Online Back-to-School Shopping Attracts More Men than Women

A new July 2010 poll put out by Visa Canada found that more men are shopping online than women. On average, men intend to spend about $151 on back-to-school items between now and Labor Day, where women figure they will spend around $78. This year's items that are being purchased are clothing, health and beauty products as well as books, and computer products, while an additional 24 per cent of online shoppers will be making their travel arrangements.

Stephanie Wallat of Visa Canada said in a release, "As parents and students prepare to return to the classroom, many are powering up their PCs, laptops and smart phones in the search of back-to-school must-haves and deals rather than heading to their local shopping centre to take advantage of the convenience that online shopping offers."

Online shopping has increased by seven per cent with the average Canadian shopper forking out about $621 each. The survey also found that 74 per cent of Canadian shoppers would be doing so via Canadian websites. Regionally, however, the survey did note that Ontarians and the Atlantic provinces would be the ones to spend the most online shopping for their back-to-school products, averaging $164 each while Quebec residents will spend about $83.

With many students needing more school supplies, especially in the higher grades, finding the money to get these items can be a challenge. Back-to-school sales are easy enough to find, but when it comes to higher cost items such as clothes, uniforms and computer and software products, the fees can really add up. Factoring in additional expenses such as school lunch programs, bus fees and education costs can set a family back financially if they are not prepared.

The recent recession has not affected everyone to the same degree, however, many of those families that have been affected a little more than everyone else and have been finding it difficult to get enough money together for those back-to-school products, have been considering small loans as a way to bridge the gap.

Purchasing higher priced items such as new desktop computers, laptops or software programs can be a challenge for anyone. Perhaps you've moved since the last school year and your teenage student is now in need of a car to get around. If you have bad credit and are considering a small loan to get you through the start of school, but traditional banks are not an option, a bad credit loan may be the answer.