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Shoppers take advantage of tax-free weekend to buy back-to-school supplies Date published: 8/4/2008
By CATHY DYSON With an attitude that every little bit helps, local shoppers took advantage As Nicki Taylor of Culpeper checked out the clearance rack at Fashion Bug off State Route 3 in Spotsylvania County, she said she had heard people say that not having to pay the 5-percent sales tax wasn't that big a deal. "But if you're buying for multiple children, it really adds up," said the mother of two. "I'll probably end up saving $30 or $40, and that's a tank of gas." Maria Frazier of Ladysmith, who has one school-age daughter and two preschoolers, used the same logic: The savings "helps a little bit, especially the way things are going." Frazier planned to put several things on layaway at Kmart, one of few stores that still lets customers pay in installments--and take home the merchandise after the bill is paid. Lots of shoppers picked this weekend to get layaway items, said Charles Austin, who works in the back-to-school department of the Route 3 discount store. "They've been doing jeans, book bags, you name it," he said. "People are putting outlandish amounts of things on layaway." The tax-free holiday was expected to save shoppers an estimated $4 million, according to the Virginia Department of Taxation. Merchants also hoped the third annual tax-free weekend, along with advertised sales, would entice more people into their stores. The plan worked, based on traffic around area shopping hubs. At the Spotsylvania Towne Centre, parking lots were filled, along with most of the extra chairs and benches added during the mall's renovation. There were throngs of people shopping and visiting various booths with activities geared toward kids. "It's like Christmas out there," said Mellanie Kibel, an associate in Gymboree, a clothing store for children. "The mall is a madhouse." But it was the kind of mayhem that Kim Lewek welcomed. She's an assistant manager at DEB Shops, which has fashions for teens and young women. She saw lots of mothers and daughters shopping and steady lines. "The past couple weekends have been really slow, but things have picked up. Today, we've been mobbed," she said Saturday. "It's been a good weekend, thank goodness." The only prediction for the weekend that didn't seem to hold true was one that suggested people had saved their economic stimulus checks for back-to-school shopping. "If it had come a little later, that would have been good," said Vivian Anderson of Spotsylvania. "I already spent it on bills." Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Date published: 8/4/2008
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