Girls select school supplies at a stationery store in Ankara, Türkiye, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- As Türkiye prepares to welcome nearly 20 million students back to classrooms on Sept. 8, the annual back-to-school shopping season is in full swing. From stationery shops to uniform stores, retailers are enjoying a busy time as families gear up for the new term.

In a bustling stationery shop in central Ankara, shelves are filled with neatly arranged notebooks, pens, and colorful backpacks. Children point excitedly at their favorite designs, while parents carefully tick off items from their lists.

"Business is good. It's better and more alive than the previous year because the merchandise we offer is more affordable this year," shop owner Mesut Ozturk told Xinhua.

"Looking forward, I personally think that economic conditions will improve for retailers and customers alike," he said.

Ozturk said that Turkish parents are still price-conscious after several years of high inflation, but are willing to spend more this year for school materials. "In previous years, consumers were stressed out, but this year we can see that they are a bit more at ease," he noted.

The shopping rush comes at a time when Türkiye's economy is showing signs of stabilization. According to official data, annual inflation eased to 33.5 percent in July 2025, a sharp drop from 75 percent in May 2024.

Meanwhile, Türkiye's economy expanded by 4.8 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, surpassing expectations and reflecting steady growth as well as a recovery in household spending following several years of cost-of-living pressures, official data released on Monday showed.

Households' consumption expenditures rose by 5.1 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, accelerating from a 1.6 percent increase recorded in the previous quarter.

Economists say the improvement is giving families more breathing room. "When families spend on school items, it creates a ripple effect across local markets," Senol Babuscu, professor of finance at Ankara's Baskent University, told Xinhua.

Babuscu noted that the combination of easing inflation and robust growth points to improved prospects. "As long as stability continues, purchasing power can gradually recover. That supports not only small shops but also consumer confidence more broadly," he said.

In Kizilay, Ankara's busiest district, uniform shops are crowded with parents checking sizes, while shoe vendors polish new pairs for eager students.

Small kiosks offer discounted rulers and pens, and entire streets resemble open-air bazaars buzzing with the energy of families preparing for the year ahead.

Tahsin Kucuker, a construction worker, was shopping with his wife and young daughter, who is about to start primary school.

"We are more excited than our daughter," he said with a laugh, holding a small bag of uniforms. "Education is a long journey, and this is the first step."

Retailers said that even modest purchases make a difference when Türkiye is struggling to shake off high inflation.

"Every sale counts during this season, which is one of the busiest for small businesses like us," said Erdem Arici, who runs a small stationery shop. "It could keep us financially strong through the quieter months ahead." ■

People purchase school supplies at a stationery store in Ankara, Türkiye, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

People select school supplies at a stationery store in Ankara, Türkiye, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

People select school supplies at a stationery store in Ankara, Türkiye, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

A girl selects school supplies at a stationery store in Ankara, Türkiye, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

People select school supplies at a stationery store in Ankara, Türkiye, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)