What tariffs mean for back-to-school shopping in Florida
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Parents are heading into the 2025 back-to-school season facing rising prices and looming tariffs — forcing them to shop smarter and earlier.
Why it matters: Back-to-school is the second-biggest retail event of the year, after the holidays.
- This season is a stress test for family budgets and a strategy test for retailers trying to hold onto value-conscious shoppers.
Catch up quick: New U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports — including backpacks, pens, binders and shoes — kicked in earlier this year, rose sharply, then came back down to levels still historically high.
- Some retailers stocked up early and "purchased a lot in advance, and some didn't purchase as much because of the uncertainty," Deborah Weinswig, CEO of Coresight Research, told Axios.
Zoom in: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law this year a permanent, annual back-to-school sales tax exemption throughout August on clothing, shoes, backpacks, school supplies and personal computers.
- Clothing, footwear, wallets and bags priced at $100 or less are exempt from sales tax. Jewelry, watches and umbrellas aren't.
- School supplies priced at $50 or less per item are included, such as pens, pencils, binders and lunch boxes. Personal computers and related accessories priced at $1,500 or less are also tax-free.
The big picture: 67% of back-to-school shoppers had already started buying for the coming school year as of early June, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey of nearly 7,600 consumers.
- This is up from 55% last year and the highest since NRF started tracking early shopping in 2018, the group said.
- 51% of families said they are shopping earlier this year compared with last year, "out of concern that prices will rise due to tariffs."
By the numbers: Stationery and supplies prices have risen 30% over the past five years, according to Deloitte's 2025 back-to-school survey.
- Between May 2021 and 2025, boys' apparel climbed 14%, girls' apparel and footwear were each up 4%, while personal computers and peripheral equipment fell 11%.
- "Parents are experiencing overall economic pressures and need to make decisions about what they buy," Brian McCarthy, principal of retail strategy at Deloitte Consulting LLP, told Axios.
Yes, but: The full impact of tariffs hasn't hit store shelves yet, and back-to-school season may be the first test of how much price pressure shoppers will tolerate, per a Wells Fargo Investment Institute report.