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Your child's school supply list can seem overwhelming! And you also don't want to break the bank. So here are the best places for cheap yet high quality school supplies online. Different stores tend to be cheaper for different items, so it's worth shopping around if you want to get the best value. A big advantage of shopping online is all the time and gas you'll save from not having to go from store to store.
Rite Aid
It can seem odd to shop at a pharmacy for your standard back to school supplies, but rest assured that Rite Aid has a lot of stock available online at prices that rival Walmart's! Don't worry if your local Rite Aid store has little to no school supply products in store - there is plenty of stock online at cheap prices. All of the standard basics: crayons, Elmer's glue, post-it notes, folders, and much more are available there. It's my go-to place this year. Rite Aid tends to have the cheapest school supply pricing of pharmacies I checked, but I noticed that Walgreens comes a close second.
Walmart
A great standby for all the back-to-school basics, Walmart has most items on a typical school supply list covered at a budget-friendly price. The only downside about online shopping at Walmart is that it allows third-party sellers to sell there also, which can make the search results confusing. To limit your search results just to Walmart.com itself and not third-party sellers, just go to "filters" and under "retailer" select "walmart.com".
Staples
It's not always everyone's first go-to when they think of school supplies, but I've always found Staples to be cheap for hard-to-find items, such as unusual folder colors or items that have gone out of stock elsewhere. They can often be cheapest for pre-sharpened Ticonderoga pencils, blank index cards and lined index cards. They're not often cheapest for every item on your child's school supply list, but for certain items they are, so it's worth taking a good look.
At the time of writing, Staples has free shipping on orders of $35 and over.
Target
Target always has great deals on back to school products. I also like that they have really cheap art sketchpads, which can otherwise become a big-ticket item. Another thing I like about Target is that since they sell pretty much everything, it's easy to qualify for the free shipping order minimum.
Office Depot Office Max
Another great all-around place for school supplies is Office Depot Office Max. I especially like the low pricing on their 1 inch binders and quad ruled notebooks and paper.
Crayola
Teachers often specify the Crayola brand on school supply lists, and this is because Crayola products are washable. If the teacher has requested a particular specialized Crayola product and you can't find it at stores, don't worry! You can shop directly at Crayola.com. Their modeling compounds such as Model Magic and modeling clay are available there, as well as any other Crayola product you can imagine.
If the teacher has put a specialized Crayola item on the list that you can't find at other stores, you'll be able to get it at Crayola.com, as well as of course all of their more standard products.
Amazon
Amazon is certainly a good option, although often the items are sold in more bulk than you might want. Still, it's worth checking out and there are some good deals to be had, especially if you need several of one item.
Conclusion
If you're looking for high quality school supplies at a cheap price online, I recommend Rite Aid, Walmart, Staples, Target, Office Depot Office Max, Crayola.com, and Amazon.com.