Alice Legaspi of National Office Supply on Beach Road said the shipping costs for school and office supplies have gone up tremendously over the past months but they will do everything they can to prevent price increases.
She said the opening of classes always adds to the pressure on most parents as it means added expenses not only for school supplies but for other needs.
“We know times are hard, and everybody is suffering from the economic crisis but we want our clients to continue to enjoy our discounted prices by not passing on to them the high shipping and freight costs,” Legaspi said.
The two outlets of Modern Stationery won’t be raising their prices either.
Modern Stationary said like National Office Supply, it will be offering discounts for the school opening.
“We will have to make adjustments so that parents can avail of the school supplies without suffering an added burden on their finances,” a staff member at Modern Stationary told the Variety.
She said sales for school and office supply have started to go up since the opening of the private schools but the bulk of the shoppers usually buy their supplies when the public schools open early next month.
“The parents and students usually buy their school supplies when the first day of school is out,” she said.
The staffer said schools usually provide them with a list of what the students need for each grade level and they are already prepared with the supplies.
She said they have also sent a request for a list of necessary school supplies from schools that have not yet sent their list.
Other stores like 99 Cents in Garapan, Payless in Chalan Piao and San Jose Supermarket have also retained their prices for school supplies.
A staffer at 99 Cents Store said they have not raised their prices to help parents cope with the additional expenses usually incurred during the opening of classes.
The Modern Stationery Garapan outlet is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The San Jose outlet is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 234-6832.
The National Office Supply is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday for the duration of the back to school promo which runs until Sept. 26. Regular Sunday hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For inquiries, call 234-3197.
