Rite Aid Makes Back-to-School Shopping Easy for Students of All Ages & All Budgets (And a giveaway!)

It’s August and for parents that means “Back to School” shopping and if you are extra lucky then you can wait until after Labor Day to shop for school.  I’m one of those parents that have three kids starting school in August; in fact they’ve already started school.  I already knew to shop at Rite Aid for school supplies because they are always in stock, lower prices and right beside my house!  It beats driving across town to a bigger retail store to fight crowds of people to buy crayons, pencils or a calculator.

So, let’s have a giveaway thanks to Rite Aid!!!  They sent me a whole big box of goodies to host an amazing giveaway so you can see for yourself the awesome school supplies you can buy at Rite Aid.

Your Prize

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rite Aid stores nationwide are well stocked for what the National Retail Federation (NRF) calls the second biggest shopping season of the year behind only Christmas. The NRF projects more than $83 billion will be spent during the 2012 back-to-school season with a notable increase this year in value-seeking shoppers. Whether back-to-school bargain shoppers are searching for traditional school supplies, dorm room décor or the latest electronics to assist them in their pursuit of higher education, Rite Aid has a selection to suit the needs of any student.

“The NRF reports says it all—whether they’re bound for grade school or beyond, students and their parents are looking for value,” said John Learish, senior vice president of marketing for Rite Aid. “That’s why we’re offering so many ways to save on this year’s must-have supplies."

Rite Aid is again offering a dedicated value website athttp://savenow.riteaid.com explaining all the different ways to save at Rite Aid including the mail-in and online Single Check Rebates plus Video Values, which allows customers to print coupons in exchange for watching product videos. Members of Rite Aid's free customer rewards program wellness+ can save even more with big sale prices and an average of $100 a week through +UP Rewards. +UP Rewards printing on the bottom of register receipts from select wellness+ purchases and are used liked cash on a future Rite Aid shopping trip.

AFFORDABLE MUST-HAVE ELECTRONICS

The NRF predicts nearly 60 percent of back-to-school shoppers will invest in electronics this year – nearly 10 percent more than last year. In anticipation of this trend, Rite Aid has upped its offerings to include affordable electronics that many customers may not expect to find at a traditional drugstore such as:

– Texas Instruments’ TI-84 graphing calculator, which is required for many classes in high school and beyond.
– Color touchscreen tablets and Android-powered NetBooks that make note-taking less tedious.
– Assorted electronic and computer accessories such as a Bluetooth-enabled iPad keyboard, webcams, universal chargers, and a wide range of flash drives including Sponge Bob and other novelty models.
– Ink cartridges to ensure term papers are turned in on time – and don’t forget the paper!
– For fun when studying is done, 32" LCD TVs and DVD players plus new movie titles such as The Hunger Games and classics includingFootloose.
– New to Rite Aid, Record a Memory: School Years memory books allow parents to record their child’s voice on the first day of every school year from preschool to eighth grade. The 12" by 12" hardcover books also have room for photos along with pockets to save report cards, awards, artwork and other mementos.

DON'T FORGET THE BASICS

Students of all ages still need the essentials to get to the head of the class including:
– Paper, binders, composition books, notebooks, pens and pencils. In addition to the popular brand names, Rite Aid sells many of the school and office supplies under the company’s private brand line Home, which combines consistent quality with affordable prices.
– Backpacks and lunch boxes featuring popular characters such as Hello Kitty, Spider Man, Angry Birds and assorted Disney characters including princesses and Cars.
– New this year, single-strap – often called sling or trapezoid – backpacks and insulated, shoulder-slung lunch totes available in a rainbow of plain colors and sharp patterns.
– Crayons, glue, tape, index cards and more from top brands including Playskool and Rite Aid’s Home.
– New to Rite Aid, Elmer's makes gluing fun with vibrantly colored sticks and extra strength X-Treme sticks.
– Scotch also has new products at Rite Aid including titanium-fused scissors, Magic greener tape made from 75% recycled or plant materials and donut tape in colorful, round containers.
– Craft materials including returning favorites from ArtSkills such as holographic letter/number stickers and LED light strings that make it easy to design posters that grab an audience's attention.

COLLEGE COMFORTS

Going off to college for the first time can be scary. To make the transition from home to dorm a little easier for students and parents alike, Rite Aid has stocked up on dorm room must-haves including:
– Gracious Living portable drawers, bins and shelves for easy storage.
– Bedroom basics including sheets and throw rugs plus personal flair such as colorful folding tub chairs or Dream Lites night lights that project a starry sky onto the ceiling.
– Deals on in-store photo processing on regular prints plus wall-hanging photo sleeves that display up to 16 pictures
– Kitchen accessories and appliances including coffee makers.
– Comfort foods such as frozen pizzas and meals, Ramen Noodles, Chef Boyardee, pudding, and hot chocolate for when winter rolls in and healthy snacks including raisins, apple sauce, fruit cups and granola bars—just like mom would want.

Rite Aid's gift- and prepaid card selection makes it easy to send care packages, help keep students supplied from afar or reward good grades. The NRF says gift card sales are expected to continue to rise to $71 per shopper, an 18 percent bump from last year and more than 50 percent jump since 2010. Rite Aid offers gift cards from more than 150 different retailers plus general purpose reloadable cards from Green Dot, which can be purchased without a fee at any Rite Aid location and used like a credit card.