Back-to-school bargains: Same supply list cost over twice as much depending where we shopped

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah families are back-to-school hunting for pencils, paper and backpacks. But the same back-to-school supply list can cost more than twice as much depending on where they shop.

As we have every year for the past seven years, the KSL Investigators set out on an investigative shopping quest.

The assignment: Get everything on a back-to-school list supplied by a local schoolteacher while spending as little as possible.

Using the list, we shopped the back-to-school sections at Walmart, Target, Smith’s, Dollar General and Amazon to see where we pay more and where they pay less.

The game was simple: Get everything on the list while paying as little as possible.

Before breaking down the numbers, we made a few observations that might not be surprising — but could be easy to miss.

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For the second year in a row, we hit a speed bump at Walmart. We selected a backpack hanging on a hook labeled at just $5. But when we made it to checkout, it rang up for six times more. Somebody appeared to have placed it on the wrong shelf.

Shrinkflation has also struck, noticeably at Dollar General. While the price was the same, notebooks that had 70 pages in previous years now had just 60 pages.

Then, while shopping on Amazon, we discovered what appeared to be an incredible bargain: a water bottle for 1 cent.

It was a great deal, until we reached checkout and discovered shipping would cost between $47 and $90, depending on how quickly we wanted it.

We went with a different option.

The biggest observation, however, was the same one we make every year: It absolutely pays to shop around for back-to-school supplies.

Here is where you can cheat off our homework.

Dollar General’s basket rang up at $27, but it was not complete. The store did not have a scientific calculator, and its notebooks did not meet the page requirement on our list.

That made Walmart the cheapest complete stop at $30.28.

Target totaled $39.88, followed by Smith’s at $48.43.

Amazon was the most expensive at $66.23 — 119% more than Walmart. Amazon was also the most expensive option for eight of the 11 items on the list.

Yes, shoppers pay for that convenience.

Some products stood out across nearly every store.

Rulers were more expensive this year at every store we checked. Erasers were either the same price or more expensive everywhere we shopped.

Binders were the biggest budget buster. They were the most expensive line item at four of the five retailers.

Compared with our 2025 price check, the results were mixed.

Walmart’s cart dropped 26% from last year, while Smith’s was down 9%.

Prices moved in the opposite direction at the other stores. Target was up 2%, Dollar General was up 3% and Amazon rose 12%.