SmartShopper

Sales tax-free weekend starts Friday, 8/5!

It's time for the annual tax-free weekend here in North Carolina and that means back-to-school shopping is in high gear! Here are the details and a few tips to help you save the most!

Posted Updated
School supplies
By
Faye Prosser
It’s time for the annual tax-free weekend here in North Carolina and that means back-to-school shopping is in high gear! From Friday through Sunday, you will be able to purchase qualifying items and pay no tax on those products. For the Triangle area, that’s an automatic savings of 6.75% when you combine the 4.75% state sales tax rate and the 2% county tax rate. Here are some details about the weekend as well as some tips to saving the most while shopping tax-free. For all the specifics, see the Department of Revenue website HERE.
Tax-free weekend dates: Friday, August 5 at 12:01 AM to Sunday, August 7 at 11:59 PM
Items included in the tax-free weekend:

School supplies that cost $100 or less per item (including calculators, binders, paper)

Clothing that is $100 or less per item (including shoes, diapers, uniforms, coats and more)

Sports and recreational equipment that cost $50 or less per item (including items like ballet and tap shoes, gloves, cleats, bike helmets, roller and ice skates and more)

Computers that cost $3500 or less per item (monitors and keyboards are not included in the tax-free exemption unless they are purchased in conjunction with the CPU)

Computer supplies with a sales price of $250 or less per item (includes items like computer disks, printer paper, printer ink, printers and PDAs)

For a list of exactly what is covered see the NC Department of Revenue website  HERE.
Extended Hours:

Some stores and malls will be extending their hours during the tax-free weekend so you have plenty of time to shop. Call ahead to see if your favorite stores are offering extended hours.

Tips to save the most:

Make sure the deals are really deals – don’t just buy because it’s tax-free weekend. You may save more money on another day when the item is on sale 25-30% off versus only saving 6.75% if the item is not on sale. For big ticket items like computers and printers, do your homework and price compare different sites to make sure you are getting a good buy.

Look for BOGO deals (buy one get one free deals), low cost school supply deals at office supply stores and Walmart and free after rebate deals (including free paper at Staples after rebate through Saturday).

Check out the school supplies sale list I posted on Sunday (the link to the deals is in the box above).  Those deals are good through Saturday and I’ll have a new list for you on Sunday.

Be prepared for busy stores with an average of 20% more traffic during tax-free weekend. Be patient and don’t get stressed out. If you get anxious about the crowds, you are more likely to make a rash purchase just to be done with the shopping.

You can order items online to avoid the crowds and you will still get the tax-free discount. The tax may be charged initially, but the retailer should deduct it when processing the order.

Don't forget about retailers like Goodwill and consignment shops. You don't have to hit all the high dollar name brand stores for your back to school shopping. I bought my youngest a pair of brand name jeans and a cute shirt for school last week for $5.77 at Nicole's Closet in the 40/42 area. They were offering a GrouponNow deal for $5 for $10 worth of product. The jeans were priced at $6 and the shirt was $4 so after the Groupon was deducted, I paid .77 at the register. The Groupon cost $5 so the total for both clothing items was only $5.77 - for an outfit!

Good luck and please post your great finds!

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