|
THE
back-to-school season is a stressful time for
consumers—there’s tuition to take care of, uniforms to
order, budgeting for daily allowance, and school
supplies to purchase.
Barely
two weeks prior to the opening of classes, students and
parents are starting to flock shopping malls and
bookstores hoping to catch great bargains on school
supplies.
In
addition, Divisoria, which is aptly dubbed as the
“Mother of all Markets,” is also crowded with people
from all walks of life shopping for cheap, yet quality,
school supplies.
However,
there are ways to deal with all the stress and
challenges of shopping for school supplies and effective
means to cut cost when buying without compromising
product quality.
Below
are some tips that could save consumers money before
proceeding to stores:
First is
to always carry a shopping list to avoid buying on
impulse. Don’t waste money on items just because they
look nice or are on sale. Stick to your list.
Remember
to make an inventory of which materials are available at
home and those which can still be reused before heading
out to the store. There may be some items still in good
condition that were used by an older sibling or cousin
the past school year. The same goes for school uniforms
and shoes.
Resourcefulness is the key to survive during these hard
times. So, blank pages from old notebooks can be made
into scratch pads, while gift wrappers and magazine
pages can be used as creative book covers. School
uniforms, lunch boxes, bags and calculators can be
handed down if they are still in good condition.
Another
is to practice comparison-shopping in order to find out
which items can give you the most out of your budget.
More
important, it is wise to invest in off-brand but quality
products or high-quality school supplies which are
slightly expensive, yet they last the whole year or
longer.
Furthermore, the Department of Trade and Industry’s
Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS) has developed
specific Philippine National Standards (PNS) that
prescribe requirements for the composition, properties,
performance and labeling of school materials to help
ensure the quality of these products.
Although
the said standards are voluntary or not under mandatory
certification, the DTI, based on the Consumer Act of the
Philippines, requires importer, manufacturer,
distributor, retailer or wholesaler to follow these PNS.
Violations that include the lack of or the absence of
markings or labels, exceeding the maximum level of
toxicity, among others, warrants a fine ranging from
P5,000 to a maximum of P300,000.
Here are
examples of these standards and some of the requirements
they contain:
•
Crayons (PNS 1224:2003)—Must give bright and even color
under normal writing pressure and will not smudge. Their
maximum allowed toxicity level (microgram per gram):
lead, 90; chromium hexavalent, 60; cadmium, 50; arsenic,
25. Each crayon should be marked specifying its color,
brand or trade name, name of manufacturer and country of
origin (if imported). Crayon box must have the following
markings: name of product, trademark, quantity,
manufacturer’s name and address, the words “non-toxic,”
and country of manufacture.
•
Wood-cased black lead pencils, hardness of 6H to 9B (PNS
1413:1996)—Wood casing must be free from defects, made
of softwood, easy to sharpen. Lead must be secured and
not easily broken. Eraser must not be abrasive and
provide clean erasures. Each pencil must be marked with
brand name/trademark, hardness symbol, country of
manufacture.
•
Notebook, spiral bound or stitch type (PNS
474:1997)—Must be non-blotting and suitable for writing
with ink on both sides. Dimension: 148mm x 200mm.
Minimum number of leaves: 50 or 90 sheets. Each notebook
must be labeled with number of leaves, type and class,
recognized trademark, name and address of
manufacturer/converter, country of origin.
•
Correction fluid, organic solvent-based or latex
emulsion water-based (PNS 895:1993)—Must contain
titanium dioxide pigment or mixture and a suitable
vehicle. No livering, curdling, hard setting and caking.
No obnoxious odor. Markings should include type, net
volume in milliliter, cautionary notes regarding
toxicity and flammability.
•
Marking pens (PNS 2049: 2006)—Are classified as
oil-based, water-based or alcohol-based. The ink
reservoir must be stable to prevent leakage when stored
and ink must flow out adequately upon use. Tip of the
pen must be of suitable firmness and good structure that
will regulate flow of ink. For its marking, the name
“Marking Pen”; trademark or brand name; color of the
ink; classification; the instructions: “When not in use,
shall be tightly capped and stored horizontally”; name,
address and licensing information of
manufacturer/distributor/importer, and country of origin
must be readable.
 With
these standards in place, the DTI ensures quality of
school supplies and provides safety by helping avoid
accidents on children such as choking and poisoning from
the use of the said school materials.
On the
other hand, the public should be more discerning of
quality over price when buying school supplies in the
market. In the long run, more savings can be incurred
from buying reliable products than from those that are
cheaper but are easily damaged. |
