Work It, SOVA | Tax free weekend cometh; stores ready to welcome shoppers
07/31/2012
Courtesy of Work It, SOVA by Tiffany Holland
This weekend local stores are going to be packed with shoppers. Its too warm to be the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas is months away but Virginias tax free weekend for school supplies and clothes begins Friday and lasts until Sunday.
While the tax free weekend was established to help families save some cash when preparing children for year, it is also an incentive to bring out shoppers of all kinds.
You could say that is the biggest weekend next to the holidays, said Piedmont Mall manager Amanda McBride. The mall is having extended hours this weekend from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
McBride added that the staff is gearing up and getting ready for the crowds. In addition to the expected crowds, the mall with have its monthly Cruzn from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, where people display their classic and antique cars in the parking lot as well as the annual Lego Build Off will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
It will be busy but it will be fun, said McBride. Everyone is coming back [from] vacations and preparing for going back to school.
Rows of shelf space at other stores like Walmart and Target have been getting cleared for weeks to make way for the three-pronged folders, glue sticks, spiral notebooks and other essential back-to-school items that are $20 or less.
But a lot of Virginians that are well out of school still take the time to get some shopping done over the week since clothes and shoes under $100 are also tax exempt.
Stephanie Reid of Reidsville, N.C., said she will be coming into Danville or the surrounding area this weekend to buy some new shoes.
Its a good time to shop because you can save a couple bucks, said Reid. If you are going to pick a good time to shop, this is better than just some random Saturday.
Notable exceptions to Virginias tax free weekend are computers and computer supplies printers, printer paper, CDs, handheld schedulers are not included even though they are commonly used for school.
For a specific list of what is tax exempt this weekend and what is not, visit www.tax.virginia.gov.
