KOCHI: It’s that time of the year when the parents and children go hunting for the best in school accessories. The over enthusiastic kids can be seen clamouring for the trendiest products available in market.
This is also the period when those selling school accessories rake in a huge profit, while the parents struggle to stretch their financial limits to satisfy the needs of their wards. The sky rocketing prices drain the pockets of these hapless parents.
Children Call the Shots!
Gone are the days when the kids settled for whatever their parents bought for them. The generation next are a different lot. They have demands and ideas about their needs and the parents have no other way than to oblige.
Kids today prefer branded and high quality products. These branded items cost a lot. Ben 10, Disney, Chota Bheem and Dora are some of the brands that are the favourite ones among the children. The brand craze doesn’t end at bags and water bottles. Kids prefer branded notebooks too.
School Bags: From Humble to Trendy
One of the most sought after item is the school bag. Stores have stocked varieties that cost Rs 300 to the branded ones that cost Rs 3,000. The competition is the toughest in this arena. The manufacturers try to attract the kids by churning out colourful and jazzy bags. Bags with the motifs of cartoon characters such as Chota Bheem, Dora and Disney sell like hot cakes. Girls prefer products featuring their favourite doll Barbie and other Disney princesses, while boys prefer Ben 10 and Marvel Heroes.
“I love Ben 10 and I want a Ben 10 bag,” said Anandakrishnan, a 5-year-old eagerly shopping with his aunt at Broadway. Teenagers are more brand conscious and prefer bags from international brands such as American Tourister, Wildcraft, Puma and Nike.
Costly Lunch Boxes and Bottles
Lunch boxes that used to cost Rs 250 now sells at Rs 450 and more. Water bottles too have undergone drastic change in shape, size and material. Parents prefer bottles and sippers with polyurethane interiors as these are like flasks and are apt for carrying hot water. They cost between Rs 250 to Rs 350.
Price of Stationary Items Remains Steady
Various stationary items like geometrical kits, pens, drawing pencils, erasers, sharpeners, wrappers, name slips etc are available for a noble price in the market. Classmate’s eco friendly books are the favourite ones and are available for a price starting from Rs 25. Most of the schools supply textbooks and notebooks from their stores. Among pencils, Apsara and Camlin are the most popular. Erasers are also available in many shapes and sizes resembling their favorite Disney characters at a price ranging from Rs 3 to Rs 59. Stationery combo pack starting from Rs 150 are also available in the market.
Colourful Umbrellas
Though youngsters prefer colourful, anime printed umbrellas that cost around Rs 350 and above, older kids choose three-fold umbrellas. The traditional umbrellas, though costlier than others with a price range of Rs 550 and above, have become a trend among teenagers these days.
Pricier Uniforms
Most of the unaided and CBSE schools provide ready-made uniforms for their students. They sometimes insist on buying a particular material from a particular company. “My child studies in Kendriya Vidyalaya. There’s a shop right across the school that sells readymade uniforms. I buy 2 pairs for a year and it costs up to Rs 2,000. It’s very difficult to get the uniforms stitched during the peek time, so it’s a relief to get these readymade uniforms,” said Saritha Sanjay, mother of a 9-year-old. The price of the shoes range from Rs 350 to Rs 1,000 with the major competitors being Bata and Action.
Parents, however, do not make any compromise and go for the best in terms of educational items and habiliments.
“The customers prefer mostly branded items and they are ready to spend enough money to make their kids happy. The customers prefer quality rather than the price,” said Abbas a shopkeeper in Broadway.