I had an extremely busy day today and I was running errands. I was trying to approve moderated comments all day long through my Tilt phone, but wasn’t able to post anything. Meanwhile, thousands of people were hitting the site when boingboing picked up my Truth About Wal-Mart Back to School Lists post, as did Consumerist (which, can I just say, is one of the coolest sites on the planet!) and a variety of other blogs. I didn’t feel like counting, but it looks to be in excess of 200-plus comments on the posts.
First off, I don’t have the list. I actually scoured my house when we got home just to be sure. When the school official told me that the list was not the real list, I trashed it and was quite annoyed. I do, however, see a number of other people who have seen similar lists at Wal-Marts (judging by comments, some Wal-Marts have real lists from schools and some don’t). I also went to the same Wal-Mart today and they did not have any lists, the whole kiosk was gone, which seemed really odd to me. Not all schools have started locally. If you have a copy of a bogus Wal-Mart list or any retailer’s list, please contact me. I’m sure I can find someone at the local school who has a copy.
I did go to the local K-Mart and they are doing essentially the same thing. They weren’t as sneaky about it. They have a kindergarten list not specifying schools, but honestly their use of the term “required” before a list of several unwanted and unnecessary items is quite misleading as well. They also go so far as to say one item is needed because of OSHA requirements. Why on earth OSHA would require hand sanitizer instead of, say, a school regulating body or the health department is beyond me.
So before I get to a long list of rebuttals, I will stick pictures up right now. Click the images for a close-up to read the pages.
Here is actual back to school list from my school. I cropped the top because, despite some people questioning my truthfulness based on the fact I don’t say which school district this is, I would never put that kind of information about my child on a web site. Because I’m not an idiot. I’ll just say this was at a Western North Carolina school.
Here is the list I picked up today from a local Kmart:
You can pretty clearly see that the real list only has four requirements: bring book bag, back up clothes, a monthly snack for class, and a water bottle. They specifically state that the children have no desks, and say to not bring several items that I purchased because they WERE on the list.
Since it really seemed to bother people that I didn’t list those items (and that crayons were on the list), let me be clear. The school does not prohibit poor, deprived children from using crayons. They don’t want them bringing them because they are already there, and they can’t store personal crayons. Is it a little bizarre people fixated on the fact that crayons are not wanted in class, rather than the fact that the list was misleading?
The items both Kmart and Wal-Mart had on their back to school list that are also on the school’s list of “do not bring” items or are at least on the school’s wish list to donate and not required include:
So now to be clear… from what I am reading in comments, it sounds like this happens at various big box stores, not just Wal-Mart. It also sounds like it is hit or miss. Some stores use real lists, some don’t. So in all fairness to Wal-Mart, it isn’t just Wal-Mart. That’s just where I experienced it, so that is what I blogged about.
I also find it rather hilarious so many people were bugged by the fact I call myself a web goddess on my personal blog. First of all, get a life and a sense of humor. Second of all, I have been using computers since 1982, and I have been creating web sites since 1992. Yes, some have been doing it longer, but not many. I find it amusing as well that people fixated on things like the need for padding in my blog. Yes, I know. I haven’t had time to tinker with the CSS. I am a busy mom. Is that geeky enough for you? You sure? Thanks.
Now that I’ve gotten some of that behind me, allow me to retort to some of the various criticisms of my original post. I won’t even quote them, because there are plenty of recurring themes.
I don’t believe you
This one has to crack me up the most. Do you seriously think I have the time, motive or interest to invent stories about back to school lists being a scam? And if I did, wouldn’t I come up with something an awful lot sexier? Like, I don’t know, some scam about gas prices… or the election… or something people are kind of interested in. I really don’t have much more to say to those of you who think I’m inventing this story except that I was a print newspaper journalist for 15 years and I just don’t make things up. Take it or leave it, I really couldn’t care less.
You don’t have to shop at Wal-Mart
No. I sure don’t. Those of you who actually read the previous post will see that I specifically said this wasn’t a huge issue for me. Wasting a few bucks on things I don’t need isn’t a big deal. I can afford it. I only have one child in school now. It was a good week, and I had the money. And no I don’t plan to take it back. Because I am busy, it isn’t worth the hassle, and I shouldn’t HAVE to take it back, use up gas and use up my time (and Wal-Mart probably doesn’t want to pay my hourly rate for the time).
For many people Wal-Mart is the only viable option, or at least is perceived that way. Wal-Mart is branded as the place to find the best deal. Beyond that, there are many rural communities in which Wal-Mart is the only place within a large radius to buy school supplies. Because of this, Wal-Mart isn’t simply one option. It is many times the only option. Some people can’t decide to shop elsewhere.
You shouldn’t believe anything Wal-Mart says anyway, of course it was a scam
What? If it has seriously gotten to the point where busting a major retailer for what amounts to misleading people to buy things they don’t need is no biggy and is, in fact, assumed then we have a serious problem. Serious. Am I the only one who thinks so?
There will never be a day when I shrug off a company that misleads customers and accept it as the way things are. If you do, then you really shouldn’t even be reading this at all. It doesn’t interest you.
Why would any parent get the list from Wal-Mart instead of calling the teacher?
I did call the school three times that week. It was the weekend of the sales tax holiday and I wanted to do the shopping then, not the following week. They said the information was being mailed out, but I didn’t get it in time. This is her first year in any school, so I didn’t have a teacher’s phone number or any other way to get the list.
When I saw a list that specifically stated the school, and the grade level, and the teacher’s name, it looked to me like something they received from the school. And no it is not totally far-fetched that it would, in fact, be from the school. In fact, Just received an email from Wal-Mart. The person who contacted me said it is the norm for each school to get the lists from every school:
Wal-Mart provides local school supply lists as a courtesy to our customers so they can easily find the items requested by schools/teachers. Each store works with the ISD/individual schools in the community it serves to obtain a copy of the required supply lists.
If it was a suggested list, I would have expected to see it explained that way. I’m not an idiot. I was a business and investigative reporter. I used to be a consumer reporter who specifically wrote about consumer rights and scams. There are many, many people who are not as savvy about these things. I’m sure many, many other people took it for granted that a list that states it is from a school is, in fact, from the school.
This is just a company and it’s just marketing. Duh!
No. Marketing would be a suggested list. Marketing would be perhaps encouraging parents to buys more items. Marketing would be pushing people to spend, but without misleading them. Once people walk into a store and think they must buy something, we’ve waved bye-bye to marketing a long time ago.
You aren’t a journalist, but just a “mom who has a blog.”
There is so much I can say about this one. I smile just to think about it. I will just state this, and I will leave the rest to my fellow mommy bloggers (and trust me, you really do not want to mess with these amazing ladies). I was a journalist for 15 years. I chose to ditch that nosediving business to write online exclusively. Here’s why. And here are some of my posts about the sad state of journalism.
Tags: back to school, back to school lists, boingboing, consumerist, wal-mart
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OMG, some people are so petty. Anywho, the plastic baggie thing, IMO, is a “simple” wa for teachers to split the class in half. If they wanted two types of baggies and assigned the boys one size and the girls the other. I’ve seen other moms blog that boys bring red folders, girls blue ones.
Nice rebuttal.
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Just a mom who has a blog?
How about just a mom who has a blog who has effectively exposed a major scam perpetrated by a major retailer?
This is grass-roots political action at it’s best and I applaud you!
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Holy Crap! What an awful way for mass retailers to take advantage of people.
Wait–”Dial or Softsoap only as per OSHA” ?? Since when does OSHA have a preference to the brand name you need to use?
Glad you showed the real and “fake” list side by side–it really shows you how they try to wrangle you for every dollar.
Well said and THANK YOU!
How dare someone be non-nonchalant about this issue. Shame on them for taking the, “What does it hurt” standpoint.
What if it was your child, as a mother/father, who was buying from a bogus list that the company was touting to be the real thing? Young parents have money issues, the last thing we all need is someone purposely misleading us.
YES… WalMart is a misleading and a place I tend to distrust all the way around, however, putting our head in the sand does not make it right, nor make it go away.
I’m glad someone said something about it, heck, I would never have even noticed it and isn’t that what people blogging, or going to the new stations is all about? How would our world be if we all pretended it didn’t exist?
Get over yourselves people! This is about an injustice. No, it’s not oil or the election, but it’s about dishonest companies leeching off of parents.
And just being a “Mom Blogger”, If you don’t know anything about blogging, then perhaps you should research it a bit more, the “Mom Blogger” is being stated within the advertising world as the next wave of recognition for PR staffers.
If that was the best you had at trying to prove your point, then I think you fell short.
Thank you again for bringing this to our attention! As for those that like to complain, well, you know what to do with them.
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Impressive. I’m not a trained journalist, but I firmly believe that mainstream media is heading down in a big way.
I’ve been following you on Twitter for a while, but I have to admit that this is the first time I’ve read any of your posts. I’ve been against Wal-Mart for some time and I agree with you on every point you’ve made here.
As for that crazy comment that you’re not a journalist, that person is sadly behind the times and has no idea what kind of power and influence the mommy blogger community has.
Ya’all run in packs.
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Mmm hmm. ‘Bout time somebody spoke up instead of just shrugging her shoulders. Good for you!
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Your previous post about this problem was useful and I would think very helpful to the people who go to Walmart for things like this. I can tell you one thing, I’m glad we homeschool. When did schools start sending out lists for supplies? I don’t remember that. When I was a kid, it was me begging my mom for the “cool” folders, pencil holders, and stuff… and me getting the plain ones of course. LOL!
There are a lot of idiots in the world, and they happened to fall on your previous post. It’s obvious you informed a lot of other moms, because not all the comments were trolls! Good work! Thanks for the good work!
thanks for saving me a trip to walm*rt.
meanwhile, I just blogged about my trip to km*rt where they seduced us into buying deoderant… from the school supplies aisle. what’s next? condoms?
Great post, and great job uncovering Walmart for their ridiculous practices. It’s just another justification for my avoiding them totally.
And, to the commenter who dismissed you as just a Mom with a blog? Oh dear. They’re more irrelevant and clueless than Walmart.
Well said, as usual.
To answer your question about the boy/girl Ziploc bag thing; It’s so the classroom gets a variety of sizes without asking everyone to bring in two boxes.
I’m hijacking your comments so I can address things you didn’t….
Many people referred to the school supply lists as “unnecessary items” and “yet another excess of consumer culture”, etc.. I’m going to have to assume that anyone who made any type of comment like that does not have kids in school and/or hasn’t for a very long time. The curriculum and expectations for elementary school are totally different than when we were kids. In kindergarten, we went half day, played with blocks and did puzzles. Kids today go into Kindergarten knowing how to read and are honing their writing skills in those composition books while they’re there for seven hours. The teachers don’t put a bottle of rubber cement in the middle of the table for the kids to share any more. The districts pay for nothing, get over it. I have. I’ve got 3 kids that need well over $200 worth of supplies each year. Know what? They use every single piece of it. Those of you that said that the amount of glue sticks was out of line DEFINITELY never did a project with a child. You’re lucky if a glue stick will get you through making a single shoe box diorama.
To those that say, “just don’t send it” and “write the teacher a note…”: Do you know what happens when someone doesn’t buy supplies for their kid? That kid borrows it from MY kid. I send 50 pencils and a dozen large (@ $1.89 EACH) glue sticks in on the first day of school for each of my children and they’re GONE by the end of November because the kid sitting next to mine has a parent that comes from the “screw them!” crowd.
To the people that suggested sending the child to school on the first day with paper and a pencil to WRITE DOWN the supplies the teachers want: There is not a nice way to say this… Are you on crack?!?! First of all, it isn’t until 3rd or 4th grade where you could even trust a child to handle a responsibility that is costing the parents money. Secondly, the items are expected on the first day of school. Lastly, the stores are wiped out of everything school-related by then. There isn’t anything left. Period.
I think I’m going to have to do a School Supply blog post of my own…. You got me all worked up, Kelby!
“just” a mommy blogger, huh? well, somebody out there still hasn’t figured out yet how Web 2.0 works…
I didn’t have to bother w/school supply lists again this year (my own daughter is still in preK; it’s my stepsons who’re in kindergarten and 2nd grade, so their mom gets to fuss w/supplies), but I still appreciate you doing the INVESTIGATIVE work to expose this scam — whether or not a family can afford the few “extra/unnecessary” items is so NOT the point…! brava, Kelby, for stepping up and actually saying something about a dishonest practice and not sweeping it under the carpet or pretending it’s OKAY!
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I saw your post on twitter and was curious to see what all the fuss was about. Sorry to hear you received negative comments on your blog.
I would just like to say that as a former teacher many of the items suggested on the list by wal-mart and other stores are useful to help supplement a classroom, especially smaller schools or charter schools which always seem to lack supplies. Some teachers/schools even use these lists as a guide to send out their own lists.
I never required a lot from students, unless it wasn’t provided. Snacks and hand sanitizer were requested especially with kindergarten, but not with other grade levels. Most parents seem willing to provide whatever is needed or requested. In addition, the schools usually provide most of what is needed.
I would like to recommend those parents who don’t want to run into this type of frustration and feel ’scammed’ in the future to wait until the first day of school starts, get the supply list from the teacher or school directly and then do your supply shopping. Another great way to save time and money on school/office supplies is to check out my blog post at http://bit.ly/4rRFXY to save 10% on school/office supplies and help raise money for your school ?
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“just a mom with a blog”? I snorted coffee all over the monitor when I read that. Obviously somebody has NO idea how many of us there are or what our purchasing power might be.
School supplies are a nightmare. Once the schools didn’t have to pay anymore, teachers have gotten very particular about what they want. A couple of years ago, one teacher required a different color folder for each class period so it was easier for her to keep them straight. Now, I’m all for buying the basics ahead of time (papers, pens, pencils, etc.) but there’s no way to anticipate stuff like that — and that was at the middle school level.
You go, Kelby, keep telling it like it is and we’ll have your back.
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The whole back to school list ordeal makes me crazy. Last year we hunted for days to find 3″ binder required by my daughter’s middle school teachers. Finally found one and she could hardly jam anything in her backpack besides that monster of a thing.
Kids take these lists very seriously and don’t want to show up missing anything. I’ve seen my girls in tears because I couldn’t find something specified.
Hand sanitizer? It wrecks my kid’s hands. Who do I sue when her hands are cracked, bleeding, and stinging from the stuff.
I do wonder if we’re missing a huge marketing op for our own business. How do we convince all coaches to make pre-wrap a requirement for each girl for the beginning of the sports season? We could be on our yacht before year end…
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I think you did us all a service. I was out during Texas’s sales tax holiday and saw a few of the lists at Wal-Mart and others. I think the state attorney general should investigate this but he won’t in Texas, all of his contributions are from big corporations.
I am also a bit miffed at obvious come-on ads from other stores with ridiculously low school supplies prices with “quantities limited.” They buy just enough to run the ad - 24 count crayola crayons box for a quarter, and then after their hundred boxes sell out have they only have their own brand at a dollar.
This will be my oldest son’s fifth year in school, but the first year, I bought items from a Wal Mart list. They were out of some items, so I went to Target to get the other things. Target had a list too. They didn’t match.
Then on Kinder registration night, the PTA was selling pre-packaged supplies that had everything on the correct list. Neither the Target or WalMart list had been correct.
Since then, I ignore all kiosk lists. I do think they are trying to scam us. I don’t think it’s a courtesy. I feel badly for parents who buy stuff unnecessarily.
A lot of school districts are beginning to post their lists online, so it might be good for parents to check there.
Sorry for all the weirdos criticizing your post. I read the original and loved it.
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This seems to come up yearly in my area too (West Michigan), and what it boils down to for US is that ALL lists are a “SUGGESTED” list. Walmart can ’suggest’ stuff, teachers can ’suggest’ stuff - but when all is said and done - nothing is required.
Don’t get me wrong, if the TEACHER makes a suggestion, my kid will go to school with it… but at first grade level, it’s minimal.
(OF course, I’m still waiting for the letter from the school with my daughter’s teacher assignment, so they aren’t so on top of things).
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Nice rebuttal. I was blown away by the responses to the original post.
Some people just have so much free time on their hands, they have nothing to do but pick apart and crticize the motives and actions of others.
I enjoyed the original post.
I sense that the gentleman who called you ‘just a mom with a blog’ does not spend much time around the blogosphere. Oh well, I’m sure he’s realized the 8 billion dollar error of his ways by now.
Just a few comments:
First, the school does not “ban” crayons. They simply ask that you don’t take them to school. Kids should have crayons at home, and it wouldn’t surprise me if your school gives assignments that are expected to be done with crayons or markers at home.
Second, I looked at the list and I really don’t see anything unusual or deceptive about it. Nothing suggests that it’s for a specific school or teacher. If they implied that the list was school or teacher-specific, that would be out-of-line, in my opinion.
Third, I think it is at least slightly deceptive, but not more so than many marketing materials. This is really not out-of-line for what these companies typically do, and are expected to do.
This is what Walmart thinks your kids should have, and it’s a reasonable list.
Again, the line would be crossed if they strongly implied that a particular school or teacher recommended these items if they didn’t actually do so.
Thanks for blogging about this issue and ignore those idiots who want to criticize you. They obviously haven’t done any back-to-school shopping in a long, long time (if ever).
I don’t know if this happened in my area (KCMO suburbs) because I got lists from my kids schools but I work with a woman who got a list from Target and it didn’t match her school list at all.
These retailers are despicable for putting out bogus school lists. Spending unnecessary money is one issue but also, what about little children taking the wrong supplies to school. That’s awful! I would be one furious parent if that happened my child.
Don’t even get me started on what the teachers put on the actual supply lists. My 6th grader was required to bring 3 DOZEN pencils. When I multiplied that by every child in the school it came to over 25,000 pencils! Where would you even store that many pencils? You could pave the school track with 24,000 pencils and still have a pencil for every kid in school. Sorry, I just had to share that lunacy - now I’ve got a grip on myself again.
Thanks for your post - it was great.
OK, I have to laugh as I reply to David Schwartz. You just might consider actually reading a post before commenting. Just a thought.
You said:
First, the school does not “ban” crayons. They simply ask that you don’t take them to school. Kids should have crayons at home, and it wouldn’t surprise me if your school gives assignments that are expected to be done with crayons or markers at home.
Reply: That is so not the point. They say crayons are required, the school specifically says not to bring them.
You say:
Second, I looked at the list and I really don’t see anything unusual or deceptive about it. Nothing suggests that it’s for a specific school or teacher. If they implied that the list was school or teacher-specific, that would be out-of-line, in my opinion.
Reply:
You don’t think it’s deceptive to tell parents to buy things that they not only don’t need, but the school says to NOT bring. And FYI… if you bothered to read the post or the previous one… this is a Kmart example. As I clearly stated, Kmart wasn’t as deceptive as Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart, according to your own standards, was out of line. The list I got from Wal-Mart did state school, grade level AND teacher.
You say:
Third, I think it is at least slightly deceptive, but not more so than many marketing materials. This is really not out-of-line for what these companies typically do, and are expected to do.
Reply:
I think I completely addressed this above. Lying to a customer straight out is not the same thing as marketing to entice them to buy.
You say:
This is what Walmart thinks your kids should have, and it’s a reasonable list.
Again, the line would be crossed if they strongly implied that a particular school or teacher recommended these items if they didn’t actually do so.
Reply:
Wal-Mart doesn’t SAY this is what they think kids should have. They say, as does Kmart, that these are things you MUST have. And the list isn’t reasonable at all. Not one thing on it is required. That isn’t reasonable in my book.
WALMART is the Devil’s Playground. Not only does it “employ” children as slave laborers, they have recently came out and basically ENCOURAGED (I’m being polite) people to VOTE FOR MCCAIN….Last time I checked, this was a free country.
I happen to BE a journalist (in case WALMART is “reading”) and I dare someone to contact me about their substandard practices, inhumane conditions and ignorant world politics.
And I URGE EVERYONE who is SICK of over-consumption, especially during CHRISTMAS, to get this DVD–”What Would Jesus Buy?”
You will be very enlightened and amused….
Walmart, to me is the WORST of those BIG BOX WAREHOUSE-TYPE STORES. Avoid them whenever possible.
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Thank God that you’ve written this wonderful rebuttal because what all of the ludicrous comments were drowning out was YOUR VOICE. And that’s what we needed to hear. Walmart - take note. Mom’s are thinking, we’re talking, we’re writing, and we’re not putting up with your tactics anymore.
Oh wow… that would be the “TypeAMom Walmart thing” everyone keeps talking about! lol…
Well, yeah. Glad you posted about it. Wondering how much of the fubar is the local store’s fault and how much the national chain’s fault.
I was at Target on Monday buying school supplies (yes, I know, I’m working with WalMart, but Target was across the street from where we were) and they had those lists too.
I didn’t even bother looking at them because my kidlet is going to private school.
On her list? All the things that are verboten at your child’s school - plus more!!
Glue sticks, baggies, markers, colored pencils, sanitizer, wipes, bleach wipes… the list was so endless that $90 later I was reeling in shock.
I would rather have just given them a check for $100 more and let them go purchase as needed.
Seriously.
At what point do we as parents say “no - if you need supplies, you need to charge more or budget for them and maybe cut some of the more useless administrators - I’m not going shopping anywhere for this stuff!”
Sorry you got deluged by stupidity - but it is the internet!!
Well, Naomi, the entire mainstream media is encouraging everyone to vote for Obama, which I think is far worse than a corporation supposedly encouraging McCain.
This is not new. Staples has been doing this since I was in grade school over a decade ago. They at least made it clear that it was only a suggestion, and so my mom could make a judicial decision whether or not to buy everything on the list. As for these current lists from Walmart and K-mart, however, I am beyond outraged. From personal experience, I know the mindset of the less financially secure parents out there who will look at these lists that say “required” and think that they have no other choice. This amounts to nothing less than preying on the store’s poorer patrons to make them spend more of their limited budget at Walmart instead of, say, at the doctor or on their dying car. Worse yet is another comment that you made, that these poorer families may not have the luxury of wasting gas on a return trip to return these items and recover their losses as quickly as they need to. I am very glad that you are championing this. Go Informed Mammas!
“Just a mom with a blog”?
Really. Are we still in 2008? Yes? Ok, just checking. You don’t have to prove yourself a journalist to anyone, here. This is YOUR site with YOUR opinions and observations.
I guess it’d be different if you had a set of balls. Then you’d be qualified, I suppose.
Being a mom is so much harder than people give it credit for. And being a good mom is the hardest job period.
But then, I guess we’re still battling a lingering suspicion that anything women do is less appealing. Doubly so if she has a child in tow. Oh to be “just a mom.”
I agree with the downside of Wal-Mart but you must realize that they are out for the money(likewise every company). I have seen this at my local Wal-Mart but never really paid attention to it, alot of the things that kids need is common sense. But it is a shame that stores are doing this, but like it was pointed out, it is only the lower income stores and parents should have enough common sense to not pick the lists up and truly think that Wal-Mart would take the time to go to the area schools and get the lists from teachers.
I love how people don’t read thoroughly and then assume that they are making an educated comment. I’ve followed, read, and commented everywhere on this. I’m glad you refuted the comments made to the boingboing piece. It’s just ridiculous that people are narrow minded in their thinking.
I think you’ve pointed out perfectly what was wrong with the lists, why you are annoyed and managed to show how clueless other commenters can be.
I for one have three in school and as you pointed out, some (myself included) don’t have money to burn and also that being in a rural area (as I am) Walmart is the best deal for the drive.
I’d say we can blame it on the recession that everyone says we’re going into.. Walmart sure feels the pinch but unfortunately they’ve been doing this in my area for quite a few years. Next time I’m there, I will see if I can get some lists to compare for ya!
Way to go! Someone linked me to this post, but I’ll be coming back to read more of your blog soon.
As for the school supply lists, I hadn’t noticed that about Wal-Mart, but am glad you pointed it out. I have used their lists before, but luckily it must have been an official list or close to it. However, they’ve really gone downhill in the past few years…and the past few years is when I have actually gone to the school to pick up my sons’ supply lists, because the school is closer and more convenient than Wal-Mart (or any other retailer, for that matter).
I’m also glad you pointed it out for the other reasons you specified: that a good many of their shoppers are on a strict budget. If I was one of the single moms who had to carefully plan every penny (and I have been before), I would feel almost violated to find that they took advantage of their customer in that way. I, like I assume most parents, wouldn’t even think twice about picking up one of their made-to-look-official lists while out shopping.
As I said, it’s not an issue now. But I feel bad for all the people who were scammed. It could happen to anybody!
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I’m so glad I finally had time to read this! You did a great job of rebutting some nasty comments. Walmart did deceive for sure and I am so glad that I had the list from school back in June! Although I must say my “required” list is more extensive than yours - oh well I am in another country after all! Take care!
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