When Back-to-School Shopping Becomes a Choice between Shoes and Groceries

As a mom of two boys in school and a school board trustee, I experience back-to-school season from both sides. I’m shopping for the same things other parents are—shoes, backpacks, notebooks, pencils and everything else our kids need. But as a trustee, I also have the privilege of hearing directly from the families I represent. My neighbors talk to me at school events, in our community, at the grocery store, and in everyday conversations. And what I’m hearing is simple: times are hard for many families right now.

This isn’t limited to one neighborhood or one income level. Families in every corner of our community are feeling the squeeze. Parents are making difficult choices about what they can afford, sometimes weighing something as basic as shoes for their child against putting groceries on the table.

The National Retail Federation forecast that K-12 back-to-school spending would reach a record $43.3 billion this year, and 46% of parents said they planned to wait for the best deals. But when the price of everyday necessities continues to climb, even a good deal can be out of reach.

Tariffs are contributing to that pressure. The cost of school essentials—from notebooks and pencils to backpacks—has increased significantly. Businesses are forced to choose between absorbing those additional costs or passing them on to customers. For small businesses operating on thinner margins, that choice can be especially difficult.

Working families are the first to feel those increases. When tariffs raise costs for retailers, higher prices show up on store shelves and stretch household budgets even further. Parents aren’t just paying more for school supplies; they’re also paying more for everyday essentials.

Our small businesses are feeling it, too. There are more than 36.2 million small businesses across the country, and they depend on a predictable trade environment as much as they depend on customers shopping locally. Many business owners are spending their already limited time and resources navigating new and constantly changing trade policies.

Washington doesn’t need to referee every trade dispute, but they should provide some predictability for small business owners and working families.

Our kids deserve a great, new school year. Our parents deserve some breathing room. And our community small businesses deserve smart policies that recognize the very real choices families are being forced to make.

This article was originally published in RealClearPolitics on September 27.