The price of a 30-centimeter ruler, from the same brand, can vary by up to 269% between one stationery store and another in the capital of São Paulo. This is what a survey carried out by Procon-SP shows in nine stationery stores in the city.
If in one store this ruler is sold for R$1.60, in another it is found at a much higher price, being sold for R$5.90. A spiral university notebook, in hard cover, with 80 pages, can vary in price between R$15.75 and R$30.90 between one store and another. A box of finger painting paint, in six colors, can cost R$5.90 in one stationery store and be found for up to R$12.80 in another.
Held between the 16th and 17th of December, the lifting carried out by Procon analyzed the price of 132 items that appear on lists of school supplies, such as pencil sharpeners, erasers, notebooks, ballpoint pens, felt-tip pens, glue, crayons, colored pencils, black pencils, mechanical pencils, highlighters , modeling clay, bond paper, binder refill, ruler, scissors and finger painting paint.
“The nominal values may be small, but, when the consumer considers the entire list, a few reais in several items result in great savings in the final bill”, said Luiz Orsatti Filho, executive director of Procon-SP, in a note.
With this wide variety of prices and the high cost of the entire list, Procon alerts consumers to do some research. The agency also recommends that before going shopping, consumers analyze the materials they have at home and reuse those that are in good condition. “This helps to avoid unnecessary purchases”, says Procon.
