8 Deals on Back-to-School Shopping

There are still more than 30 days until Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer, but many cash-strapped parents are already preparing for the big bills that come with sending a child back to school.

The average family with at least one kid in kindergarten through 12th grade plans to spend $549 on back-to-school merchandise, reports the National Retail Federation. That’s a 7.7% decline from last year. Consumers say they plan to cut back on what they buy and focus more on sales. (Families with college students, on the other hand, plan to spend even more -- an average $618, up 3% from last year. For more on how to get good prices on textbooks, dorm decor and more, click here.)

The good news for sale-hunting families: Retailers are offering heavy discounts this summer. “Retailers don’t have the same bloated inventory they had last year,” says Dan de Grandpre, the founder of deal-tracking site Dealnews.com. “But among loss leaders, the deals are better than ever.”

Try these six tactics to save:

Target (TGT), Walmart (WMT) and Kmart tend to have better prices on school supplies than office supply stores, says de Grandpre. Another wallet-friendly option: Hit the warehouse club, where Costco (COST) is offering up to $400 off Dell laptops, and Sam’s Club has a five-pack of Bic Brite highlighters for $2.14 -- less than a third of the $6.49 price tag at Staples. (For more on shopping at warehouse clubs, click here.)

Many stores will honor today’s sale price for items purchased up to two weeks ago, provided you still have the receipt, says Bronwyn Phonesya, a spokeswoman for MomsLikeMe.com, a social networking site for mothers. (For more on store price-adjustment policies, click here.)

Ten states -- including Alabama, New Mexico and Virginia -- are waiving the sales tax on school supplies, clothing and other items this weekend. Depending on where you live, you could save up to 7% (local sales tax may still apply) on top of store sales. (For more tips to take advantage of tax holidays, read our story.)

With weeks to go before the school year starts, you have plenty of time to grab the items you need -- and the sales will only get better, de Grandpre says. Focus on picking up a few items from store circulars each week, and scooping up the rest of what you need on clearance at the last minute.

Apple (AAPL) offers special pricing year-round for students through its Online Store for Education, and Dell (DELL) provides student deals thought its Dell University site. For example, save up to $200 (18%) on a MacBook Pro laptop, regularly $1,099.

Many school districts and individual teachers provide checklists of what your child will need, Phonesya says. These lists can help you separate the must-haves form the wants and spend accordingly. They can also ensure that you won’t buy the wrong thing and be stuck with unnecessary (and likely un-returnable) supplies come school time.

Here’s a sample of the deals major retailers and manufacturers are offering now:

Apple
College students who buy a Mac computer by Sept. 8 get a free 8GB iPod Touch (regularly $229) with their order.

Best Buy
Shoppers can choose from two back-to-school computer packages for $499.97: a Toshiba Satellite laptop and computer backpack ($83 discount), or a Gateway desktop, 20-inch monitor and 3-in-1 printer ($150 discount). Offer good through Aug. 8.

Dell
Free memory upgrade on select laptops priced at $399 or higher, through Aug. 6.

Kohls
Shoppers can save 40% to 50% on Student Lounge dorm room bedding, furniture and decor. Offer good through Aug. 8.

Kmart
Through Aug. 8, consumers can get free shipping on school supply orders of $50 or more, and free shipping on all other orders of $60 or more. Laptops and netbooks ship for just $1.99. Current sales include 30% off Panasonic pencil sharpeners and Paper Pro staplers, and a free pack of Crayola markers when you purchase crayons (both through Aug. 8).

Office Depot
Shoppers get a $12.99 Papa John’s Pizza (PZZA) certificate with online orders of $100 or more, through Aug. 8. Current sales include $30 in instant and mail-in savings on select Texas Instruments (TXN) graphing calculators (regularly $130) and $30 off SanDisk (SNDK) 8GB flash drives (regularly $50) (both through Aug. 8).

Staples
Shoppers get free shipping when they spend $50 or more (ongoing promotion). In stores, they get a $10 Staples gift card when spending $50 or more, through Aug. 8. Current sales include: 120-page filler paper packs for a penny and 75-cent 100-page notebooks (both through Aug. 8).

Target
Through Aug. 8, shoppers get free shipping when they spend $50 in select categories, including children’s clothing. Current sales include three school uniform polo shirts for $20 (through Aug. 8), and buy-one-get-one-30%-off kids' shoes (through Aug. 15).

Looking for more deals? Text SCHOOL to 827438 and the retailer will send you weekly back-to-school savings alerts. (Regular text message rates apply.)

*Details from individual stores.