Most of us have heard people recommend buying expensive school backpacks to save on school supplies because they claim the backpacks last longer and have a lifetime guarantee, but are expensive backpacks really worth the price?
Are Expensive School Backpacks Worth The Money?
Every year when we start running our Back to School Savings articles I get a lot of readers who say how great it is that if you buy a Land’s End backpack it is guaranteed for life.
They tell how their kids got the backpack in kindergarten and used it until college. I have to say I was IMPRESSED so when Elly found a rolling one at a garage sale for $3 we grabbed it up.
After using it for 2 months the zipper broke so I decided to take them up on their offer and get an exchange. I almost passed out when I found out it was going to cost me $13 to ship it back! Normally I would have just trashed the broken school backpack and moved on, but she just LOVED this backpack so I went ahead and sent it in against every frugal bone in my screaming body.
Partly, I sent it in just to show the kids that you should take companies up on the guarantees and she was so excited about the backpack that I couldn’t break her heart on this one.
Jack loves big sister’s backpack, too!
|
I have to say I was very impressed that in 10 days Land’s End sent her a new backpack. But…(you knew it was coming) I would say this was far from a good deal since I can easily get a nice backpack for $16 or less at Walmart this time of year.
Having said that, if you buy their backpacks in the store you can return them to the store and get an exchange without paying the shipping but you do have to hang on to a receipt.
Still, is it worth $60 for a backpack? In my opinion, no, it’s not. I see school backpacks in good condition at the thrift store all the time for .99-$2.98. I could make it through their entire 12 years of school for less than the shipping cost to send one back even if I had to buy a new one every year.
While I am very impressed with Land’s End customer service and I LOVE their clothes (although I won’t be buying any of those because they don’t hold either!), I still wouldn’t pay $60 for a backpack.
-Tawra
Update: Here is my response to all the people who said that it’s worth it pay more for a backpack. This post was originally written in 2010 and I have to say, even 5 years later, the expensive backpacks are NOT worth it!!! I’ve found a few school backpacks at thrift stores and they still have still held up better than the one from Land’s End. After I wrote this story, the replacement Land’s End backpack broke again (about 3 months later). So we will not be buying expensive backpacks anymore. We will continue to buy our school backpacks at thrift stores, garage sales or simply buy cheap backpacks from Walmart.
Leave a Reply