NPR

A Confusing Back-To-School Season May Lead To Blockbuster Spending

Preparing for both in-person and virtual learning has families budgeting for new school supplies like masks and bleach wipes, but also bigger purchases like laptops, speakers, desks and chairs.
A shopper walks past shelves of school supplies at a Target store in San Rafael, Calif. Preparing for both in-person and virtual learning has families budgeting for new school supplies and bigger purchases.

Getting her daughter ready for the first day of sixth grade, in a normal year, Lidia Rodriguez would have by now spent a pretty penny on a lunch box, her charter-school uniform and a special backpack, perhaps embroidered with her name: "Sofia."

But why buy a new uniform if last year's top still works for a virtual Zoom call? And

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