Good Question: Why is it harder to shop for school?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Our Good Question Monday is: why is back to school shopping harder this year?

If you’re planning ahead for when you’re kid starts class once again, get going sooner rather than later. There may be a shortage of some items on your list, according to the Better Business Bureau.

The BBB reports the pandemic has caused disruptions at a lot of factories resulting in supplies being limited. Spring and summer goods were shipped before the supply chains really took a hit. Moving into late summer and the fall, prices for common things like school clothes, electronics and accessories will be higher.

Items that don’t normally appear on the list, like hand sanitizer or disinfecting wipes, may also be scarce.

This won’t be cheap with students splitting time at home and in the classroom this upcoming semester.

If you have elementary through high school kids the National Retail Federation estimates those families are expected to spend nearly $800 on average for back to school shopping this year.

That’s up about $100 from 2019.

If you have a question you’d like answered, email GoodQuestion@whec.com.