Back-to-school Essentials

It’s that time already! Time to start your back-to-school shopping…summer sure does fly by. Let’s make this trip fast and easy by focusing on the essentials. Big R has countless brands of clothing and only the most superior products. As most of us know, school shopping isn’t usually the most enjoyable, but it can be if we do it right. Let’s start by shopping for the main necessities with high durability.

Clothes: Clothes can be the most important part of back-to-school shopping, depending on who you ask. I think we can all agree that it’s always fun to show up on your first day of school in a new outfit. Whether it’s pre-school or college, new clothes make the experience more exciting. You can shop for one statement outfit or multiple options so that you’re stocked up for the whole year. Some exceptional brands for general articles of clothing are Ariat, Wrangler, Carhartt, Cinch, and Under Armour. These brands are good for the general population, kids, adults, men, and women. With such a vast variety, you are bound to find something just for you. Two of my favorite brands for jeans are Levi’s and Wranglers. Sometimes children’s clothes can be a little more challenging to shop for. However, if you are looking for some stylish girl’s jeans, our Rock & Roll Denim light wash bell bottoms are to die for. Cowgirl Hardware also has some unique styles. If you’re looking for something a little edgier, yet still appropriate, check out our Cowgirl Hardware Girls Leopard Trim Bell Bottom Jeans. Wrangler, on the other hand, has more traditional styles. If you’re searching for boy’s jeans Cowboy Hardware, Wrangler, or Ariat are highly recommended. Our Ariat B5 slim straight-leg jeans are great for your everyday casual look. Under Armour is a good brand for both men’s and women’s athletic needs. They have the basic short sleeve tee shirts for women with super soft, light, fast-drying fabric which is perfect for sports. For men, we carry everything from hoodies to golf tees. Our men’s freedom flag pullover is perfect for a warm-up outfit. The golf polo fits loose with a fuller cut for complete comfort. The fabric is also soft, light, and breathable. Men’s Under Armour also carry your basic comfortable everyday tees. This brand has tons of sweats, hats, beanies, and shoes to choose from. As stated before, the brands mentioned above are all rather good for your casual everyday outfit. I’ll name a few styles from some of our brands just so you can get a better idea of our selection. Our Wrangler women’s yellow southwest peekaboo back dress is an admirable selection for the first-day outfit, in my opinion. Some cute, casual tops are our Wrangler women’s pink rope logo short sleeve shirt, our American Highway women’s howdy short sleeve, or our Rock & Roll Cowgirl women’s natural Aztec sweater. Some suggestions for men are our Red Dirt Hat Co. men’s roping association t-shirt, our Noble Outfitters men’s brawny snap front flannel, or our Ariat men’s black steer skull USA short sleeve t-shirt. Although you may not be limited to these specific items, they are very good preferences. Shop at your local Big R for even more brands, styles, and accessories to complete the outfit.

Shoes: Shoes! Everyone needs shoes. Some people like to switch up their shoe style with every outfit. However, if you don’t want to go all out and try to spend a little less, I advise you to buy at least two pairs of shoes for the whole school year; casual shoes that coordinate with anything and are comfortable and maybe a pair of athletic shoes. Let’s face it, going to school always involves physical activity. For younger children, gym class is usually required. In high school and college, many students participate in sports voluntarily. College students often have to walk across a large campus as well. Either way, having a pair of active shoes is highly encouraged. I’ve got the perfect brand for your ordinary everyday outfit: Hey Dudes! Who hasn’t heard of Hey Dudes? If you and your kids don’t own a pair, you need some. They are impeccable shoes for boys, girls, men, and women no matter their age. One great feature, especially for the kiddos, is that they are slip-ons! Imagine that: quick, easy, and effortless for kids. They are comfortable and come in multiple colors and patterns. This pair of Hey Dude boys wally steel casual shoes will match almost every outfit for the boys. As far as girls, the Hey dude girls youth wendy slip-on shoes are some of my favorites. You can’t go wrong with Hey dudes. They are simply the best…. flexible, casual, lightweight, and stylish. Hey dudes are also ideal for grown men and women. Check out our selection here: Women’s Hey Dudes and Men’s Hey Dudes. As far as athletic shoes, our Merell brand carries quite the variety for women. A couple of my personal favorites are the white cloud knit sneakers, the multi-cloud vent sneakers, and the moonbeam cloud vent slip-ons. For men, Under Armour is a good brand. Some good choices are the black and gold charged assert 9 running shoes, the mens charges bandit 6 running shoes, and the mens surge 2 running shoes. If you’re looking for an assortment of kids, adults, men’s, and women’s shoes, I would check out our selection of Skechers. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to just athletic and casual shoes. If you’re wanting something a little extra, we also carry western boots, sandals, and work boots.

Backpacks: Anyone who goes to school needs something to carry their supplies in; pencils, notebooks, notecards, books, etc. Big R is the perfect place to look! Olay carries a couple of ideal school bags with unique Aztec designs in different materials. They are also very durable. Check out our Aztec blanket material bucket bag and our Aztec print backpack. If you’re looking for a well-constructed, lightweight material, high-quality backpack for your kiddos, John Deere is the perfect brand for you. Check out this bulldozer backpack. It’s affordable, fun, stylish, and perfect for your little ones to tote around their supplies. Our youth painting pony pink backpack is a great choice for girls. This 16-inch pink backpack can easily carry books, gym clothes, pencils, and more! It features a roomy main compartment and a front zip compartment that is perfect for smaller supplies.

Water bottles: During the school year, things can get very busy, and it is sometimes easy to neglect hydration. Big R has you covered. Our Yeti brand has tons of drinkware to choose from! We have our Yeti 20oz travel mug, Yeti 64oz rambler jug, our Yeti rambler 1-gallon jug if you are looking for something bigger, our Yeti 30oz tumbler, 20oz tumbler, a 12oz colster can insulator, and all of these come with different lids and a variety of colors to choose from. Yeti is an awesome brand for a multitude of reasons. They are highly insulated keeping your beverages either hot or cold, they come in different sizes, have lots of fun colors and shapes, and are very sturdy and durable. They will last all year! A very equally great brand with a large selection is hydro-flask. One of the really cool products they carry is the Hydro Flask packable sling bottle. It’s a stretch-woven carrier with a bonded side pocket with a waterproof zipper. This makes it easy to store your essentials and carry your water bottle anywhere you go. One thing to keep in mind is it fits the 18, 21, and 24oz standard mouth water bottle and the medium 32 and 40 oz wide mouth water bottle. Hydro Flask also carries a super cute Hydro Flask 20oz insulated food jar which is perfect for snacks and a perfect water bottle for kids the Hydro Flask 12oz wide mouth kids. Check out both our Yeti and Hydro Flask brands.

Now that you have a plan for your back-to-school essentials, it’s that time to get to your local Big R and start shopping! Big R has so many brands to choose from, we couldn’t come close to touching on all of them here. you will not be disappointed! Once you have your essentials, feel free to shop around, you may end up finding more than what you expected. Almost anything, Big R’s got it!