Welcome to the second post in a little series I’m going to refer to as All the Mummas Say Hell Yes! The Best Nest Goes Back to School 2016! Whoop whoop! Shopping, lunchboxes, uniforms, shoes, pencil sharpeners, stationery, schoolbags………
…..and we really are blessed for choice aren’t we? Sooo many places to choose between when shopping for back to school supplies and you can often tick multiple items off your list with a little smart shopping. That’s what we are going to do today, compare very similar offerings from two different retailers and find out just how much they differ in price.
Our Contenders;
Meet Smiggle® (online shopping not available in NZ), the super popular niche retailer selling bright, fun, colour-blocked stationery and accessory ranges.
Meet Kookie from Warehouse Stationery. Perhaps traditionally known for standard office and school supplies, this large retailer launched multiple ranges of on-trend ‘fashion-ery’ in 2015 and is now armed with it’s own cute and funky brands that will appeal to all ages. Kookie is made for Kiwi kids, featuring bold, colourful and functional products.
Let’s take a look at those prices!
*The coloured bar graphs in the centre of the graphic show the price difference to scale.
Pencil Cases
Kookie Marine Pencil Case Tube $7.99 vs Smiggle Pals Tube Pencil Case $10.95
Price difference = $2.96 / 27%
Two great little pencil cases here! The Smiggle offering is a traditional, cylindrical tube made from PVC I think. Great length, definitely falls into the not-too-big category which some kids will like, but if your child likes to pack a full range of felts and coloured pencils, you’re going to need a bigger boat!
The case from Kookie is a canvas fabric which makes it a bit more flexible and possibly easier to rummage around in. A wee bit shorter than the Smiggle case which could cause some ruler issues lol. The super cute New Zealand endangered marine life series is pretty rad too!
Key Rings
Kookie Marine Key Ring $3.99 vs Smiggle Alphabet Key Ring $7.99
Price difference = $4 / 50%.
Ok, I don’t know that many kids with keys, so this is totally a novelty item for me, in which case price would be the main consideration. Again they’re both really cute and essentially the same quality. The letter from Smiggle is a rigid plastic, whereas the marine animal series from Kookie is a soft rubber.
Lunchboxes
Kookie Marine Lunchbox Stack of 4 $12.99 vs Smiggle Pop Up Lunch Box $16.95
Price difference = $3.96 / 23%.
A good lunchbox is one of the most essential pieces in the back to school puzzle in my opinion. Too bulky and it makes a school bag awkward and uncomfortable. Too small and it’s useless…
I would use both of these options as part of a bigger set I think. The Smiggle Pop Up lunchbox is definitely quite useful in that it collapses down nicely, not so good if there are any remnants leftover after lunch though. The Kookie set of 4 boxes would be an easy, inexpensive way to use an existing lunchbox cooler-bag as a bento-style lunchbox with individual compartments.
Backpacks
Kookie Fruit Backpack $34.99 vs Smiggle Wow Backpack $49.99
Price difference = $15 / 30%.
Another crucial purchase I think. Especially important for little wee kids and the bigger ones. A too-big bag on a Year 0 is a nightmare as is a too-small bag for a Year 7. Size matters lol.
These bags are essentially identical – same layout, the materials feel the same and are a very similar bright, fun aesthetic. Both are an awesome size for school with great strong zips (SO important!), lots of pockets that are actually a functional size, drink bottle holders on the sides, a slot for earphones (?) and lovely padded straps.
It only comes down to price with Kookie coming in $15 cheaper.
Fibre Optic Lamps
Kookie LED Spray Fibre Optic Crystal Lamp $9.99 vs Smiggle Mega Mix Light $24.99
Price difference = $15 / 60%.
Like the backpacks these are nearly identical, in fact if they didn’t come out of the same factory I would be very surprised! The Smiggle version has multicoloured strands of strandy stuff whereas the Kookie version is just clear. The LED’s in both lamps change colour, though this seems to show up better on the clear strands of the Kookie lamp – which is why Ethan chose that one as his fave.
So, the Kookie range from Warehouse Stationery looks set to give Smiggle®? some competition in New Zealand for colourful, fun kids stationery and accessories! Plus the price is very, very nice. I’m stoked, what do you think?
* Please note some items in this image are not the same as those reviewed.
** Goods in this review were provided free for editorial consideration by Warehouse Stationery.
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