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2nd week: St. George, Utah
16: Olathe, Kansas & Rogers, Arkansas
21: El Cerrito, California
23: Raymore, Missouri
24: Bay Area (near San Francisco), California
28: Chapel Hill, North Carolina

September
6: Spencerport, New York
Day after Labor Day: Moab, Utah & Cleveland, Ohio

What is “School Shopping”? 
While parents are a bit eager for their kids to go back to the routine of academics, kids are not usually so eager about going starting school after a long summer vacation only to sit at a desk all day. While that is true, many kids do get excited about school shopping. School shopping in the US consists of buying new clothes and a plethora of school supplies. Some schools send parents a letter in the mail with the checklist of supplies. While parents grumble about their budgets, vehemently stating, “money doesn’t grow on trees,” the items on this list can reach in to the hundreds of dollars. It is easy to see how the stores and retail outlets cash in with their wide range of seasonal sales.

Are Back-to-School Sales Only for Students? 
While it is a debatable issue if these seasonal sales save shoppers money, these themed sales do help average office-going professionals as well. Many of the school supplies like pens, pencils, papers, stationery and other equipment are found in a wide variety and selection in almost all stores this time of the year. For anyone who wants to stock up on office supplies, this is the time of year to do it.

While the stores are rolling in the cash, and families spend their hard-earned dollars to prepare to start school in the fall, children mourn the last few days of freedom of the summer vacation and dread the early mornings and long days sitting behind their desk at school.

Common phrases/questions/small talk Facebook friends have shared:

What is the tax-free weekend? 

The US State governments are exempting certain school supplies from sales tax on a certain weekend, usually a few weeks prior to start of school (e.g. Texas and Virginia are two states with theirs in mid August.). This has almost become mandatory for the states; otherwise they lose revenue to neighboring states where they DO have the tax holiday. Of course, some say it is not worth the long lines and the rush to save a few dollars. Note, that while this tax-free weekend may appear to be the time to shop, saving you money, for some it only saves enough to go out to dinner or for going out to a movie (maybe US $10-30 or so).

What is “meet the teacher” night?
Some schools open the school for a few hours one evening a week or so before school starts, so kids and parents can meet their teacher(s) for the upcoming year before the first day of school. It’s also possible that kids will be able to meet some of their prospective classmates who will also attend this event. These events are not mandatory, so not everyone attends. It’s always a good thing to meet the teacher at this time in case there are any issues that pop up throughout the year that need to be addressed, you already have met.

What are first day of school pictures?
The tradition of taking photos of kids in their new clothes on the first day of school, or getting on the bus the first day, or even walking in the school on the first day is so ingrained in the US culture, that Americans may find it interesting that people of other cultures do not have this “tradition.” That being said, having lived in India the past two years, I have seen more and more Indian parents in India adapting this tradition, posting their kids first day photos to Facebook! (Note there are several other trends in first day and last day of school pictures that are in vogue.)

Joining any teams this fall?/Playing any fall sports? 
This question is directed more at Junior High (7th and 8th grade) or High School (9-12th grade) students. In many American schools, fall sports practice sessions may start a few weeks before classes even start!

A fun word search activity was created for a training program I delivered on small talk, holidays and special times of the year for Americans. This word search is found in the PDF below. Enjoy!

Authentic Journeys helps you identify and solve communication and business challenges while working across U.S. and India borders through customized consulting and training programs.

Note: Store logos, names, brand names and ads used as examples only. Authentic Journeys is not being paid for any specific product or retail placement in this post.

Photo credits, listed by order seen in post: Jennifer Kumar (first 3), Preethi Kannath, Jennifer Kumar