The price of a box of modeling clay in six colors, from the same brand, can vary up to 381.11% between one store and another on the internet. This is what a survey carried out by the São Paulo Procon Foundation in eight sites shopping in Brazil. In one of these stores analyzed by Procon, the product cost R$ 2.70. In another, the same product was sold for R$ 12.99.
The survey was carried out between December 7th and 10th of last year and analyzed the prices of items such as pencil sharpener, eraser, notebook, ballpoint and felt pens, stick and liquid glue, crayons, colored pencil case, pencil black, mechanical pencil, highlighter, modeling clay, bond paper, refills for filing cabinets, ruler, school scissors and paint for finger painting.
For comparison, only products that were sold on at least three of the sites visited were analyzed. The sites analyzed in the survey are Amazon, Americanas, Gimba, Kalunga, Lepok, Livrarias Curitiba, Magazine Luiza and Papelaria Universitária.
Compared to prices that were practiced between November 17 and 19, 2020, there was an average increase of 15.96%, informed Procon.
Tips
To save on the purchase of school supplies, Procon recommends that consumers seek to reuse materials they have at home or do a price survey before purchasing. In addition, Procon recommends that students exchange textbooks.
“The price difference is scandalous, consumers need to research before making their purchase. More than ever it is necessary to join forces and when the parents get together, the purchasing power increases a lot. This makes it possible to negotiate better values and everyone wins. Do not accept abusive prices, look for other establishments, shop online, but do not pay more than the market average. The research we carried out serves precisely to help consumers in this mission of finding products at the best prices”, said Fernando Capez, director of Procon-SP.
According to Procon, the consumer should also be aware: the list of school supplies cannot include the purchase of material for collective use, such as hygiene or cleaning, for example.
