I never considered school supplies to be "name brand!" LOL!
I do buy Crayola crayons and markers because they seem to last the whole school year. I like the Mead 5 star notebooks for the same reason. So I watch the Target, Staples and Toys R Us back to school sales and pounce when the gettings good. I also make sure to check the paper for coupons which makes the deals even better. Last year I go Mead vinyl notebooks for about $2 and they are usually $8 and up! We always keep pens and one subject notebooks on hand so I shop those deals all year round.