According to a report by UCE RESEARCH and Hiper-Com Poland, during the summer the prices of school supplies rose by an average of 14.2 percent compared to the same period last year. Experts in the field are not surprised that the above-mentioned result is lower than the official inflation rate. At the same time, they forecast that any day now the stores could be the most expensive. Prices for most of the 59 products analyzed went up on an annual basis. For notebook covers and notepads, one had to pay almost 93 percent more than a year earlier. But one in four items went down in price. The prices of whiteboard markers fell the most – by nearly 55 percent. Also cheaper are classic pens – by more than 35 percent, fountain pens – by almost 33 percent, and automatic gel pens – by 18.5 percent.

"Of the products that have become most expensive, two categories can be identified – articles made of synthetic materials and those made of paper. One of the main producers of plastics is China, and as of 2020, there is a dynamic increase in logistics costs. On top of that, their production is highly energy-intensive, and the prices of energy and energy raw materials are getting higher. Paper, on the other hand, has been rising steadily in price for many years. In addition, the current economic and political conditions have fueled this phenomenon, causing an almost doubling at the beginning of this year," Julita Pryzmont of Hiper-Com Poland noted.

(MondayNews)