2,259 Inspection Tours of School-Supply Shops in KSA

Commerce inspection teams carried out 2,259 tours of school-supply outlets — including bookstores and stationery shops — across all regions of Saudi Arabia ahead of the new academic year 1448 AH / 2026. Studies begin for most educational regions on Sunday, 23 August 2026 (10 Rabi Al-Awwal 1448 AH).

The campaign focused on verifying the availability of school products and their alternatives, such as different brands and formats of notebooks, pens and bags. Inspectors also monitored price stability, watching for any unjustified increases, and ensured that clear price tags or electronic pricing were displayed on all items.

Teams checked that commercial discounts and promotions were properly licensed and compliant with regulations, and that outlets followed consumer protection and anti-commercial-fraud rules — including avoiding misleading offers and counterfeit products. Common violations monitored included missing price labels, mismatches between shelf prices and cash-register prices, unlicensed discounts, and the sale of non-compliant goods.

Officials clarified that prices are monitored for fairness and stability rather than fixed as tariffs, and that no fee is charged to shoppers for inspections. Retailers remain responsible for keeping Arabic product information clear on packaging, and for ensuring back-to-school discount campaigns are registered under the 2026 national sales campaign rules. The back-to-school period is integrated with the nationwide 2026 sales campaign, offering more than one million discounted products in stores and online.

How to report a violation

Consumers can report violations at school-supply outlets through the unified call center number 1900, the Balagh Tijary mobile application, or the official commerce electronic services portal ending in .gov.sa.

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