Whether you are ready or not, school reopening is right around the corner, and this means parents are once again starting to shop for new school supplies and clothing.
Thousands of students across Oman will be heading back to classes at the end of this month, when the new academic year in public and private schools begins.
As a father, back-to-school shopping stresses me out, and money is one of my biggest worries while shops and supermarkets selling school supplies and uniforms have begun seeing increased footfall of parents and schoolchildren.
As a trend, most students prefer a new set of school supplies like bags and stationery when the new classes begin, and this means good business for retailers and costly shopping trips for parents.
This is the time of year when we break deep into our pockets just to make sure our children go back to school happily. It is not easy to manage to buy whatever they want, but it is our responsibility as parents.
Even though many feel the prices of such items have not gone up, I, as a father, am looking for the best bargains. I am not sure of the quality of the items, but I feel the quality we get in the market is good enough as long as it is on par with the prices offered.
For me, shopping has yet to pick up because I am one of those people who waits until the last minute. But people nowadays are cautious about what to buy. Spending power has come down.
Indeed, since the world was hit by Covid-19 that brought about the economic slowdown, I am one of many in the country who have adopted personal austerity measures.
During this time, we have to prepare ourselves by shopping, but we also have to keep in mind the economic crisis and reduce expenses. In fact, I have tried to cut down on my shopping to buy the most necessary items. I used to buy five dishdashas for my boys, but now I go with three.
I am glad that I am in a country where continuous supervision of markets by authorities helps reduce the greed of traders who are always keen to make money in such times.
The Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) and the formation of working teams consisting of judicial control officers to inspect various centres and shops in general, and libraries and stores selling fabrics and shoes in particular, have been carrying out intensive inspection campaigns.
CPA has been following up on the prices of the stationary tools, clothes and school requirements and has made sure to assure the provision of all the requirements needed by customers in sufficient quantities to give multiple alternatives to consumers. This article is dedicated to all the fathers out there. Enjoy back-to-school shopping.
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