South Philly Review

With pencils in hand, Joni Woods perused Staples for folders and poster boards. With many heading back to school Sept. 7, the English teacher was wrapping up her back-to-school shopping Monday for her students at Olney High School.

“Just generic things, so the kids will have them,” the Bella Vista resident said. “I’ll be reimbursed for [it], up to $100, which is a drop in the bucket for what we spend.”

Deanna Hatter agreed, adding the supply stipend is added to teachers’ first paycheck. Hatter teaches fifth through eighth grades at Julia Deburgos Elementary School and has spent about $10,000 of her own money on her students in her seven years at the North Philly school, including the last year’s purchase of a Dell computer.

“What I buy is not for a ‘normal’ class,” Hatter, who teaches students with disabilities, said of the items that include clothes, diapers and food.

At the office products store at 1300 S. Columbus Blvd., she was getting the classroom necessities, such as pens and printer ink, she has not found elsewhere.

“I pick out deals. I go to flea markets and see what I can get,” she said, noting she also frequents thrift stores, “and then I want to see what I can’t get [at flea markets or thrift stores] last-minute.”

Americans are expected to spend $55.12 billion on back-to-school merchandise this year, according to a National Retail Federation survey that polled 8,201 consumers Aug. 3 to 10.

“It’s good to see consumers responding to back-to-school sales and promotions,” Matthew Shay, the federation’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Back-to-school will be the first real test for retailers and the economy as we plan for the holiday season.”

Between teachers and students, the flow of customers at the Pennsport Staples has been steady since its first back-to-school advertisement the week after the Fourth of July.

“People are sort of trained to come in,” Lucy Browoleit, the store’s general manager said of the mid-July start. “You’d be surprised how many people start shopping back-to-school then.”

And they aren’t just buying for their own kids; they’re helping other students in need by collecting materials through Sept. 18 that are either bought in-store or brought in for the third annual Do Something 101. Customers also can donate $1 at the register to the campaign.

“Me personally, I’ve been buying some of the inexpensive ones and putting them in,” Browoleit said of the collection bin of notebooks, pens and folders at the front of the store.

The campaign benefits local nonprofits, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia and the Caring People Alliance. The Pennsport store’s collection will go to Fels South Philadelphia Community Center, 2407 S. Broad St., while donations to the store at 2290 Oregon Ave. will be distributed at Wilson Park, 2500 Jackson St.

“It’s really to get the supplies in the hands of the kids in your area who really need them,” Staples’ spokeswoman Karen Pevenstein said.

“People are really good about that around the neighborhood,” Browoleit added.

“What am I looking for?,” 9-year-old Stevi Richburg asked mom Marti McCall, of Third and Tasker streets, as they wrapped up school shopping for Stevi’s Tuesday return to Independence Charter School, 1600 Lombard St.

Only a few item remained on the list for Stevi’s fourth-grade debut: pens, clay, hand sanitizer and lined Post-it notes.

“We’re pretty much done,” McCall, who began shopping in mid-July, said. “Some of the stuff I couldn’t find or wasn’t cheap enough.”

Lined Post-its was one item the price-savvy mother couldn’t bring herself to get, instead buying two packs of a more price-friendly yellow sticky notes sans the lines.