On Caracas Street in Santo Domingo, parents can find dozens of sellers of used books, which is a must for parents with children in private schools, because here they can purchase materials at low prices. Parents can take their childrens used books from the previous year and acquire the following years books by paying a difference of RD$20 and RD$200, depending on their condition.

Some larger department stores such as La Sirena and Plaza Lama are offering "deals" to allow customers to purchase several items at reduced prices.

Despite the influx of customers, the sales manager of "Sederías California", Ruben Espinal, noted that sales are 60% lower compared to this time last year and he attributed the difference in sales to the high cost of living and that school materials are very expensive and people just cannot afford them.

Year after year parents complain about the high cost of books and registration fees, but their claims always fall on deaf ears with the authorities and they are upset that nothing is being done about it.