Back-to-school blues for bookstores

Back-to-school shopping in downtown Port of Spain was totally different from any other September this year as online homeschooling changed parents’ consumer patterns.

Emdad's, a school supply store, is converting into a mini-mart to earn additional revenue.

Owner Fazeela Ali told Newsday on Tuesday she and her husband owned a school uniform factory. They used to supply Emdad's with uniforms before buying the store on the corner of Frederick and Park Street in 2017.

Since October 2019, they were making uniforms for September 2020. By March 2020 their stocks were ready. Now Emdad's has uniforms but no sales. They closed the factory.

“We are depressed. We have not sold a quarter of our school inventory,” Ali said.

Form one students are yet to find out what school they are attending, and Ali believes most parents would rather put their students in old uniforms instead of buying something new. She expects by January, if schools open, parents would turn out to shop.

Stationery supplies were the most sold products in the store. She’s hoping the mini-mart conversion will help cover rent and staff salaries.

On a typical September 1, Zorina Mohammed, manager of Ishmael M Khan, would not be able to see the store's floor. It would be filled with last-minute school shoppers.

On Tuesday, parents trickled in to buy books. The four-storey bookstore on Henry Street is big enough not to restrict customers from entering.

Usually, it would open on Independence Day for back-to-school shopping, but this year, there was no need.

Mohammed believes as parents were unsure whether school would open, many did not go to book or uniform stores for school supplies in August month-end – usually one of the busiest periods.

Valerie Gray, 45, was shopping with her two children in Ishmael M Khan. Though she got her children’s book list in mid-August, she was hesitant to buy new books until she knew they would be going out to school.

She is unemployed and her husband is a maintenance manager. She describes her book list as expensive, and is on the hunt for $500 tablets for her children to use in school. That is all she could afford.

RIK on Queen Street was closed for renovations.

Nigel R Khan on Queen Street was having difficulty stocking the necessary books, particularly revised editions.

Sales clerk Chavez Benjamin said West Indian Readers and Caribbean Rhythm were among the books they had difficulty stocking. He said more parents requested primary school books over secondary school books because form five students already have the books needed, and there are no form one students.

Last week the store had few customers, but this week more people were buying.

The staff at Keith Khan on Frederick Street were unsure what to order as a number of schools did not send their book lists. Store manager Rameez Ramoo believed school administrators were hesitant to send the lists as they were uncertain if schools would open.

They were able to stock most books their customers requested. Though stationery and schoolbooks were selling, book bags, lunch kits and uniforms remained untouched.