Back to school shopping doesn’t have to be a chore!
This year, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont is making the annual shopping trip fun for parents and kids with the release of our back to school shopping list that doubles as a scavenger hunt activity, ensuring that parents get the necessary supplies while staying on budget. You can download the activity on our website here.
Kids of any age are included in the fun as they hunt our retail stores to identify items that they need on the shopping list, such as uniforms, long and short sleeved shirts, jackets and coats, jeans, sneakers, backpacks and more.
Once families complete the list and check out at the register, they’ll receive a FREE LUNCH BAG while supplies last (valid this upcoming weekend from Friday, August 4 – Sunday, August 6) at our 24 retail stores in North Carolina and South Carolina. The promotion runs during the same period as Tax Free Weekend in South Carolina, which shoppers may enjoy at Goodwill’s retail stores in Rock Hill, S.C., and Lancaster, S.C.
The shopping list scavenger hunt provides a suggested quantity of each item based on how often children may need to wear or use it. The list also allows for children to write down the price of each item and total the amount at the end, allowing them to practice their math skills while reinforcing to parents the great bargain offered at Goodwill.
The activity was developed by Janice Gray, Manager of the Play N’ Learn Center at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus. Gray joined Goodwill in August 2016 from a career at Countryside Montessori School in Charlotte, and she holds more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit early childhood education as a teacher and administrator.
“Parents often think it requires a lot of hands-on time to help support their child’s development. In reality, an activity like back to school shopping can teach a child a great deal about reading, following directions and counting, as well as building traits about confidence and independence as they shop according to their own styles,” said Gray. “We wanted to do something special in order to make back to school shopping an enjoyable activity for kids, while also helping to ease the financial burden on their parents.”
Looking for electronics? Our electronics store The GRID: Powered by Goodwill, located across from UNCC at 9605 N Tryon Street in the University area, has technology needs at discounts up to 65% off retail markups. For high school and college-bound students especially, the shopping spree often requires a long list of expensive tech gadgets. The GRID carries a diverse variety of new, refurbished and donated products including: desktop and laptop computers, printers, tablets, flat screen televisions, audio components, portable chargers, retro games, video game consoles and controllers, and more to furnish their bedroom or dorm room.
A price list of common items in Goodwill retail stores may be viewed here. Examples of unbeatable deals to score at Goodwill may include:
- Laptop computer, refurbished with new operating system at The GRID: starting at $125
- Couch and lamp at Goodwill retail stores: as low as $20 and $5 respectively
- Children’s clothes: starting at $2.79
- Men’s and women’s denim: starting at $4.99
In addition to checking off the shopping list while saving big, every purchase made at Goodwill retail stores helps fund job training and employment services for individuals facing barriers to employment in our community, such as lack of skills, experience or education, and those with criminal backgrounds.
Now let’s get shopping for the new school year!
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