More than half of Spanish parents consider high their spending on textbooks
Summer involves holidays, disconnection and fun. But like everything good, it ends up concluding. Closing this stage means that the whole family returns to their routines, the older ones to their jobs and the younger ones to face a new school year. A moment in which it is necessary to face different situations such as the purchase of new material for school and, most importantly, to take control of the textbooks.
The acquisition of these books with which you can follow the lessons, and have a study guide when the child comes home, is an expense that the family economy must face. How do parents value this expense? This question was answered by Amazon online shopping portal, a platform that has gathered the opinion of more than 2,000 Spanish families to know their opinion on this disbursement and other issues related to the purchase of this material.
Between 150 and 200 euros
How much do Spanish parents spend on textbooks? The answer is a figure between 150 and the 200 euros of average per child and school year for the majority of respondents (24.3%). On the other hand 16.1% admit that the expenditure ranges between 200 and 250 euros, 11.65% indicates between 250 and 300 euros and 8.2% more than 450 euros.
And how do Spanish parents value these figures? The 33,2% of respondents considers that this expense is disproportionate. More than half, 51.54%, considers it high, and for 14.1% this dispendium is adequate. An opinion that leads parents to look for alternatives such as taking advantage of books inherited from family and friends whenever they can, so 40.4% confess it.
However, this option is not always possible as stated by the 27,3% of the respondents who affirm that the constant change of contents and editorials does not make it possible to acquire second-hand books. Finally, 19.4% of parents say that they prefer to always buy new ones.
Another option to face the cost of textbooks is to buy in stores where there are offers or promotions, something that makes the 69,9%. Very few opt for fractionated payment: 69.8% pay the cost at one time, compared to 7.7% to divide the disbursement in several months.
Another of the data obtained in this survey is the good reception of promotions in school materials by Spanish families. The 86,1% he resorts to them in the "Vuelta al Cole" campaign, an aid that for some is suitable for the September cost, 46.5%. On the other hand, 53.4% think that more discounts should be offered for the expense of buying textbooks.
Online purchases grow
The arrival of new technologies has also changed the scenario of back to school with the appearance of online shopping. This formula grows every year, in particular 13.2% compared to 2017 and 24.3% compared to 2016. 54.3% of respondents admit that they use the internet for the convenience of not having to go to the physical stores, not carrying the heavy textbooks and being able to receive them comfortably at home, and 23.2% opt for this option when finding low prices on school supplies.
And who are the ones who buy the most through Internet? Although this survey indicates that the trend is widespread, there are several provinces that head the ranking: Segovia, Madrid, Guadalajara, Burgos, Valladolid, Toledo, La Rioja, Salamanca, Avila and Palencia.
On the other hand, 55.5% of the parents surveyed admit that they take advantage of the order of textbooks to acquire the rest of school material for their children, such as notebooks, folders and backpacks. The start of the new course involves the purchase of 20 and 30 articles, among books and school material, for almost half of Spanish families (48.6%); and throughout the year, 65.4% admit having to buy additional material because the school requests it.
Damián Montero
