LESS than a week before classes start on August 29, sellers of school supplies in Mandaue City have increased prices by 20 to 30 percent from their levels a month ago due to the tight supply and increased prices of raw materials.
Uniforms have also seen increases of from four to 12 percent over the same period.
On Wednesday, August 23, 2023, SunStar Cebu noted that the prices of basic school supplies in some stores in Mandaue City had increased, with notebooks now selling for P23 from P18 a month ago, pencils now going for P11 from P8, paper sheets P30 from P25, and crayon sets P30 from P25.
School uniforms now sell for P160 to P250 (blouses) from P150 depending on the cloth quality, skirts for girls (checkered) for P280 from P250, (plain) for P250 from P240, slacks for boys for P280 from P250, and shorts for P100 from P90.
For black shoes (leather), the price was now P300 to P650, from P290 to P640 previously, while rubber-made shoes were going for P180 to P350, from the previous P170 to P340, with the price going higher in some cases depending on the size.
Faisah Ali, who sells ready-made elementary and high school uniforms and school shoes, said they were forced to increase their prices as their suppliers also increased their prices due to the spike in prices of raw materials used in sewing the uniforms in the market as well as for making the pairs of shoes.
Jazel Pelayo, a school supplies store owner, said they increased their prices when their supplier reduced the volume of items it delivered to them from 30 boxes to 10 since July.
Both vendors, however, said they still give discounts on a case-to-case basis, especially to their loyal customers, understanding the situation of parents as they themselves are parents of school children.
Budget strategy
Because of the increase, some consumers look for ways to effectively play with their budget without compromising their children’s school needs.
Mica Ricta, 28, from Barangay Guizo, who has two elementary schools students, ensures to canvass the lowest price of school supplies before buying in order to save money.
Estrellita Encontro, a breadwinner from Barangay Opao, who buys school supplies for her nieces and nephews, chooses to buy supplies on a staggered basis and prioritizes those highly needed by the children in school.
Maria Reyes, 35, a housewife from Barangay Pagsabungan, chose to buy ready-made school uniforms for her children in Grades 1 and 2 to save on spending more money to pay a dressmaker and purchase cloth and other sewing materials.
Price guide
Last July 25, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued a price guide dubbed “Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies” to assist consumers in their purchase of school items after it noticed an increase in the prices of school supplies.
The guide lists the prices of school supplies such as notebooks, pad paper, pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners and rulers, which vary depending on the brand.
It said the suggested prices of notebooks range from P23 to P52; pad paper for Grades 1 to 4 students, P21 to P28; and intermediate pad paper, P31 to P48.75.
Prices for pencils range from P11 to P17, and ballpoint pens from P9.75 to P19.
Eight-color crayon boxes range in price from P12 to P34, 12-color crayon packs cost P32, while 16-color crayon packs are priced from P24 to P69.
The prices of erasers vary from P4.50 to P20, depending on the size. Pencil sharpeners are priced at P18 to P69, while rulers are priced at P22 to P27.75.
DTI Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau Director M. Marcus Valdez assured the department is closely coordinating with the school supplies manufacturers to ensure that prices are reasonable and supply is sufficient in the market.