The new school year is just over a month away, and Westchester Square's Flynn O'Hara is encouraging parents to get started early on shopping.

"You need to shop early. It's very important that you shop early. The next couple of weeks will be the best," said Anthony Algieri, retail district manager of Flynn O'Hara. 

Algieri says Flynn O'Hara has been in business for over 50 years. They know waiting will result in longer lines and wait times, potentially leading to orders not being completed due to the high demand for uniforms.  

The employees there say it's better to take advantage of the empty stores and full shelves now than to scramble later when it gets closer to the start of school, and parents agreed. 

"That's the reason why we started coming out early. There was a time where we were caught up in the rush and everything and we decided that, no, we're not going to do that this time," said parent Debra Lloyd, who was out buying her daughter uniforms. 

Flynn O'Hara says their stores will be open with extended hours in the next few weeks to help parents stay ahead of the back-to-school shopping rush.