In just a week, my boys will be heading off to school. Where did the summer go? This year is a bit of a monumental one for us; Zackary will be starting Grade One so this will be his first year going to school for a full week and Benjamin will be starting Playschool so this will be his first time in any type of school setting!
While I’m nervous for my boys, the fun of getting ready for back-to-school really helps my boys and me feel excited too. And this year, Visa sent me a $150 gift card so that I could get ready for that important first day with ease!
The first task we had for back-to-school shopping was checking off the items on Zackary’s school supply list. This is one shopping trip that I find easiest to do in an actual store. We started out at the nearby Real Canadian Superstore (Western Canada’s version of Loblaws) and then headed across the street to Walmart for the items we hadn’t been able to find when grabbing groceries. I scored a sweet Angry Birds pencil case for Zackary’s desk and a cute box of Phineas and Ferb bandages for any minor injuries he might have during the school year.
Zackary loves Angry Birds so I knew this pencil case would make him smile every time he pulled it out!
How could any child look at all these fun and colourful products and not get excited about heading back to school?
For clothes this year, though, we did something a little different and went online to stock up. For the most part I love shopping with my boys but when it comes to clothes shopping, online is definitely my top choice! Supervising one child while trying to help another try on a new outfit is not my idea of fun! Zackary needed a few pairs of pants and some sweaters while Benjamin needed some new t-shirts. I used the Visa card online to get some great deals from Old Navy and from some of my favourite momtrepreneur-owned boutiques.
I can’t wait for Zackary’s clothing from Old Navy to arrive! He’ll be able to beat the chill this fall with these stylish sweaters and hoodies!
Visa recently commissioned a back-to-school survey of Canadian online shoppers and the results showed that when it comes to combining store purchases with online shopping, I’m not alone! The study found that 22% of Canadians believe shopping online is the number one stress reliever when preparing for school. And my fellow prairie residents plan to spend the most online with 68% of their shopping to be made at Canadian online retailers! Yet even when making online purchases, 72% of those surveyed make their purchases from Canadian merchants. I love that even when shopping online, Canadians believe in supporting each other!
No matter how you decide to prepare for that important first day, using your Visa card is a great way to ensure that every purchase you make is secure thanks to Visa’s layered approach to security and fraud prevention. Visa uses a variety of programs including Verified by Visa (VbV), Zero Liability and E-Promise so that making purchases with your credit card has never been safer. A prepaid Visa may also help you stick to a budget since you can’t spend more than what you have loaded on the card! And did you know that Visa offers special deals at select online merchants when you use your Visa card? The visaperks.ca program lets you take advantage of exclusive savings on your favourite items, from clothing to toys to sporting equipment!
Zackary’s outfit for the first day of school: trendy dark jeans and a DC t-shirt from an online Canadian boutique!
To help you purchase all those last-minute school supplies, Visa is very generously offering one lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader their very own $50 Prepaid Visa Card! To enter to win, just leave a blog comment about whether you prefer to do your back-to-school shopping in stores or online.
So this year, check out some of the great online deals as well as the ones in stores and get ready for a fun-filled, budget-friendly first day of school! With the security of Visa, great deals from visaperks and the convenience of shopping either in a store or in the comfort of your own home, getting ready for school is something the whole family can get excited about!
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In stores — I always end up finding things I forgot to put on the list, as I wander through the aisles
I prefer online but can’t get all the kids school supplies there unfortunately.
With 4 children, me needing this card is an understatement.
In stores, because I have fun doing it every year.
Thank you,
Ollie Moss
ollimo91@aol.com
I really prefer online but end up doing a 60/40 split! More online!
In stores.
I shop mostly instores, but I do like to find special deals for some things online.
In stores
I prefer to go to stores.
I rather do in store… alot more clearance deals..
I prefer to do more shopping online. Probably a 70:30 ratio. I find better deals easier online.
I like shopping at stores and online! With 3 young girls sometimes its more peaceful online lol
I prefer to do in stores!
I like school clothes shopping at the stores.
First year I did it online and I like doing it at the store better with the kids.
Working full time, I don’t have time to go to the mall. Online…for everything.
i prefer to shop in stores
In-Store. You get to try clothes on and see if they fit/look good.
I prefer in store.
i prefer in store look at all the flyers and go to a few stores
I prefer online shopping !
dalleykt at live dot ca
In-stores for me! I don’t need to buy much for back-to-school, anyways, and I prefer to get my items as quickly as possible when i do buy something.
I like shopping in store unless I find a really super deal online or can score a bonus (like extra airmiles)
in stores for me
I like doing a little bit of both
In stores – I like the tactile process of buying in person.
In store.
In store -easier to feel the products, check sizes etc.
Online for sure
I like to do both. Some in-store and some online.
I like to to do a bit of both where ever I can find the best deals.
I prefer in the store as I can get the best deal at the last minute.
I like to shop both online and in the stores to get the best deals
I prefer in stores
I like to look at the items online but purchase them in stores.
rafflecopter name: Lisa K
both
I prefer to do my shopping in store
i love shopping online, but for some reason with back to school I always seem to end up in a store!
I never find anything online (back to school or not) and when the shipping added, store always wins.
I prefer shopping in stores.
I do both! I usually buy the supplies and store,but clothes,sneakers online..
ksceviour at hotmail dot com
( p.s. I was wondering which online Canadian boutique you bought the dc shirt from?? My son will only wear Dc or other brand name clothes,now that he is a teen,and I would like to know some more places online to buy them!
)
I’m still old skool shopping down to earth in real stores mostly, but I believe I will be ordering from cyber stores online in the furture!
I enjoy shopping in stores but wish there was the selection like online.
I like doing my shopping in stores.
prefer in-store shopping
I like in store shopping!
I prefer in store than online
I do a little bit of both
I like shopping in person. I love to buy books online but when it comes to buying clothing for me or my daughter, it is a good idea to try things on first.
Shopping in person is best, so you can make sure you are getting the right items.