Parents make adjustments in buying back-to-school items

Faced with the rising cost of living, medium- and low-income earners are resorting to various means to provide the schooling requirements of their children.

Those living in cities took the opportunity of their visit to their villages and hometowns during the school holiday to buy school uniforms, shoes and stationery.

Salina Abdul Rahman, 49, said she opted to buy the schooling items of her youngest child in her village in Malacca as they were much cheaper there than in Putrajaya.

Some people chose to shop at supermarkets which offered discounts or vouchers.

"I have to exercise wisdom in finding supermarkets offering price cuts to get the best purchases in the current economic scenario," said Mohd Sahar Hasran, 31, of Felda Jengka 5 in Pahang.

In fact, Mohd Sahar went to the extent of making comparisons at several supermarkets before deciding where to buy.

Aggie Adrian chose to buy her son’s school uniforms in bulk at a clearance sale at a shopping centre in Petaling Jaya.

"So, while shopping there, I came across a shop that was having a clearance sale and uniforms were going at RM5 onwards. I realised this was indeed a good deal and grabbed a few shirts and pants for my son so he could have a few years' supply of school uniforms!" said the 49-year-old mother.

Some school uniforms and writing materials were still in good condition and could still be used, said Soffea Ahmad, 34, a private sector worker from Sabah.

A Bernama check found parents lamenting over a 10 to 20 percent increase in the prices of school items this time compared to the previous year.

Many people bought according to need – not excessively and wastefully.

In the meantime, some companies kept to their corporate social responsibility and distributed school items to the needy.

Students were also given free haircut, as was the case in Langkawi.

The new school session starts on Jan 3 in Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan and Johor and on Jan 4 in the other states.