Charlie Biggs-Thomas

A survey of 1,000 parents found that back-to-school shopping is considered more stressful than Christmas shopping by a quarter of respondents. Shoes were identified as the hardest uniform item to buy, while more than half of parents had argued with their children over trying on uniforms and a third had lost sleep over preparations. Despite the pressure, 28% typically leave shopping until the final two weeks of the summer holidays. Rising costs are a major concern, with parents spending an average of £62.71 per child annually on school shoes and 59% saying the process is more expensive than in previous years. The research, commissioned by Deichmann alongside a school-shoe promotion and Trutex uniform range, also found that most parents struggle to find the right sizes or items and make multiple shopping trips.