In and Out...

I worked in retail for four years; therefore, I refuse to participate in Tax-Free Weekend‼ Here in Texas, we save a whopping 8.25%. Man, what a break! Seriously folks, this is not a deal, especially not with the back-to-school craziness going on. It was just this year that Texas decided to move this “holiday” to the weekend before school starts. Seriously?? I’m sure there was some sort of good intention here; but really, it just encourages procrastination. Here’s the lowdown…from my perspective anyway.

Scenario 1: Skip Tax-Free Weekend

If you skip Tax-Free Weekend, you avoid the hassle of moody, rude people. Everyone is now stressed because they waited for the weekend before school starts to buy supplies and clothing for their kiddos. The people that work in retail are not capable of keeping up with your outrageous demands, so the sales floor is going to be a wreck. You will have to shop around a mess. Oh! And there’s the crowd of people you will be dodging, the traffic you will be trying to avoid, and the long lines you’ll be waiting in just to check out. Personally, I would rather carry in a coupon to save 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% that my favorite stores offer throughout the year, save more, and avoid the hassle.

Scenario 2: Participate in Tax-Free Weekend

By participating in this event, you will save 8.25%.

If you spend:
$100, you will save $8.25
$200, you will save $16.50
$300, you will save $24.75
$400, you will save $33.00
$500, you will save $41.25

If this savings is worth it to you, then good luck!

Scenario 3: What Might Have Been

It is possible that some stores take away their sale prices to make more money this weekend. Here’s an example: Say you buy a $20 t-shirt over tax-free weekend. You save on the 8.25% tax, which makes your total = $20. If you bought that same shirt last weekend, it might have been on sale half-off for $10 + the sales tax of 8.25% makes your total = $10.83. You would have saved yourself the headache AND $9.

It’s hard to predict what will be on sale and what won’t over the weekend. You might even get some really great deals if you run out and shop.

As for me and my family, we can be found in a cocoon-like state inside of our home this weekend…