Mid-August is the trade signal that the time has come for school layettes. Shop shelves and special promotional islands get backpacks, shoe bags, notebooks, crayons and drawing blocks. However, many parents start shopping by buying a school bag, or rather a backpack, because they dominate the children’s back. Typical satchels also have the form of a backpack.
“The younger the child, the better the backpack should have,” says the saleswoman from the Manufaktura store. “Unfortunately, children carry real weights so they must have decent equipment.”
Often when buying a school backpack, the price decides. And these, especially in hypermarkets are very attractive. Simple backpacks without decorations can be purchased for PLN 9.90. The ones that cost up to PLN 50 are very popular. Usually, the price ranges from PLN 49-99. Experts advise against buying the cheapest backpacks, because these quickly lose fashion by pressing on the back and the spine, and are also torn under the weight of books and other school accessories.
“We invested in expensive schoolbags when the daughter went to the first grade, but after three years, when she goes to the fourth class satchel, we gave a neighbor’s daughter,” says Anna Janas, mother of 9-year-old Zuzia.
In one of the hypermarkets for the youngest, a wide selection of school bags with graphics from popular cartoons was prepared. The motifs from “Land of Ice” and “My Little Pony” for girls are still searched. The boys choose motifs from “Cars”, “Star Wars” or “Ben 10”. There are also backpacks (typical schoolbags) designed specifically to prevent posture disadvantages among children. They are equipped with profiled stiffening, adjustable, soft braces, as well as reflective tapes and a ventilation system. Older students, on the other hand, can buy more subdued backpacks from brands such as Nike or Puma. Backpacks in the colors of foreign football clubs like FC Barcelona are also popular.