Parents! Read this and watch out at Wal-Mart

[holly_evolving]

I'm of the opinion that all of you are smart enough to not get suckered by this one, but please pass this on to all your PTA friends.

http://kelbycarr.com/truth-about-wal-mart-back-to-school-lists/

Comments

[professorbird.livejournal.com]

My kids are long past that point, but I marvel each year at the "lists" you see in all the box stores that are just like this. Staples, Target, Office Depot have all had these on display. Whatever happened to teachers sending out lists or waiting until school begins?

[holly-evolving.livejournal.com]

The thing is that teachers are still doing this. The box stores are apparently just trying to cash in on people being dumb.

Surprise!

[professorbird.livejournal.com]

I am shocked.

NOT.

[unseeliequeen.livejournal.com]

I remember when you just needed some pens, some #2 pencils, a few notebooks, and maybe a folder. The only time I had a required summer reading list was in AP classes at the end of high school (I was a rabid book-hungry reader as a child anyway). That's amazingly sneaky of the big stores to do that...

When I worked at Giant Book Box Store (someone once reviewed B&N as "the WalMart of books"-SO TRUE), we would keep copies of all the local schools' summer reading and back-to-school reading lists at the info counter. It always floored me how many PARENTS would come up to me on the last days of vacation and ask for the Cliff's/Spark Notes on required reading that their child was supposed to do over the entire summer (they often asked for books on tape/cd as well).

School budgets are at an all-time barebones minimum, and it's really sad. Sure, the football team has new helmets and uniforms, but they can't afford BOOKS to LEARN FROM. Makes me sad yet thankful that I am not in school and that I don't have any children in school right now.