Lakeshore Learning Store

I’ve been shopping at Lakeshore periodically for over 15 years. I would shop at Lakeshore when my child was growing up but also find it a great place to find a gift for any child who is preschool-​elementary age.
Educational learning toys, games, school supplies and books are their specialty.
I came in to pick up a quick gift for a friend and Jess put some items on hold for me over the phone and even let me come into the store just when they were getting ready to close-​she provided great customer service, thanks Jess!

Maggie at Lakeshore was awesome. She was so helpful. First off I love this store and I’m not a teacher. But I laminate, Maggie came over and gave me a quick tutorial, and they have two machines and they charge $ 0.39 a foot for members (membership is free) and $ 0.49 for non-​members. This store is so well organized and browsing is fun.

Has everything you need as an elementary school teacher, but can be found cheaper on Amazon or anywhere else.

This store is so AWESOME!
I work for a middle school and i have a blast coming here to buy any supplies we need. Yes it is very expensive here but the quality is good and the service is great. I would rather spend extra money on good stuff rather to save money and buy cheap materials. They have everything you can possibly need for projects or learning tools. I finally joined the free teachers club to get coupons and i got this free cool tote. The staff is so helpful and friendly, they gave me info on free activities for the kids on the weekends and other cool tips to help me on the ideas i had. Check them out, you will be surprised. FUN!

They have a great selection of quality school supplies. The store is very well organised by age and types of commodities. They have fabulous choices when it comes to more unique children gifts, with arts and educational options.

Ugh this place… I want everything in here! But its all very expensive and overpriced to get everything! I wish they had a bigger fine motor/​letter recognition selection. I like their other location better I think it was in Carson? They have a warehouse full of discounted merchandise that are discontinued or either damaged. But regardless, I love how you can find some goodies that are hard to find elsewhere. Don’t forget there’s always coupons for this place! Find them on retail me not, emails from the store, or text messages.

Very expensive, but they have some items that cannot be found elsewhere unless you go to Ebay. They have good hours and a great location. It’s just too expensive.

Overpriced. Educational. Materials.
The Lakeshore chain pretty much dominates the educational resources market. I’m always amazed when I speak to a non-​educator and they have never heard of this place. Avoid if you can; it’s a trap. You can easily get sucked in to buying things (particularly if you work with kids in some capacity) that you absolutely have NO need for. They have everything any K-​5 teacher could ever need when it comes to «cutesying» up your classroom. Lakeshore may or may not be a necessary evil in the life of an elementary or middle school teacher… it’s entirely dependent on how much you like to spruce things up. Before the advent of Lakeshore, great minds of centuries and decades prior have provided evidence you don’t need cute and colorful items to absorb and apply information. Remember the rather neutral-​looking school house on Little House on the Prairie?
Although I have done what I can to minimize my trips here during the school year, sometimes I need sentence strips or a pocket chart or a bit fat WELCOME sign in a pinch. If you are an educator, parent, or work in some related field, and haven’t been able to cut the Lakeshore cord, here are some tips that can shave a few $ off the exorbitant prices:
1) Save your purchases for the 20% sales (usually at the beginning, middle and end of the school year). Usually the 20% is only on classroom décor and storage items.
2) Sign up for the text messages… seriously. This is coming from someone who desperately avoids mailing lists. However the Lakeshore texts are seriously worth it. About every 2 weeks you’ll get a new text message with a promotional code you can use to get a certain percentage off. You can always unsubscribe if you don’t like them.
3) Get the emails. Usually they have in store coupons attached to them.
4) AVOID purchasing items on the Lakeshore website. If you do, you will have to pay for shipping if the item (s) is/​are under $ 50. You can avoid this by going to a store location, asking them to order an item for you, then have it shipped to the store to pick it up there.
5) Check out Dollar Tree… if you haven’t yet, you’d be surprised at all the Lakeshore-​type classroom accents they have at a fraction of the price.
6) Check out the Lakeshore «outlet» in Carson. However, don’t expect «outlet» prices. Items are still sold at 75−85% of the original price and often are damaged or have missing components. It may be worth a look though depending on what you’re looking for.

Check your receipt. I got charged $ 6.09 for the «free with purchase & coupon» Teacher’s Plan Book. It was annoying to have to make a trip back there to return it. The cashier looked at me like I was nuts for wanting to return the «free» plan book. So glad I kept the receipt.

Teachers will go nuts at this place! I only came here because my brother had to laminate some posters, which is 49 cents per liner foot. They also have a variety of school supplies! Mostly for elementary school. There’s arts & crafts, creative play supplies, math, language, bulletin board aids and many other things! The only down side of this is that some of the stuff here are pretty expensive and pricey.

The store is wonderful for educational toys and books and teacher items for the classroom. I use them mainly for toys and workbooks to supplement my children’s school work. I was trying to find a deal on Magni-​tiles and was able to use a 20% off coupon to bring the cost down lower than I could get on amazon and other competing websites. I would say that overall the cost for items is a bit higher than online but if you sign up for the coupon discounts via email and/​or the teacher club program (I am not a teacher and was able to sign up) you will come out ahead and find everything you need in one place.

As a middle school principal and a former teacher, I’ve always struggled with Lakeshore. Granted, they have some cool stuff, and prices– while on the high side– are not unreasonable.
But me? Like many teachers, I think Harbor Freight and Home Depot are better teacher supply stores. Don’t buy those two-​color counters to teach integers… Get over to the Home Depot and buy a bag of nylon tile spacers. They’re shaped just like a +, and you can cut them to look like — signs. Measuring cups, pipe cleaners, magnifying glasses, rulers, angle grinders, mitre saws… Ok, those last two probably don’t belong In a sixth grade classroom, but save your money, be a little creative, and teach!
As for Lakeshore, they have the same stuff, just packaged better, maybe a prettier color… It’s one stop shopping, and it’s convenient.
Maybe I’m cheap. Maybe I like the excuse to go to my favorite «toy stores.» Lakeshore relies on you failing to do internet research or collaborating with colleagues to find a cheaper way to acquire manipulatives and support learning. Do what you gotta do, but with a little creativity (or the ol’ «beg, borrow, & steal») the little lightbulbs will glow over your kids’ heads.

This is the only Lakeshore location I have been to and it is great for teachers or parents of lower elementary school students. I am always able to get what is needed for my daughter or her class and am also a fan of picking up games or books for birthday presents. They also offer people colors which are really neat crayon and color pencil sets they have different shades of peach, tan, brown so it is not just the limited offerings from Crayola in terms of people colors. Customer service is always top notch and the location (including the restroom) is always well kept and clean.

This place is amazing for learning and teaching tools for kids from 3 to 11. I used to go here with my daughter when she was young. There is a great science section… an excellent arts and crafts section… and a truly superb section on help books for math, language, history, and English.
If you want your child to succed in this competative world, this place offers the tools to do it.

I see this a popular place for parents and teachers, but for me that fits in neither one of those categories, it’s just a perfect place to buy a birthday gift for cousins still in elementary school. I got a Brain Quest board game and found the price just a few dollars more than online and maybe $ 5 more than Target, but there are coupons that go out and if you sign up for their free rewards-​card you get discounts on their non-​sale items there. Making their products a bit more reasonable and quite comparable. Kind of strange since shouldn’t the school be providing supplies for teachers? We all know teachers make very little and now they are using their own money to supply their classrooms. :/
At first it seems like an impressive store dedicated to learning, but when you go through each section you find it limited and very general. For example the Multicultural/​language area mostly has books in Spanish and a couple in French that’s it! I see items that are more suited for teachers making lesson plans or the hands-​on parent who buys workbooks to supplement their child’s learning during the summer break.

For stars for the selection and service, one star for the price. I can hardly walk out of there under $ 100.
Tip, sign up for text promo to save some money at the register. And keep your kids home while you shop.

Lakeshore has a plethora of learning materials /​incentives that teachers and moms and the like can use. The problem is that the materials are over the top expensive. It’s hard to get all that you need when the prices are so outrageous. I find that I can only get a few things and make some of my own materials to supplement the things I can’t buy.
If there is any consolation, the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable which helps. I also like the free workshops that they offer. Check out the dates and times and stop in !
Note to Lakeshore: I would shop here more if you come down a little on the prices. :)

OK
Gotta always control myself here — I always want it all!

If you got kids, you gotta shop here. The place is a bit pricey but you can’t always find quality learning supplies at your Mass Merchandising store (Target, WalMart…)
They do have coupons every no and then. That is when I go shopping.
They have great workbooks and their laminating service is CHEAP!

I used to come here to get workbooks for my class. Now, I come here to get stickers for my students. They have a good supply of workbooks and test prep materials, as well as other learning toys. I like the variety in this place.
However, the service is not the best. The times I’ve been here, there is usually a short line of maybe 3 customers. The cashiers are pretty slow and the line doesn’t seem to move. I guess maybe they’re just not used to lines here or something. Also, they don’t seem to notice the line, as they go about taking their time.
I would recommend this place if you’re looking for educational materials, but be prepared to wait if there is a line.