We came up with a lot of good ideas for back-to-school shopping

By Jon Bodell - Aug 22, 2017 | 0 comments

At Target, stock up on fancy calculators, flash drives and markers. JON BODELL / Insider staff

At Target, stock up on fancy calculators, flash drives and markers. JON BODELL / Insider staff

At Target, stock up on fancy calculators, flash drives and markers. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Gibson's Bookstore has everything you need to stay a step ahead of the game -- quick study guides for loads of subjects, handmade leather journals by New Hampshire-based Earthbound and a wide selection of Molskines. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Gibson's Bookstore has everything you need to stay a step ahead of the game -- quick study guides for loads of subjects, handmade leather journals by New Hampshire-based Earthbound and a wide selection of Molskines. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Gibson's Bookstore has everything you need to stay a step ahead of the game -- quick study guides for loads of subjects, handmade leather journals by New Hampshire-based Earthbound and a wide selection of Molskines. JON BODELL / Insider staff

There were some nice back-to-school scores at the Steeplegate Mall, including trippy space-print Vans at Shoe Dept. Encore, a vending machine full of Proactiv face cleanser (don't want to show up on the first day of school with zits) and a wall of wacky and cool socks at FYE. JON BODELL / Insider staff

There were some nice back-to-school scores at the Steeplegate Mall, including trippy space-print Vans at Shoe Dept. Encore, a vending machine full of Proactiv face cleanser (don't want to show up on the first day of school with zits) and a wall of wacky and cool socks at FYE. JON BODELL / Insider staff

There were some nice back-to-school scores at the Steeplegate Mall, including trippy space-print Vans at Shoe Dept. Encore, a vending machine full of Proactiv face cleanser (don't want to show up on the first day of school with zits) and a wall of wacky and cool socks at FYE. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Need school supplies on the cheap? Try Dollar General. At the Loudon Road location, we found combination locks for lockers and see-through pencil cases in assorted colors, among other things. JON BODELL / Insider staff

Need school supplies on the cheap? Try Dollar General. At the Loudon Road location, we found combination locks for lockers and see-through pencil cases in assorted colors, among other things. JON BODELL / Insider staff

You can get everything at Walmart, including school supplies. Some of the highlights include Chromebook computers for doing online assignments, lunchboxes featuring all kinds of characters and plenty of Celtics folders. JON BODELL / Insider staff

You can get everything at Walmart, including school supplies. Some of the highlights include Chromebook computers for doing online assignments, lunchboxes featuring all kinds of characters and plenty of Celtics folders. JON BODELL / Insider staff

You can get everything at Walmart, including school supplies. Some of the highlights include Chromebook computers for doing online assignments, lunchboxes featuring all kinds of characters and plenty of Celtics folders. JON BODELL / Insider staff

This is a very busy time of year for Staples, and we found more three-ring binders than we'd ever seen in one place before, staples (of course) and lots of classy and stylish phone cases -- you don't want to be seen around the halls rocking last year's case, do you? JON BODELL / Insider staff

This is a very busy time of year for Staples, and we found more three-ring binders than we'd ever seen in one place before, staples (of course) and lots of classy and stylish phone cases -- you don't want to be seen around the halls rocking last year's case, do you? JON BODELL / Insider staff

This is a very busy time of year for Staples, and we found more three-ring binders than we'd ever seen in one place before, staples (of course) and lots of classy and stylish phone cases -- you don't want to be seen around the halls rocking last year's case, do you? JON BODELL / Insider staff

The L.L. Bean outlet is nice resource to have right here in Concord. We found the classic lettered backpacks everyone knows and loves, the classic "duck boots" everyone knows and loves and classic Nalgene water bottles everyone knows and loves. JON BODELL / Insider staff

The L.L. Bean outlet is nice resource to have right here in Concord. We found the classic lettered backpacks everyone knows and loves, the classic "duck boots" everyone knows and loves and classic Nalgene water bottles everyone knows and loves. JON BODELL / Insider staff

The L.L. Bean outlet is nice resource to have right here in Concord. We found the classic lettered backpacks everyone knows and loves, the classic "duck boots" everyone knows and loves and classic Nalgene water bottles everyone knows and loves. JON BODELL / Insider staff

At BAM! (Books-A-Million), you can get your funky school accessories like headphones (a must-have for anyone who takes the bus or walks to and from school), pens that look like odd things and instructional books for the younger learners. JON BODELL / Insider staff

At BAM! (Books-A-Million), you can get your funky school accessories like headphones (a must-have for anyone who takes the bus or walks to and from school), pens that look like odd things and instructional books for the younger learners. JON BODELL / Insider staff

At BAM! (Books-A-Million), you can get your funky school accessories like headphones (a must-have for anyone who takes the bus or walks to and from school), pens that look like odd things and instructional books for the younger learners. JON BODELL / Insider staff

It’s a busy time of year for a lot of retailers around here, as everyone is flocking to the stores to get everything they need to go back to school. Whether it’s things like backpacks and lunch boxes, pens and pencils or clothes and shoes, you can get it all without having to leave the city.

Since we know you don’t have a lot of time on your hands before the big first day, we put in all the hard work for you last week by going to eight places to see what kinds of things they had in stock.

Here’s some of the stuff we found:

At Target, there are tons of writing utensils and paper supplies, but there are also Texas Instruments calculators and assorted flash drives for the tech-minded student.

Gibson’s bookstore has everything you need to stay ahead of the game, such as study guides for every subject, Molskine notebooks and handmade leather journals.

Steeplegate Mall has a few back-to-school scores, including Proactiv face wash from a vending machine (kill those zits before school starts!), rad space-print Vans at Shoe Dept. Encore and wild socks at FYE.

Dollar General has cheap finds like combination locks for lockers.

Walmart has everything, including character lunch boxes, Chromebook computers and endless folders.

At Staples, load up on three-ring binders, staples (of course) and classy and artsy phone cases.

The L.L. Bean outlet is the place for your backpacks, “duck boots” and Nalgene bottles.

At BAM!, snag some headphones, some weird-shaped pens and a book on how to write cursive.