00:00 Shoes, books, bags, uniforms, stationery.
00:03 Back to school shopping can be stressful.
00:06 And with the prices of just about everything on the increase,
00:09 parents say the pressure is becoming too much to bear.
00:13 -Internet, five. -Yeah.
00:15 -And the -- I find the book was a little --
00:18 was expensive.
00:20 Was expensive.
00:22 Very expensive. Right?
00:24 -You would have shopped around at different bookstores
00:26 this year to compare prices?
00:28 -Well, usually, this is my favorite bookstore.
00:30 That's why I come and buy all my books and uniforms.
00:34 -Even still, Ishmael M.
00:36 Khan and sons had quite a lot of activity
00:38 when we visited this afternoon.
00:40 One sales representative explained that the bookstore
00:43 was awaiting shipments from some publishers.
00:46 But she said, unlike some other bookstores,
00:49 Ishmael M.
00:50 Khan's carries all the books.
00:52 -Depends on the publishers.
00:54 And then books are being reprinted when they sell out.
00:56 So we had a wait shipment being delayed as well.
01:00 -Yeah.
01:01 But you were explaining to me that some bookstores
01:04 do have a monopoly on certain books from certain publishers.
01:06 -Yeah, depending on who's selling books,
01:08 because all the publishers interact,
01:10 and they sell certain bookstores books.
01:14 -So which books you all carry?
01:16 -Well, we carry the whole range.
01:18 Everybody sells us books.
01:19 -She further indicated that book sales
01:21 have picked up a bit this year.
01:24 But sales are still not back to pre-pandemic levels.
01:27 She admitted that some parents are seeking cheaper alternatives.
01:32 -Well, some people buying secondhand books.
01:35 Secondhand books, they have good charts that they do in schools
01:41 that they interact and get books.
01:45 That's it.
01:46 -That's what you're hearing?
01:47 -Yeah, that's what they're saying, yeah.
01:49 -But if you had to describe return of this year,
01:51 like, on a scale of 1 to 10,
01:53 it's not quite back to what it used to be,
01:55 but if you had to describe it.
01:56 -Seven.
01:57 -Seven.
01:59 -In fact, we found a study stream of shoppers
02:02 at Unique Bookstore, hoping to save money on used books.
02:06 But some were also in search of books which they reported
02:09 they had been unable to find at the other bookstores.
02:13 -So, studies for CXE examination,
02:15 geography for CXE, and then POB is the topic
02:20 by topic study guide,
02:21 and then the past book I bought, like, the most recent.
02:24 -What are these bookstores telling you about the books?
02:26 -They don't have anything stocked,
02:27 but, like, they finish -- like, the books finish,
02:30 and they haven't gotten the stock back for it yet.
02:33 -Which books you unable to get?
02:34 -My daughter in second year, so the social study book,
02:37 the language arts books, and the science book.
02:39 I'm not getting those at all.
02:41 -Name them for me.
02:43 -Trinidad and Tobago, social study for primary school infant.
02:47 Year two, reforcing language arts
02:52 and comprehension skills, second year.
02:55 And modern science and tech for Caribbean infant,
02:59 well, year two. Yeah, I can't get none of that.
03:01 -You checked multiple bookstores, or?
03:03 -Yeah, I've checked --
03:05 Well, this is my fourth bookstore.
03:07 -Meantime, one shopper is of the view
03:10 that the government should give grants
03:11 or provide some other form of back-to-school support
03:14 for parents who simply cannot afford to make ends meet.
03:18 -The reason for this,
03:19 the kind of price of the books and the school uniform,
03:22 it kind of threw up for them.
03:25 So, we got to do something for the kids, you know?
03:27 Can I have the uniform?
03:28 -What do you think should be done to assist parents?
03:31 -Well, assist parents, we believe the government's
03:33 supposed to donate the books and the school uniform
03:37 for the children because they were the future,
03:39 the present, or the prime minister
03:41 and the government of tomorrow.
03:42 -Vanessa Kating, TV6 News.
03:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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