Last August, parents looking to supplement their children’s virtual classes were the predominant group shopping at Neely’s Family Stores Inc., doing business as Neely’s Educational Material & Supplies, in Florence.
 
But this back-to-school season, owner Jerald Neely is starting to see local teachers return to peruse the stores’ aisles for posters, workbooks and other classroom supplies.

“I expect to be busy for the next couple of weeks, and so I’ll see more faces that look more familiar to me,” said Neely, whose grandparents started a furniture business at the same location in 1965 and turned it into an educational store in 1971.

“All of last year I didn’t see too many teachers — they didn’t have classrooms that they needed to decorate, or they didn’t have children in class and didn’t need hands-on activities. What’s good is that students are at least going back to class here in California, and that means teachers will be in a classroom, and they’ll need resources to be able to utilize while they’re in the classroom, and that’s a good thing for me.”

With the Los Angeles Unified School District on track to welcome students for in-person learning next week, Neely and other retailers are competing for back-to-school shoppers.
 
And there’s a lot at stake — Angelenos plan to spend $962 per child on school supplies, electronics and outfits this year, according to the 2021 Deloitte back-to-school survey.

Back-to-school deals

Local malls running back-to-school promotions include Citadel Outlets in Commerce, a 130-store outdoor venue that’s known for welcoming busloads of tourists looking for deals on designer goods.
 
The 700,000-square-foot center, owned by Craig Realty Group in Newport Beach, has partnered with about 50 of its tenants to offer “Hopscotch to Savings,” a 25% discount on full-priced items.

“It gives people even more opportunity to save, especially if you’re dealing with multiple children that you’re shopping for, or you’re on a budget or just looking for a good deal,” said General Manager David Blagg.

The center’s stores are off to a good start this year, tracking at about 90% of 2019 sales in June.

“I think things are feeling very positive around here,” said Blagg, adding that Citadel will hold a job fair on Aug. 18 with some 60 retailers looking to fill positions. “We are doing the things now that seem normal. And yet it seems a little scary to be doing them because we haven’t been able to for over a year.”

Shops at Montebello, owned by Pacific Retail Capital Partners in El Segundo, partnered with anchor retailer JCPenney to put on a back-to-school fashion show on Aug. 7.
 
The center also set up a “glam station” at the Sephora inside the department store and gave away some 100 backpacks. The “Back to School Bash” event was the first in-person gathering at the indoor mall’s center court.
 
“The idea and the intent behind it were to try to reinvigorate Center Court again, and in a safe manner, really allow our tenants to engage with customers,” said Marina Satoafaiga, Pacific’s regional marketing director.

To kick off back-to-school shopping, Manhattan Village invited consumers to enter to win a $50 gift card. The Manhattan Beach mixed-use outdoor center also plans to give away some 200 swag backpacks from Aug. 12 through Aug. 15.

Westfield Culver City, owned by Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, last weekend offered free airbrush customizations of backpacks, hats and shoes for customers who spend $50 or more. The shopping center also invited a DJ, hosted crafts and basketball-themed games, and provided opportunities to win back-to-school merchandise and retailer gift cards.

Del Amo Fashion Center, a Torrance-based venue with 2.3 million square feet of gross leasable space, partnered with stylist and fashion editor Mariah Walker on Looks Decking the School Halls, a publication featuring “trends your kids really, really want you to shop.”
 
The digital pamphlet, available on the center’s website, also provided links to retailers whose merchandise was featured.

What’s in the bag?

According to Deloitte’s back-to-school survey, 48% of Los Angeles-based shoppers plan to spend more this year than they did last year, with “clarity about the upcoming school year and improving confidence in the economy spurs sales.”

The region’s retailers will benefit from $1.3 billion in projected total spending related to the back-to-school items, according to the survey, while nationally the return to classrooms is projected to generate $32.5 billion in sales.

Locally, clothing and accessories will account for 31% of the average spend, and computers, hardware, electronic gadgets and digital subscriptions are projected to take up 47% of the back-to-school budget. School supplies and Covid-related items will garner 14% and 8% of spending, respectively.

“The influence of technology in the classroom is here to stay, and that has really led to an increase in spending in each of those areas,” said Summer Taylor, managing director at Deloitte’s Los Angeles office. “There’s also a pretty significant portion of students that are still going to have some form of hybrid or virtual schooling in the fall, so I think we’re definitely seeing that reflected when it comes to school supplies.”

Sustaining the momentum

With the delta variant on the upswing, Neely’s Educational Material & Supplies’ owner is cautiously optimistic about this year’s sales.

“It depends on whether or not people are out here taking care of business as far as being vaccinated,” Neely said. “If they shut schools down again, who knows, it’s up in the air. I really don’t know what to expect. That kind of makes making decisions kind of hard, you know?”
 
“I just don’t understand why we can’t figure out which direction we’re going to go and all move in the same direction, right? There’s uncertainty, absolutely, but we should all be able to work together. … It shouldn’t be all this back and forth and ‘I’m going to do it, I’m not going to do it,’” he added.
 
“I have a sign here in my store that says, ‘We’re all in this together, so let’s act like it,’” he said.