What tariffs mean for back-to-school shopping in Florida
Why it matters: Back-to-school is the second-biggest retail event of the year, after the holidays.
This season is a stress test for family budgets and a strategy test for retailers trying to hold onto value-conscious shoppers.
Catch up quick: New U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports — including backpacks, pens, binders and shoes — kicked in earlier this year, rose sharply, then came back down to levels still historically high.
Some retailers stocked up early and "purchased a lot in advance, and some didn't purchase as much because of the uncertainty," Deborah Weinswig, CEO of Coresight Research, told Axios.
Zoom in: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law this year a permanent, annual back-to-school sales tax exemption throughout August on clothing, shoes, backpacks, school supplies and personal computers.
Clothing, footwear, wallets and bags priced at $100 or less are exempt from sales tax. Jewelry, watches and umbrellas aren't.
School supplies priced at $50 or less per item are included, such as pens, pencils, binders and lunch boxes. Personal computers and related accessories priced at $1,500 or less are also tax-free.
The big picture: 67% of back-to-school shoppers had already started buying for the coming school year as of early June, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey of nearly 7,600 consumers.
This is up from 55% last year and the highest since NRF started tracking early shopping in 2018, the group said.
51% of families said they are shopping earlier this year compared with last year, "out of concern that prices will rise due to tariffs."
By the numbers: Stationery and supplies prices have risen 30% over the past five years, according to Deloitte's 2025 back-to-school survey.
Between May 2021 and 2025, boys' apparel climbed 14%, girls' apparel and footwear were each up 4%, while personal computers and peripheral equipment fell 11%.
"Parents are experiencing overall economic pressures and need to make decisions about what they buy," Brian McCarthy, principal of retail strategy at Deloitte Consulting LLP, told Axios.
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