elia
The anticipated movement occurs in neighborhood stores and also
in places like Once,
where there is a significant concentration of businesses in the field.
There, there are families who come together to buy wholesale in search of lowering costs even more.
"The advance on purchases was made as
a strategy to avoid increases due to inflation
and overcome the growing demand from parents and students as the start of the school calendar approaches," they said from Alot.
"Those who made advance purchases saved at least 16% on products," they added.
Plan purchases
"This year I bought the supplies in advance because I saw that they were very expensive and I wanted to beat time for fear that they would increase even more later," said Victoria Fernández, mother of 7-year-old Delfina, when consulted by
Clarín
.
"For a matter of organization, I try to buy in advance. Some things I buy in stores and, in other cases,
online
".
Prices: To fight inflation, many families bought school supplies in advance like never before.
Photo: Andrés D'Elia
"In my case, I adjusted the purchase as much as possible. I bought the most necessary things in February, what you will need, yes or yes, thinking that in March I will buy other things that are missing, that are not so urgent or what they ask for in the school. I thought so because
it is not possible to spend everything together in the same month, "
explained Fernández.
"They are buying everything, school supplies, boxes with pencils, backpacks, pencil cases, folders, scissors, pencil sharpeners, markers. The line that we sell the most is Filgo," said Olivares, from the Las Flores bookstore.
"We have backpacks, without a cart, that oscillate between 3,900 and 6,300 pesos; boxes with 10-unit pencils, small, between 345 and 700 pesos," he commented.
From Alot they added that "the most purchased products in advance of this season
are pencil cases, backpacks and designer items."
Getting ahead of inflation is not possible for everyone
However, not everyone can stay ahead of inflation.
Daniel Iglesia López, from the Argentine Chamber of Stationery, Bookstores and Related, said: "Not all people buy before, there are few forecasters. If you earn ten pesos and anticipate inflation with school supplies, you lose with food. Today,
the consumer is prudent."
Based on his experience in this and other areas, "in Argentina it is difficult to make forecasts, but with 50% poverty, the numbers are not going to be better than last year," he said, adding: "You can also see
a change with backpacks or cartridge cases.
Before buying, many people think first of seeing how last year's is. It is an economic logic of families in items that are more durable and can be repeated from one year to the next," he added.
"People are more expectant with the issue of the backpack," reflected Iglesia López.
This item is
one of the most expensive items in the school basket.
On the internet, their prices vary.
It is possible to find backpacks, without a cart, from 4,000 pesos to 20,000.
While backpacks with a cart can reach a price of 40,000 pesos.
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