There’s a lot of buzz now about the big tax free weekend starting Friday Aug 2 and running through Sunday Aug 5. All the stores in town want you know that, hey, it’s a big sale and you should really head out and get your school supplies.
Or clothes.
Or a computer.
Personally, I can’t say I’m impressed.
When was the last time you hustled to the a mall because there was a 10% off sale? I know, every little bit counts when it comes to saving money. But I’m not going to rearrange my weekend and fight the mobs at Walmart so I can save an extra five bucks off the 50 dollars worth of crayons and folders I need to get for my kids. I will gladly pay the extra fiver to NOT have to play cart tango with the hillbilly family coming up to the Big City for their monthly shoppin’.
Also, you might be interested to know that 150 cities are “opting out” of the tax free weekend. It might only amount to an extra 1 or 1.5% bit of tax you still have to pay–but still, it’s a tax.
The nice thing about the tax free weekend–there’ is a good side–is that some stores are piling on an extra sale to get you to visit.
For example, Laurie’s Shoes is having the Shoeman Water Project come by their stores this weekend. If you donate some old (still useful) shoes, you’ll get a coupon for $5 off a new pair. They’ll be at the Chesterfield store on Friday and the Manchester store on Saturday.
Once Upon a Time is taking an extra 15% off their kid’s clothes for the weekend. If you’re a consignment store momma, this might be a good deal for you.
I don’t pretend to be a coupon blogger, so if you want to really get the scoop on sales this weekend you should visit the pros. Pop over to StlMommy or Krazy Coupon Queen if you want to maximize your savings this weekend. (They’re both local and wicked smart on saving money.)
The bad thing is that many store do NOT have an extra sale. They’re just happy that the state is paying for back-to-school shopping advertising. David Nicklaus at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said that some stores will even raise their prices on the holiday.
So watch out–and make sure that you’re actually getting a deal this weekend. Me? I’ve a family bike ride to plan.