School reopening season is a big strain on family budgets. Parents and children are in the last minute rush to buy a big range of items from pencil and eraser to bag and shoes. To add on to list are umbrellas, slippers, water bottles and tiffin boxes.

Out to make the best of this season, shops are making attractive offers and discounts. yWith technolog updation, online shopping too is now an option which is eating into the revenue of brick and mortar establishments.

Several schools insist of uniform and shoes.The Avinashilingam Girls School provides uniform material and also contacts of tailors. Many schools have specific standards for the type of shoes for boys and girls.

Shops are trying hard making brisk business through the offers and discounts. But online online shopping sites appear to have had the edge with the door delivery option. They too have attractive offers like Flipkart which has up to 70 per cent discount on school items and stationeries with items divided into ‘shop by categories’ and ‘shop by characters’ for bags. Other online shops like Amazon and Snapdeal also have also come out with offers.

School bags have turned trendy and taken different shapes like the `super hero’ and `Disney’ and even come out in shapes of animals. Following the trends of children, the bags have themes like Chotta Bheem, Ben Ten, Frozen, Mickey, Cinderella, Dora and Minions. Lunch boxes and water bottles too have taken new shapes and online sites offer discounts from 2 per cent to 80. Door delivery adds to affordability for parents.

“My favorite is Ben Ten and Chotta Bheem. For the previous class, I went for Ben Ten and so this time I want Chotta Bheem,” says Yaduram Sreenivasa, a third standard student. Even girls prefer such boyish theme items.

“We don’t believe in giving offers. People purchase items from different shops, say a bag from here and an umbrella from there. So it’s hard to give offers. But when the season, we cut down on our margins slightly which is compensated by the volumes,” says shop owner Muhammed P.

For a new admission the cost may be higher compare to moving to a higher class. “My youngest one will join to Class I. So when I purchase the school items, I need to buy a whole new set. But in the case of the elder one, there are already the lunch box, bag, water bottle and the uniform. So I may have to spend some Rs 7,000 on the two,” says a mother, Seetha Manikandan.

Many feel that online purchase is good but at the same time many say they do not get the exact product they wanted.

“Online offers don’t affect much. There used to be a satisfaction level for many once they choose the items directly. There is also the experience of physical shopping. Compared to the previous year, sales are picking up. It will get clearer as the date for opening nears,” says another shop owner Sophia A.