Parents Stock Up, Spend Ahead Of First Day Of School

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The first day of school for New York City is coming up on Thursday, and parents were rushing to stock up on school supplies.

As 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported, they go in with a long list from the teacher, and they come out with an even longer receipt.

With four kids, one woman said filling out back-to-school lists gets more and more expensive.

"Yes, and the lists are ridiculously long, and I sometimes, I think they're unnecessary – the supplies. They're very extensive," she said.

The woman dropped more than $400 at Staples in Whitestone, Queens. Meanwhile, a man named Robert was making his second of three trips – one kid at a time.

"One lesson might be like $125; close to $130 – it's pretty expensive," he said. "But it is what it is."

One Staples employee said as busy as it was Monday night, it will be worse later in the week when they run out of supplies.