The annual frenzy to buy school supplies has begun with the announcement that the new academic year is set to begin on 21 September. Compounding the hassle this year is the surge in the prices of various goods in the Egyptian market.
“School supply prices have doubled in comparison to last year,” said Mona Refaat, the mother of two children in their third and seventh grades in Cairo.
“I headed to the Faggala market, the cheapest in Cairo, to buy the stationery needed for my two children, but the money I had did not cover a year’s supply, so I only bought essential items,” she said.
Marwa, another mother, opted for a different approach. Realising that she could not afford to buy everything all at once for her daughter, she organised a group of mothers to purchase supplies at wholesale prices.
“I managed to buy a box of crayons, making sure that they weren’t boycotted brands and noticing that they were made in Malaysia, for LE75 wholesale instead of LE100 retail,” Marwa said.
“This was possible because we had pooled our money. As we were buying six boxes, the wholesaler agreed to sell them at the bulk price, even though we didn’t meet the usual minimum of 12 boxes,” she added.
The Faggala market remains one of the cheaper destinations for purchasing school supplies. This year, however, has seen significant price hikes, with increases of over 20 per cent in many cases compared to last year.
The price of a 60-sheet notebook has risen to LE10 from LE8, while an 80-sheet notebook now costs LE11, up from LE9. A 100-sheet notebook has increased from LE10 to LE12.
The price of a large drawing book has surged to LE70, up from LE50, the average cost of a ballpoint pen has climbed to LE10, compared to LE6 last year, and the price of a pencil has risen from LE4 to LE6.
In the Zeitoun district of Cairo outside a bookstore on Selim Street a mother was trying to explain to her son why she could not buy him the Spiderman pencil case he had been promised the previous year.
The price of the pencil case had jumped from LE100 to LE140, and they still needed to purchase a school bag, lunch box, and other essential items.
The bookstore owner told Al-Ahram Weekly that the prices for all school supplies, whether local or imported, had risen. However, he noted that the increases in the prices of Egyptian products was lower than that of imported goods.
He added that despite the lower prices of made-in-Egypt school supplies, there was limited interest from buyers, particularly as children may prefer imported products that are often more colourful and of higher quality.
Wholesalers had stored unsold supplies from the previous year and were now selling them at elevated prices, he noted. As a result, retailers like himself have had to increase their prices to remain in business and afford new inventory after clearing out old stock.
Ahmed Abu Gabal, head of the Stationery Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, said that stationery prices have risen by five per cent as a result of rising paper costs due to global inflation. Apart from this, they have remained stable thanks to the stability of the foreign-exchange rate, he added.
Amr Khedr, head of the Paper Division at the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, also noted that prices have not significantly increased, saying that Egypt has two paper factories and their prices have been stable for the past five months.
The two factories cover one third of Egypt’s paper consumption, he said. “The remainder is imported. The price of imported paper has surged by 20 per cent, however,” he told the Weekly.
Consumers have increasingly turned to wholesale markets or “welcome schools” exhibitions to buy stationery at more affordable prices, Abu Gabal said. The exhibitions, set to be inaugurated by the minister of supply on 5 September at the Cairo Exhibition Grounds, will run for two weeks and offer discounts of up to 40 per cent, he added.
Khedr noted that while controlling prices in the stationery and paper market is challenging due to the free market and strong competition, the exhibitions have advantages for consumers. Exhibitors at these events do not have to cover venue costs and receive free marketing. This allows them to offer substantial discounts while still maintaining profitability, as the exhibitions attract a large consumer base.
He called on investors to consider investing in Egypt’s paper industry, saying that it is a secure investment with consistent market demand. Such investments, he argued, would not only reduce the country’s imports bill but also create job opportunities.
School bags, lunch boxes, and lunch bags have become a significant focus for parents in recent years, particularly those with children in primary school, whereas trolley bags with eye-catching designs are highly coveted by young students.
Mervat, a mother in Cairo, said that “I don’t buy a new bag for my children every year. I always opt for a high-quality bag that can last for more than one school year.”
This year, however, she was taken aback by the sharp increase in prices. “I decided to purchase a size 18 bag for my soon-to-be first grader daughter to accommodate her school supplies, only to find that the price had doubled compared to last year. The bag I was considering now costs LE2,000,” she said.
She added that she had found some mothers selling their children’s used bags from the same brand online for LE800. After an extensive search, she eventually found an Egyptian alternative priced at LE750.
However, despite the difference in prices, Mervat ultimately decided to purchase the imported bag “because of its higher quality. It will probably last my daughter for two to three years,” she said.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 5 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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