Shoppers Pack Stores for Tax-Free Weekend
With school starting in a little more than two weeks, some families are in a mad rush to buy their back-to-school essentials.
The 2nd annual sales tax holiday kicked off at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. On August 4-5, the state is allowing shoppers to make many of those essential school purchases tax free.
Stores a were packed with a steady stream of shoppers looking to take advantage of the tax-free weekend.
“It’s going very good. We had several people waiting outside when we opened the doors this morning at 8 o’clock. Usually, we don’t open until 10, so we were very excited,” said Darrell Gabbard, general manager of Sears at the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville.
With a handful of exceptions, during the 48 hour period, what you see on the price tag is what you pay.
Terri Howard and her 4-year-old daughter spent Saturday scouring the mall for sales.
“Any chance to save some money is great,” Howard said. “I know that the crowds are going to be busy today but it’s not going to be too bad. We found a close parking spot and we are just going to save some money.”
The holiday applies to clothing and apparel that costs less than $100, such as jeans, shirts and shoes. It also applies to accessories that are less than $50, like jewelry, wallets and cosmetics.
Anne Hornberger beat the heat Saturday by taking two of her daughters to do some back-to-school shopping.
“We have bought some tennis shoes, clothes that they need, backpacks, and school supplies too that we need to save money on,” said Hornberger.
Cities in Benton County, such as Bentonville, Rogers and Lowell, charge shoppers a 9% sales tax. Fayetteville, Springdale, and Fort Smith shoppers pay 9.25%. Those shopping in Van Buren pay 8.5%.
“Basically, everyone is just looking across the board, and it’s automatically almost a 10% savings,” Gabbard said.
The tax-free holiday ends Sunday, August 5 at 11:59 p.m.
Some stores are extending their hours for the holiday.
The Northwest Arkansas Mall is open Saturday until 10 p.m. and will be open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Central Mall in Fort Smith is open Saturday until 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
To see a full list of tax-free items, click here.
