Back-to-school shopping is in full swing, and American parents are expected to spend nearly $25 billion for their kindergarten through 12th grade students.
A new survey from SheerID - a service that verifies eligibility of discounts for niche groups like students, teachers and military - indicates families aren't the only ones shelling out the money this month and next. SheerID found that the average amount teachers (K-12) spend of their personal funds on their classrooms hovered around $500 for the second year in a row.
The survey also found that when teachers shop for items for their classrooms and personal use, 89 percent of teachers will go out of their way to shop at stores that offer teacher discounts, and 96 percent feel valued by businesses that offer discounts for teachers.
"Teachers are very resourceful," says Robert O'Dell, Managing Partner at Agile Education Marketing. "As our survey shows, they'll seek out teacher discounts to stretch their dollars. Many are also turning to the internet to find free or lower cost resources."